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First, this lawn mower did not start at all. I replaced the spark plug, cleaned the carburetor, changed oil and gasoline, cleaned the flywheel (there was grass stuck to it, removed it a bit with a screwdriver) and the engine worked (hooray!).
BUT: the engine now makes a rattling noise. It is very loud and disturbing. The mower also vibrates a lot. I made a video of it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sDZDR9F7DOrkUSiaalYoaWU1misXTKza/view?usp=sharing

The lawn mower is a Briggs&Stratton 500e series, model no. 09P602-0002-H1.

I hope someone can help me
PS: sorry for my English, I am from Belgium (Europe)

kikoman7 said:

First, this lawn mower did not start at all. I replaced the spark plug, cleaned the carburetor, changed oil and gasoline, cleaned the flywheel (there was grass stuck to it, removed it a bit with a screwdriver) and the engine worked (hooray!).
BUT: the engine now makes a rattling noise. It is very loud and disturbing. The mower also vibrates a lot. I made a video of it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sDZDR9F7DOrkUSiaalYoaWU1misXTKza/view?usp=sharing

The lawn mower is a Briggs&Stratton 500e series, model no. 09P602-0002-H1.

I hope someone can help me
PS: sorry for my English, I am from Belgium (Europe)

Click to expand...

It is most likely either the cheap recoil mechanism hanging up and dragging, or really bad connecting rod knock indicating engine wear and slop. Hard to say without being there in person.

Thanks man!
It could be the cheap recoil mechanism, but it doesn't look like that's the problem. Maybe I can put some WD-40 on some points there (on the white plastic bits under the hood) to see what happens? I'm definitely going to check on rod knock, but I'm still waiting for the delivery of my brand new socket wrench set to access the inside of the engine.
Just wondering: I can move the flywheel/fan back and forth and up and down a bit; is this normal? Here's a video of it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t6cQz3CY6gxFN3_opFIGc0VhWrfLAl1X/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for helping me!

Sounds like she is out of oil. Put her on the full mark and nothing less. Underside of deck clean? Definitely sounds mechanical and struggling. Fishing line wrapped around the blade? Something is up. She is struggling for rpm.

i have a 20HP briggs on a craftsman rider, makes a similar noise. disassembly showed too much clearance on the counterweight rods. anyone else experience this? runs great , mows well...just that annoying rattle

Crank is bent and blade is hitting thus the vibration and constant banging. Look uner deck for shiney spot to confirm.

Sounds like low oil and a bent blade from hitting something hard.

Disconnect the spark plug wire tilt the mower so you can see the blade on the underside. Slowly turn the blade and watch for unevenness as you turn it. Blade may also be loose.

I agree and I should have said to remove the plug then tip on its side and rotate the blade

Thank you all for your response!
I have been able to check out a fair amount in the meantime. The blade is definitely not bent, there are no shiney spots of the blade on the metal cap either. The flywheel is cleaned (bottom + top; there was a lot of grass in between).
The flywheel key is still perfectly fine (no scratches). I changed the oil with SAE30 (as specified by manufacturer).
When I wanted to take the old oil out, (very) little came out. When I put the SAE30 oil out, it came back out pitch black.
Finally, I took off the cap of the self puller (I think, am not sure). Here was a metal bar loose in the plastic cap (check pictures):



I fixed this metal bar back into its place, but when I put the motor back together, the noise was still there. I am now thinking that a bearing is broken. It is (I think) anything inside the motor. What do you guys think?

This is appearing to need and engine. Small engine warehouse is a good source, but they are not cheap. You may be better off shopping around for another mower, or a good used engine on Ebay.

Is it possible the blade adapter is loose?

Not if the blade bolt is tight. All that should tighten when you overtorque the blade bolt with your impact gun. Bolt only needs a rough value of 35 ft lbs.

slomo said:

Not if the blade bolt is tight. All that should tighten when you overtorque the blade bolt with your impact gun. Bolt only needs a rough value of 35 ft lbs.

Click to expand...

Blade bolt can be tight but if keyway is worn the blade can still rock, I have seen it.

kikoman7 said:

Thanks man!
It could be the cheap recoil mechanism, but it doesn't look like that's the problem. Maybe I can put some WD-40 on some points there (on the white plastic bits under the hood) to see what happens? I'm definitely going to check on rod knock, but I'm still waiting for the delivery of my brand new socket wrench set to access the inside of the engine.
Just wondering: I can move the flywheel/fan back and forth and up and down a bit; is this normal? Here's a video of it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t6cQz3CY6gxFN3_opFIGc0VhWrfLAl1X/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for helping me!

Click to expand...

That appears to be a worn-out crank journal in the top of the block. This thing has been run a long time with a lack of oil. The crank should NOT move up and down or side to side like you show in the video.

One (long shot) exception that I can think of is if someone has replaced the oil sump gasket with thicker material than the stock gasket. DIY types can be creative.... LOL

Other than that, there is no (economical) rebuilding to correct this kind of damage.

Hi guys! I really appreciate all your replies!!
In the meantime, I have mostly taken the engine apart. Here are some pictures and a video:






The connecting rod ring has a lot of damage (it has 1 relatively large hole in it). Also, it appears that the piston rings have expanded upon disassembly. Finally, I saw that the blade adapter might have some damage (but I am not sure about this). What do you guys think? I can always take some additional photos or videos if that can help.
Thanks again for your replies!!!

kikoman7 said:

Hi guys! I really appreciate all your replies!!
In the meantime, I have mostly taken the engine apart. Here are some pictures and a video:

20250502_183413.jpg

drive.google.com

20250502_182322.jpg

drive.google.com

20250429_184058.jpg

drive.google.com

20250430_115559.jpg

drive.google.com

WhatsApp Video 2025-05-02 at 21.17.42.mp4

drive.google.com

The connecting rod ring has a lot of damage (it has 1 relatively large hole in it). Also, it appears that the piston rings have expanded upon disassembly. Finally, I saw that the blade adapter might have some damage (but I am not sure about this). What do you guys think? I can always take some additional photos or videos if that can help.
Thanks again for your replies!!!

Click to expand...

Picture #1 of the piston shows the damage. Part of the oil ring area is missing. It could be from weak/ defective casting or a problem with fuel in the oil at some point creating a condition known as "low speed detonation".

It is normal for the rings to expand slightly when the piston is removed from the cylinder. They have tension on them to prevent oil leaking through and maintain compression so the engine can combust the fuel/air mixture.

I recommend you look for a replacement engine