My 12 HP Craftsman riding mower (Model 917.254551) will not start although the motor will crank. I have changed the battery, coil, and throttle cable. There doesn't appear to be any spark when testing at the spark plug. There are gas vapors when the air filter is removed and the engine cranked. What should I check in order to get a spark at the plug?
By William
I have a 15.5 hp Craftsman riding mower. It has a new battery, solenoid, starter, wiring harness, fuse, and clutch and seat switches. And it still will not turn over. What else is there to replace? The motor turns over when I jump the starter.
By Scott
I have a 42 inch, DLT3000 Craftsman that won't start. The motor turns of and all I get is a back fire? I tried jumping the safety switch under the seat and it still does the same thing.
By mlindner
I have a Craftsman riding mower, model 91720512, 6 speed, 42 inch cut, 14.5 Briggs and Stratton motor. I have replaced the ignition switch and starter solenoid. I was cutting grass yesterday, it was running fine and after running for about 1/2 hour, it just dies like if you get off the seat and safety switch killed it. I turned the key, no click, no crank, obviously no start. It was late so called it a day.
I checked today and thought I found the problem with a loose white crimp connector going to switch for clutch. It has a 4 pin block connector that plugs into clutch switch that clips into frame, 2 white wires and 2 black wires. I repaired the connection, nothing! I checked and replaced 30 AMP fuse, looked OK, checked battery voltage, fully charged 12.6 volts, checked wires for seat safety switch, they look OK. What next? Please help. My lawn is like a jungle! Suggestions to fix today?
By friendly frost from Hamden, CT
By foxrun4105/31/2011I think you may have an open ground. I have a John Deere with the same problem. I have yet to find the open ground. This is how I have to start my mower. I have a battery booster. I hook up the postive clamp of the booster to the postive side of the battery and the negative clamp to a metal part of the mower bypassing the negative battery terminal. The mower starts right up. Then I have my lady shut off the booster and unhook the clamps. If I get off the seat you know the safety devices shut down the mower.
I have a Craftsman LT1000 and it will turn over, but never starts. It sounds like there is no compression. There is oil is in the cylinder. Could my piston rings be bad?
By jammer1 from Franklinville, NJ
By DEADFISFH04/21/2011Had old lawnmower that would not start. Went to Oreillys auto and purchased start my engine under $7 dollars. Poured half in, it started and runs fine. It was a back up mower attempted to start it for the last 3 years it's a Toro so I did not want to throw it away. Main lawnmower ran with a shake so poured the other half in it, mower runs smooth. Might not work for you, but is not expensive little work (do not have to remove old gas) and cheaper than paying someone to look at first. Good luck.
I have a Craftsman lawn tractor, model no. 917.2726783. I have replaced the battery. The mower has been very hard to start. It seems like the starter isn't engaging like it should. The clutch has to be just right, also. I have removed the starter thinking that it might be burned up. It was very hot when I took it off. Is there any way to check it to see if it is bad?
When the starter was on the mower it would just barely turn over. It acts like a dead battery, but I have put a new battery in it and jumped it and used my battery charger on it. This is the first time it has failed to start completely. Usually it does this and then all of a sudden it would spin over and start and then continue to start if I shut it off.
By Tom from Edmond, OK
By revravyid09/16/2010You can bench test it. To do this, you will need a bench vise to hold it and a good battery with the rated amps for the starter. Or the safer alternative is to check the continuity of the motor with a multi meter. Why do you suspect the starter is bad?
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Craftsman Riding Mower Won't Start