tguilmette
Forum Newbie
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2019
- Threads
- 1
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- 4
Hi all,
My girlfriend and I bought a house last year. Lucky for me the previous homeowner left his old mower behind. Unlucky for me... it doesn't work. According to the neighbor it hasn't been run in at least three years. It is a Toro 14-38 XL 14.5 HP rider. Engine is a Briggs and Stratton 28N707 0131-01. One of my (many) summer projects is to get it working again. My first goal is to get the engine to turn over and so far I'm failing. Any help would be much appreciated. Here's what I've done so far:
Replaced battery and tried starting. No luck.
Wired battery directly to starter to rule out bad solenoid/safety switches/etc. Starter would engage but the engine would not turn.
Opened up starter to check for signs of damage. Looked good. Hooked it up to the battery while it was off the engine and it worked.
Removed spark plug and tried starting. Starter is still engaging but engine is not turning.
Removed engine cover and pulled out a MONSTER mouse nest
Removed flywheel and cleaned underneath
Removed belts underneath the engine and greased the shaft
Removed cylinder head, cleaned carbon deposits, cleaned valves
Replaced cylinder head. Checked valve clearances
Removed oil from crank case and flushed with diesel. Refilled with new oil.
After doing all this I was finally able to get the engine to turn over but only if the spark plug is removed. As soon as I replace the spark plug the starter can't make it over the hump on the compression stroke. I bought a new starter just in case that was the problem. Still no luck. Double checked the valve clearances and everything was in spec.
Anyone have any ideas of what I could try next? I would love to get this thing working again. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks all
My girlfriend and I bought a house last year. Lucky for me the previous homeowner left his old mower behind. Unlucky for me... it doesn't work. According to the neighbor it hasn't been run in at least three years. It is a Toro 14-38 XL 14.5 HP rider. Engine is a Briggs and Stratton 28N707 0131-01. One of my (many) summer projects is to get it working again. My first goal is to get the engine to turn over and so far I'm failing. Any help would be much appreciated. Here's what I've done so far:
Replaced battery and tried starting. No luck.
Wired battery directly to starter to rule out bad solenoid/safety switches/etc. Starter would engage but the engine would not turn.
Opened up starter to check for signs of damage. Looked good. Hooked it up to the battery while it was off the engine and it worked.
Removed spark plug and tried starting. Starter is still engaging but engine is not turning.
Removed engine cover and pulled out a MONSTER mouse nest
Removed flywheel and cleaned underneath
Removed belts underneath the engine and greased the shaft
Removed cylinder head, cleaned carbon deposits, cleaned valves
Replaced cylinder head. Checked valve clearances
Removed oil from crank case and flushed with diesel. Refilled with new oil.
After doing all this I was finally able to get the engine to turn over but only if the spark plug is removed. As soon as I replace the spark plug the starter can't make it over the hump on the compression stroke. I bought a new starter just in case that was the problem. Still no luck. Double checked the valve clearances and everything was in spec.
Anyone have any ideas of what I could try next? I would love to get this thing working again. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks all