Craftsman YTS3000 Mower caught hidden rope now won't start

Mark H_NO said:
Is the battery charged? If it won't crank, does it make any sound when you try and start? Is there a click or any noise? Can you describe the sound? If you post the video to youtube, you can link it here.
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It cranks, just won't start and run. Reread their post. Ether was involved.
 
a2kelley said:
Yes, thanks. What could be causing it to not disengage? Does it move away, drop down, or what usually? Sorry, I'm no mechanic and hubby knows some electrical,..
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Age. And not having been taken apart and cleaned, lubricated, brushes checked.....you need someone who has done all this before.
 
I didn't read through all 4 pages, so I'm sure this has been touched on as the 2nd comment alluded to, but, any time a mower engine suddenly stops, 99.9% of the time this results in a sheared key. This throws the ignition firing out of time.

There's also the possibility that it violently kicked back (spun backwards) which could have grabbed the starter gear overcoming the spring tension of the "Bendix" (the mechanism that throws the starter gear outward into the flywheel teeth), and destroyed the gear in the process. It's only plastic after all.

Either way my money is on a sheared key.
 
a2kelley said:
My husband said what he can see of the fuel seems to run properly but engine will not crank. We were unable to work on it for a couple weeks after catching the rope and after removing the rope and making sure the blades spin freely, when he first started it is when it has backfiring and and a tiny bit of black smoke, It was at that point he decided to try changing the fuel filter in case that was the problem and that's when it got worse. The one we thought was correct had same a shape as the one on it but the inside was different. He changed back to the original fuel filter after seeing it looked ok but now won't start or even crank. I have a couple short videos I took this morning of the latest sounds but it won't let me upload them here. I am uploading a couple of pictures in case they may help.

Help on this forum is greatly appreciated. I don't want to end up paying someone to come get it and work on it just to the me its a loss, especially after we put new more aggressive tires on it shortly after getting it to help with traction when pulling the garden cart up hills to shed and gardens.
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I don't believe this is the current problem, but you may want to turn that fuel filter around...
 
Arrow on fuel filter is pointing towards the fuel tank. It is currently in the same position as when the mower was working in the past. I'm posting a link to the latest video after applying wd40 to the starter gear. The starter gear will drop manually but when trying to start the mower, the starter gear engages with the flywheel and turns a bit but engine dies not start and starter gear does not drop back down. At what point should the starter gear drop back down?

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Fuel filter is backwards. The arrow should point toward the carb. I doubt that's the problem, but it's easy to fix, just in case.

The starter gear should drop when engine starts. If engine does not start, it may stay engaged. If turning the flywheel drops the starter gear, it's probably fine.

As several have said, pull the plug and crank the engine. If it spins freely, and fuel/oil sprays out the plug hole, the carb is leaking fuel, and keeping the motor from turning over and starting. This is most often the float valve/seat. If it turns over better, but still slowly, starter/electrical. Starter, battery, or wiring to starter not delivering enough power.

Jump starting is something else to try. Your charger says the battery is fully charged, but that doesn't mean it's strong enough to start the engine.
 
Whenever I had one struggle that hard to turn over with a STRONG battery and good connections, it was tight intake valves. There's probably a compression release on the intake cam, and with tight valves it stops working. Once you get the valve clearance correct, it'll whip right over at normal speed.
 
4 pages. Three things needed - fuel/air ratio which is quite broad, spark at the right time that is flexible, and compression which is also flexible up to a point. The job is to figure which is missing, then fix it.

I am guessing the rope tore some wires under the engine, or sheared the key. At any rate, it doesn't take long to figure which of the three is missing. Then it may be complicated getting things perfectly right, but a gasoline engine that won't start when spinning is missing one of the three items above.

DO NOT turn the fuel filter around if it is used even if it is in wrong. It will send the particles it trapped back out. Get a new filter and put it in correctly. The arrow goes with fuel flow.
 
sgkent said:
4 pages. Three things needed - fuel/air ratio which is quite broad, spark at the right time that is flexible, and compression which is also flexible up to a point. The job is to figure which is missing, then fix it.

I am guessing the rope tore some wires under the engine, or sheared the key. At any rate, it doesn't take long to figure which of the three is missing. Then it may be complicated getting things perfectly right, but a gasoline engine that won't start when spinning is missing one of the three items above.

DO NOT turn the fuel filter around if it is used even if it is in wrong. It will send the particles it trapped back out. Get a new filter and put it in correctly. The arrow goes with fuel flow.
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Good point about the fuel filter!
 
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