Fixing A Craftsman Mower That's Tough To Start
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
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Thanks for watching. This Craftsman mower only needed a tune up, but come to find out it needed a bit more than that. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
By the way, I enjoy your videos, as a small engine mechanic I agree that lawnmowers and other equipment should be serviced thoroughly.
thank you and it's always nice to see a fellow here.
Great video. Good videography, good pacing of instructions, good explanation of troubleshooting steps, good explanation of reasoning behind decisions. A+. Only thing I would suggest is that you share links to an online retailer where people can get parts. It could be a win-win because affiliate links could provide you with some passive income and we, the viewers, can have the option of using the same products you use.
that's funny, there should be 3 links in the video
Thanks to watching your vids last year, my mower started first pull this year.
That is awesome!
My mowers are working just fine!
nice!
The time to fix it is simple as soon as it shows you any problem👍
agreed
The mower I gave to my friends Son was hard to start what I did was clean the Carburetor and the jet nut. New plug and she started right up. When hot started right up.
Truthfully I have never messed with valves.
If I need to I will refer back to this clip of yours.
Thanks HG I appreciate you
no problem and If it starts hot or cold, I don't think you'll need to mess with the valves. Don't mess with it if it's not broken
Thank you, I found it informative and thorough in the diagnosis and repair of this mower.
Keep up the great work!
I will and thank you very much
I've been running Honda, Kohler and PowerMore engines for so long now that I have never had to adjust the valves. Two of the Hondas I own are professionally serviced each year and the same goes for the PowerMore. The Kohlers I service myself and they are of the Command Pro offering that use hydraulic valve lifters so I guess they don't really go out of adjustment.
I find that honda hold their tolerances very well.
I used to do wet grass but it was shooting out of the side discharge. But i did clean the deck off.
nothing wrong with that
Thanks for the most helpful video so far on valve lash. BTW is exact same mower too given me. The previous owner got tire of it not starting. I cleaned the cartridge in the carburetor but is still hard to start. Thumbs up for your mower hygiene😁
Thank you very much for the Super Thanks. I really do appreciate it
Good video. Pressure washing is great, _you_ get a shower at the same time!
LOL!!!
Nice quick & easy fix. Those are best.
Yes they are!
I use a transmission funnel on engines without a fill tube. It fits perfectly on most of them.
ah yes, I need to find mine
Ty. Have a great day.
you bet!
No, I have a Quantum flat head. Starts first pull each time. Yearly basic maintenance does help. Last year did have to clean the carb and that has all it has needed in my 11 years of ownership.
wow that's some great work!
That is another one to the list I check now if I have a no start
I totally agree with you
Yes, my Toro Recycler is tough to start. It takes about 8-10 pulls when cold. BUT... it's 13 yrs old, and has a flathead engine, which is difficult to adjust the valves on. Whenever I finally get the motivation to get it done, I'm sure it will crank easily again.
yes, I try avoiding doing valve jobs on flatheads too.
Wow that's awesome
thanks
I use old oil and brush it on the under deck and it does help alot too prevent rust
yes that works out really well too
My 3 horsepower Briggs and Stratton powered lawnmower takes about 3 pulls to start it when it's cold because the fuel is siphoned out of the fuel tank by the carburettor under the engines vacuum but it will start first go when it's warm.
It took 6 pulls to start it once which was fixed up by replacing the piston rings because I had already reset the valve clearance & lapped the valves back into their seats.
With my dads Honda GSV190 powered lawnmower it tends to be harder to start if the fuel tap has been turned on.after the carburettor has been run dry of fuel after it was turned off but once the tap has been turned on for a few seconds then it will start right up !
nice explanation
A lot of new equipment with Honda clones come with those torch plugs. I usually grab a champion or NGK and chunk the torch ones. I have heard people say they are fine and other folks say they are trash. But I sure wouldn't be sticking a free one in for a customer either.
agreed!
Thanks. Learned something new.
no problem
I have one of these mower. I was wondering what you gapped the values too?
I gapped them to .005"
The stuff vibrating around on the mowing deck on the first start
Up looked like bullets in a brass tumbler moving around
hey that's what I thought too!
@@HomeGaragechannel though they are a bit small to be .357 casings
Thank you for the video
thank you Sir!
Mine are flatheads even if one has a plastic cam. Can't have everything. The Snapper always starts on the 2nd pull and is an 85 model, the Vanguard starts on the 2nd turn nd the washer started on the 1st pull the last time it was run but will take work this time I bet. You did good.
nice !
@@HomeGaragechannel So far!
Great video. 👍🙏👍🙏
Thank you very much!
High satisfaction job.
thank you !
I haven’t had to monkey with my rotary mower in over a decade. I guess I got lucky? I did replace drive wheels and belt but otherwise routine maintenance and it’s been trouble free.
I have a cylinder mower that I do have to adjust the bed knife but otherwise just pretty routine maintenance as well.
you're doing a great job keeping your machines working!
I have an electric mower. I don’t know if you have a video on this subject yet but maybe you can show us how to sharpen a lawn mower blade.
that's an idea
swiss cheese mowing deck. nice discription.
thanks I thought it was fitting
Thank you. Sir I have a situation I own a 2012 BS craftsman self propelled lawnmower I’m original owner my problem is it blows blue smoke for about 1-2 minutes and then subsides to a minimal of smoke.
I changed the oil and ran it about 15 minutes and
then checked the oil. It was black as it was when I changed the oil. It was black like it was B4
sure, when changing the oil, you can never really get..."all" the dirty oil out. That means when you add fresh oil, the remaining dirty oil, will "dirty up" the new stuff. The only way to get rid of it is to use an engine oil flush.
HG do you think the dirty left over oil would cause the blue smoke. Sir if the rings were bad would the engine still have power.
How do you find out what clearance the valves and spark plug needs to be?
by searching the internet. There are plenty of site offering up the information, and also discussion groups. It might take a couple of minutes to find it, but the information is there.
I’ve got an echo srm 225 that’s leaking oil out of the exhaust I checked the spark arrester screen so I’m stumped
you have a carb problem
I've never checked the lash. Have the feeler gauge but haven't a reason to do it yet..
as long as you don't feel the need, I totally agree with you
question for you, with the amount of just surface rust on the bottom of the deck, if you were to keep this mower or even possibly sell this mower, would using a spray paint rust inhibitor on it possibly command a higher price for sale or prolong the use of the mower if you keep it? What are your thoughts?
unfortunately, no one cares what you sprayed on the bottom of the deck especially if it makes the mower more expensive. Sounds like what a car dealership would do to make more money on a car. I would just rub used engine oil on the rust and call it a day.
Get a nipple cap off a bottle of Lucas and it screws right in the oil bottle makes adding oil totally painless they also have a little blue tip cap
I like that idea!
im just wondering what solution you use to spray on the mower to wash them?
sure thing, I use a degreaser from Harbor Freight, but most any brand of degreaser works too.
the best time is to maintain a high level of maintenance all the time. lol
I like this comment
I have a question Not about this project but I am working on a Husqvarna push mower with a Honda gcv 160 engine on it with the adjustable throttle. Where it is off choke it revs up and down but runs fine on choke I have cleaned the carb four times put new gas, air filter and everything I even put in some of that mechanic in a bottle stuff in the gas and let it run for an and still doesn't run right. Hoping you might have some ideas
sure thing, I guess you were able to clean the main jet, but did you clean the pilot jet as well? If you did then there's still a problem with the carb and a replacement is in order.
Okay thanks so much for the advice. Yes I did clean the pilot jet and the main jet Figured I might have to just replace The carb. Have you had much luck with aftermarket carbs with the Honda as a new carb from the small engine repair shop down the street says an OEM carb would be $170 which I thought was quite overpriced especially since this was a $20 lawn mower I got at yard sale and I'm hoping to flip it and not really willing to spend that much for a new carb
Great video. I just don’t get some people. You were doing them a favor by going behind another shop that didn’t fix it and then wouldn’t buy a spark plug. What plugs do you like
The shop that serviced this mower did a halfway job. Obviously they don't care about the customer, or doing thing right.
I really can't say too much, it's a budget issue, so the know their finances better than I do. I try and use whatever is Stock to the mower... unless it's a Chinese engine. They'll say the stock plug is a Torch brand or some other no name brand. If that happens, I'll typically replace it with a champion or NGK plug.
agreed, I'm sure they were tasked with a no start situation, and did exactly that much and no more.
Engine oil flush. Do they sell small amounts for lawnmowers.
I don't see why not, it would be based on the "capacity" of the system. Cars are typically 4.5 to 6 quarts depending on the vehicle. These only take 16-20 ounces, so just add some according to directions
I am selling a mower with this exact same engine on it, I want to check the valve flash, but the valve cover is stuck on with gasket sealer or silicone, do you have any suggestions for getting the valve cover off without damaging it?
unfortunately no, you'll have to pry on the edge and if you do so, make sure it's the upper edge
@@HomeGaragechannel Okay well thanks for your help. Anyways, the engine runs good, so I don't think the valve flash would be very much out of spec anyways.
Hey home garage idk if there something wrong with my redmax ebz8560 it’s little over a year old and today when I was using it would stutter at full throttle or when I was using it at full throttles it would just drop rpm quick then go back up to full throttle im wondering if it’s fuel related but I’m not sure
sure but I'm leaning towards "carb" and not fuel, to check if it is, just run it at half throttle and see if it still does it.
@@HomeGaragechannelok thanks I’ll check it out tmrw
Hey home garage I ran my redmax 8560 on half throttle for 15 minutes and it didn’t stutter or try to drop rpms
cool, that means the carb is not able to deliver enough fuel without the choke helping to block off some air. You can either use it like this, or replace the carb, if you need the full power of the blower for leaf season
@@HomeGaragechannelI’ll definitely replace the carb and I think the only reason that this even happen was cause redmax says to replace the air filter every 40 hours or else it can mess up the carb or other things
Great work. Too bad the spark plug wasn't replaced. The mower would run better.
yes agreed
Can you do a video on a Stihl bg75 handheld leaf blower that would be great because I have the same leaf blower
I can if I can get my hands on one.
@@HomeGaragechannel yea I had my cousin pick mine up yesterday
At least you didn't have to replace a cable have you seen the prices they want outrageous !!!
really? It says it's $9 from AMAZN
I have a toro lawn mower that the self propel is backwards. I’d you push down on the handle the self propel disengages. Why is this?
without knowing the model and serial number of your mower, I have no idea .
Don't these engines have auto compression release at start to make pull easier ?
If true, how do you get an accurate compression check using compression tester ?
yes they do, To overcome it, you have spin the engine faster than what the pull string and achieve. I do this by using a drill to turn the flywheel on the engine
@@HomeGaragechannel , are you by any chance also a college professor ?
Carburetor was rebuilt, it ran on Monday when I picked it up, now it won’t start. Any suggestions?
sure, take off the air filter and spray some starting fluid, or a bit of gasoline into the inlet for the carb. Try and start it, if it runs, then the carb is not allowing fuel to pass thru to the engine. But if it Doesn't run, then the engine might be flooded.
I found out, it’s my ignition coil
nope not mine as my 4 stroke Victa mower with the Briggs and Stratton Quantum type on a 19" (inch) Cutting Path and Four (4) Blade Mulching Disc Technology plus it,s a good mower to do a hot lap in my yard and i keep mine in good clean shape year after some good loving and i do prefer those engines and even the Vertical type ones from the good old days plus their performance is unbeatable too and the one i have is Model TMS484 and it,s the 190cc type and it,s the 625 series type too.
very nice mower
@@HomeGaragechannel yep too right mate and i do prefer those ones as they have the metal type carburator aka carby which is more solid than a plastic one like the G4 type carburator aka carby on the old Victa P/T (Power Torque) engines.
Hey bro, what's up? Surprisingly you didn't have to do any work on the carburetor. I believe that the repair shop who done work on this mower should have given the owner a refund since they did a poor job on maintaining this mower bro.
agreed!
DO you know anything about Powermore engines? I am working on a Cub Cadet mower with a Powermore engine. The choke lever is nearly a foot long, and seems to be about an inch longer than it should be. When the carb is in position, the lever bows and the choke will not move. It can only go on one way, so there seems to be no way for it to function properly. Have you run into this issue before on these engines? Like I said in another comment, it is very poorly designed, so it wouldn't surprise me if it left the factory like that. This is a 20 year old mower though, so there is no telling who has been in it before me.
are you sure it's a Powermore? I thought cub was using a different overseas engine. Either way, I'd have to see it.
@@HomeGaragechannel I think it is a Powermore, based on my research. There are no labels indicating a brand name on it. I have had the machine for a year, and I just found the engine tag three days ago.
Craftsman mowers are just not what they used to be. I wont buy them anymore. Toro has been much better
MTD makes the newer models and they are not as good as the older AYP (Husqvarna) sourced machines. Some MTD equipment is still decent.
@@MazichMusic I was considering Cub Cadet for walk behinds at one point because my Cub Cadet 3X 28" HD has been pretty reliable in a commercial setting but I ultimately bought a new Honda. I wouldn't touch Husqvarna as I have been burned on expensive parts that either break or wear out too quickly.
In my experience, Toros are not much better as regardless of residential or commercial grade they don't really satisfy me. The Personal Pace and their transmissions are a joke with known issues and belted blade clutches on commercial machines don't come to the standards of other machines from Honda, John Deere (once upon a time) or Scag.
I like toro a lot
After Sears discontinued making Craftsman mowers they have become useless garbage. Had one lock up up on me after 2 mowings. I will never buy Craftsman as long as they are made in China.
Yep craftsman mowers have been crap since probably the 70s. Plus hard to find parts, and they made it that way on purpose...pexz
that's what I've heard
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE disconnect the spark plug prior to working on the underside of a mower. Please mention it in your video, and show on camera that you’ve disconnected it. Thank you.
SURE SURE sure thing, but you do realize that with the break handle not squeezed, the ignition system won't work?
@@HomeGaragechannel You are correct, and I had not considered that when I posted my comment. Having said that, however, there will be people that let their guard down when working on these things, and a policy of removing the spark plug wire establishes a good habit and sends a good message of caution. I enjoy your videos.
you are correct, on the chance that the break handle system is faulty and not able to keep the ignition system from working, removing the spark plug wire is a 100% sure way of staying safe.
I only buy mowers with honda motors b and s have become unreliable
I like that
So here is the real problem. A repair shop charges about $80 per hour to fix your mower. Your used and abused lawn mower is worth about $50. Now, you expect the shop to spend 3 or 4 hours working on your piece of chit to make it run and clean it up, then complain when you get your bill?
People won't even clean the grass out, so you blame the shop for not doing a good enough job?
you make a good point
Do not buy new Briggs and scrap iron buy Honda the older briggs were better
there's certainly a difference!