i have the craftsman riding mower that has the 18.5 itek engine and this thing kicks back on the starter when cold and hot. more when hot. i have it on a maintainer so the battery is up to speed. metes says 13 volts before i try to crank it. it starts after the first cold kickback but when hot i have to put the booster on it. i have been told the valves need adjusting but i have had little luck doing this. so i must be doing it wrong. can someone point me it the correct direction for adjusting the valves on this engine? thanks
Remove the spark plug and then rotate the engine by hand watching the valves open and close. When both valves are closed and the piston has started its down power stroke about 1/4" past TDC then set the valves at .005 and see what happens. If that doesn't work and you are sure the clearances have been rechecked and correct that normally means the compression release mechanism has broken and is laying in the bottom of the oil pan, and will require removing the engine and replacing the camshaft.
say thanks i knew the valves were out but in my erro i had both valves closed oup on compression. so now i know. i will save this for the next time i have to do it. thanks a bunch for this.
