Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Mower won't turn over after cutting.
Check the carburetor and the fuel line.
My riding mower won't start. It has fuel, a new plug, fire, turns over, new coil, and fuses. It ran great, sputtered, and shut off.
It has new fuel filter. The fuel runs to the carb, no clogs.There is a safety switch under the seat. It may be malfunctioning
I have a Morrison mini rider. I can not seem to work out how to free push it. It is in neutral.
There is a manual online if you don't have it:
manuals.mtdproducts.com/manuals/769-10162a.pdf
Or better yet, if that doesn't help, call the company before you start messing with it...you would not want to break it or invalidate a warranty if it has one.
Their contact info is:
MTD LLC, P.O. BOX 361131 CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136-0019; Phone: 1-800-800-7310, 1-330-220-4683
I have a older Yard Machine riding lawn mower that has been sitting for a couple years. First of all I can't seem to get it into neutral to push it, second of all when I do try to start it it's tries to turn over, but it is with the deck engaged and I can't get the deck to turn off to get it started.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.If it's been sitting for so long you need to empty its gas and clean the carburetor
From SF Gates:
1
Check the oil before you start a four-cycle mower that has been sitting for a long time. You may have neglected to replenish it the last time you used the mower.
My lawnmower will not start. It doesn't make a sound. I have charged the battery and it reads over 12. I have done the ignition switch and spark plugs. I have replaced the solenoid and tried different wiring ways with it.
I don't have any voltage drops to the starter. A couple wires were cut and I spliced them back together. Please help!Is the fuel line open? Fresh fuel in the tank?
A couple of weeks ago while I was mowing the lawn with my 12.5 hp Yarkworks lawn tractor for some reason the machine started revving really fast. I turned off the ignition as quickly as I could. I then went to restart my tractor. However the machine would not turn over until it cooled down.
The symptoms haven't changed. I can mow the grass for hours as long as I don't turn the machine off. Then I must wait until it cools down again. Someone told me I may have a warped head since the machine revved like it did. Help.You could have a problem with your medal expanding when it is hot. You will need to check the spark when it is hot. You could also have a problem with a coil or wiring.
It could be a bad condenser or ignition coil problem.
I changed the oil filter, added new oil, new carburator, new spark plug, new fuel filter, new battery, new air filter, and new gas, but it still will not start. The flywheel is turning over, the muffler puffs occasionally when I choke, but nothing happens. I am stumped. I poured a teaspoon of gas in the spark plug area to see if there was fuel constraint which resulted in a few coughs through the muffler. What do I do next? any suggestions? Thank you!
could be that the switch under the seat is bad. it feels when you get out of the seat and shuts off the mower. you can bypass it with a short peace of wire
could be the switch under the seat is bad. it can tell if you get off the mower and shuts off the engine.you can bypass with a short piece of wire
I have a 10 year old Snapper riding mower with the motor in the back. For a while as I was mowing, it would just quit on me. Today I went out to mow, and it won't even fire!
What could be going on? I did go get a new coil and put on it, and it still will not fire.I have a MTD rider, 42 inch. It won't restart when hot. I replaced the ignition switch, solenoid, and coil. At first it starts right up. If I finish cutting the lawn and shut it off, then it won't restart. I need to wait until it cools down; then it starts.
By ED T.
This may help 50% of lawn mower starting issues! Try adding a gasoline additive to boost octane and clean fuel lines. There is a product made especially for small engines that cleans the gunk formed quickly in lines and moving parts from current low emission fuels. Where did we think the stuff goes that doesn't burn and doesn't go into the air? - It stays in our mower's engine causing moving parts and plastic fuel lines to bond together!
After forgetting to empty the mower engine over winter, I found nothing worked to get it started. My local small engine guru suggested adding a fuel stabilizer, octane booster and fuel line cleaner made for small engines to fresh gasoline (read directions). Try to turn over a few times to get fuel moving into lines, leave sitting for a few hours then try again to start. It smoked and coughed the first few times, but gradually improved greatly, now starting much easier. And re-starting easily after being turned off! I will remember to winterize this year.
Another tip: keep the housing around the mower blades cleaned of dried on grass.
Also, if you are cutting grass with deck significantly lowered, try to start mower in an area with very little grass. Blades that rotate when you are pulling a starter rope are hindered from turning by contact with heavy, thick grass, preventing easy starting.
I had this problem with a 18.5 hp Poulan Pro for years and it was very annoying in that: We are in the southeast and we want our grass cut before the heat comes. We had a professional law repairman to replace all of the things you named and the Poulan started running real good for 20 minutes and then we had better have a pushmower or swingblade around. I read someone's post and the post said the carburetor components were causing this problem. I went to Ebay and bidded on a new briggs and stratton carburetor for $57.00, and now that cut off problem is gone.
I have a riding mower with a Kohler engine. My starter is good, there is a new coil. It's getting gas through both lines on the pump, but won't run unless we keep spraying gas in the carburetor. Any idea why the gas is not getting into the carburetor?
By Richard
Have you checked the lines coming from the carb? hey could be blocked, kinked, or small hole.
I have a Columbia riding mover with a 12hp with I/C (industrial/commercial) engine; there is no spark. Do you have any ideas what the problem could be?
By HC
Try replacing the spark plug before doing anything else, is there gas in it?
Take the spark plug wire, pull it out of the sleeve, and press it to the frame. Turn the ignition. If it sparks, you have spark, your plug is bad. If not, your magnet isn't making contact.
I am trying to fix my MTD/Powercraft riding mower. It has an 18 HP I/C B+S motor, twin cylinder. 42a707 series. It has a hydrostatic transmission. The starter will not turn the motor to start it. I have put on a brand new starter and it still will not turn the motor. Even when I jump past all of the switches and solenoids and jumper straight from the pos (+) battery terminal to the starter, the starter still will not turn the engine.
The battery is fully charged and tested so I have ruled that out. My question is could it be that the transmission belts/blade belts are too tight? Should the transmission belts be disengaged when trying to start somehow? Right now the belts are very tight all the time and the engine is VERY hard to turn, even by hand. I know it is not a compression problem, I have taken the spark plugs out and the problem persists.
It is not an OHV engine so I am not inclined to believe that it is a valve problem. Should the clutch be disengaging the transmission belt? What exactly does the clutch do on these machines? This may be a very vague question, but I have been fooling with this tractor for a week now and I am at my wits end. If more info is needed, or questions arise please let me know. Help me if you can! Thanks.
By michael garrett from Peoria, IL
Fixed it. Please disregard this message. Apparently one of the safety switches was malfunctioning. I rewired the mower to bypass all of the safety switches and it cranked perfectly.
Well on my riding mower it has safety devices. One of which is the mower will not turn over unless I am sitting in the seat. If the mower is running and I leave the seat the mower will shut down. It is possible to over ride the safety device. If my battery is low I hook up my charger to the battery but I have to be in the seat for the mower to turn over. Once it starts I kick off the cables with my foot or have someone unhook the charger. I also use alligator clips instead of nuts and bolts to hook up the battery to the mower. makes it easier to disconnect the battery.
I need a solution to a garden tractor that will start cold, but not after it has been run for awhile.
I accidentally put my mower in reverse without disengaging the blades. Now it will not start and the tires are locked up so it will not move anywhere. How do I fix this issue?
Thanks!
I just put in a new battery and plug. The fuel is good it. It will start on pull cord, but won't pick up with the key turns over ok.
My X300 riding mower will not start. The battery does not hold a charge and I must recharge it to have it start the engine. Is this a battery issue or is there an alternator?
we had that happen on our four year old rider and come to find out the engine block was cracked.
I have a riding lawn mower that acts like it wants to start, but doesn't. It has a new carb, new spark plug, new battery, new starter, and a new starter solenoid. What's wrong with it?
How is the fuel in it? Is it fresh fuel? Any chance it could have gotten water in it?
I have a Yard Machine mower. Everything was new and it started every time. Then I had to fix a flat and my kid left the key in the on position for two days.
Now nothing. What could have burned out ? I charged the battery (it was a week old), but still nothing.Change the fuse under the seat or under the battery
I replaced the battery and solenoid and the mower still won't start. It clicks like a car would if the starter was bad.
You answered your own question!
I have a 19hp Kohler engine on a riding mower. I put a new battery on it, but it just clicks. I put a screw driver to both posts on the solenoid, but it just arcs and smokes.
Any suggestions would be helpful.If you can't find the service manual for this mower try the following.
I was reading a post that said;
"On the top of the engine is the air intake screen. With your hands move the screen in reverse or counter clockwise until you have resistance to the turning. Stop and try starting the mower. It worked for me. So every time I want to start the machine I have to counter turn the air screen untill I feel the resistance. "
I tried this and it sorta worked, but it only turns the engine over partially and it locks up again or stops trying to start.
Why?
I'm looking for some help with my Rally ride on lawn mower which has a 15.5hp Briggs and Stratton engine. I was cutting the lawn and the mower just cut out, no warning, as if you just turned the ignition off. I have checked the safety switches and they're fine; there is spark at the plug. I'm at a total loss as to what could be the problem. Any and all help would be very grateful please. Thanks.
I have a '79 C-161 Wheel Horse mower. It will only run if I spray starting fluid into the carb. I installed a new battery, gas line, spark plug, and air filter. What can be the problem?
