Briggs hard to start...

[Riverman]

Briggs hard to start... won't turn over hardly.

New battery - 300 CCA
Clean terminals
About 13-volts at battery

Briggs 31P 777
18.5hp

Barely turns over when cold or hot... starter gets hot pretty quick.

Valves need adjusting?
Bad starter?

Thanks

 

[pugaltitude]

Could be electrical fault or valve problem.
Make sure all elec connections are clean.
Valves may need adjusting as engine might not be able to get past compression stroke due to clearances being too high.

Does the engine turn over without the plug? If yes then try valves.

Clearances are 0.003-0.005 on intake and 0.005-0.007 on ex.
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/Servicing the valves/

 

[Riverman]

It turns over real easy with the plug out.

 

[wjjones]

Could be electrical fault or valve problem.
Make sure all elec connections are clean.
Valves may need adjusting as engine might not be able to get past compression stroke due to clearances being too high.

Does the engine turn over without the plug? If yes then try valves.

Clearances are 0.003-0.005 on intake and 0.005-0.007 on ex.
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/Servicing the valves/

:thumbsup:

 

[Riverman]

Adjusted the valves and charged the battery... all is well now. thanks

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Adjusted the valves and charged the battery... all is well now. thanks

I'm glad you figured it out, and thanks for letting us know what solved the problem! :thumbsup: