Read the posting in this thread by Walt Conner (walt2002). E-mail him at the address he provides (but you have to put it in the standard format as suggested by the "spoken" information he gives for his address). He prefers to do it this way because this allows him to click "Reply" and then "Copy & Paste" his instructions into the reply instead of having to write it from scratch each time someone needs to be tutored.

Bought used riding mower w/ engine trouble. 21 hp intek plus b&s (could not determine model etc on engine, shroud, inside of hood). Craftsman 2000 42". Will crank in choke but only for 10-15 secs. Will not run out of choke. Tried everything me and 3 neighbors could think of. Today I did comp test w/ only 30psi....should be around 120 on 3 yr old engine. What should I do to fix the compression problem?

287707 is a Briggs Model #. That and the TYPE# properly identify which Briggs 287707. Likely that has a 3 AMP charging system which is simply a diode. IF so,the plug from the stator would have a Red and a Black wire. The mating plug would have a Red & a White wire. The connector has the diode encased. Red would be DC output for charging and White would be AC for lights. This is the diode that gets used for a replacement. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062591 IF the diode is shorted, you'll get AC to the battery which kills it. That might also fry the stator if it is hard wired to the battery. Best test is to disconnect the plug and measure the output of the Red lead from the stator. It should be around 14+ VDC since there is no load. Also measure for AC, which shouldn't be present. IF Open, you simply don't get any charging. Tests at HIGH engine speed. IF the tractor has headlights, simply check to see if they work first. IF they don't, the stator is probably fried. Engine must be running.

Walt, thanks for all the info you have provided. It has been a great help. I think it was you that said my adjusting the valve on the briggs engine in my wifes gilson was the worst case of shade tree mechanicing you had ever heard of. Probably. Except, I was repairing cars (and tractors) since I was 10. I didn't know service manuals existed. I had no feeler gauges or torque wrenches. My mentor was my dad who preferred to drive horses to tractors. He never worked on his cars, but always took them to a mechanic. I Put the wrong head on a 41 chev when I was 11 years old. It took me an hour to remove it and put a different one on and adjust the valves. Anyway, you have told me several times that retorqueing the head won't work. And I have changed several headgaskets that were bad (just as you described). However, I had a new experience with a '75 VW rabbit. It was running badly, so I did a compression check. I had given up on tuneing worn out engines, which is why I always did a compression check. Sure enough, the compression on the center two cylinders was low and the same. I screwed in my air hose adapter, and the air from one cylinder squirted out the other. Sure proof the the gasket was leaking between the two cylinders. On changeing the gasket, I found the egr pipe had rusted and fallen off leaveing a large hole in the intake manifold. Pluging this and the car ran much better, of course. Now back to that head gasket. I inspected that rabbit gasket as well as I could and it was perfect. I concluded that it only leaked when cold and when hot, expansion sealed the leak. Therefore, retorqeing the head bolts would have fixed that one. My grand daughter had a chevy cavailer which was running bad. When I checked compression, some readings were rather low. So I retorqued the head bolts. The compression came up and the engine ran much better. Conclusion: If caught early, retorqeing can seal the headgasket and it is much easier than replaceing the gasket (If I replaced the gasket, I would also make sure the head was flat, probably by rubbing it on some emery paper). Also, new gaskets must be tougher than the old ones were. And did you know that coke cans are .004 to .005 inch thick on the center of their sides? So I left the intake in that range. The exhaust is under .010, and probably .008 (it could have been as low as .007). I'm sure you have seen these gaps quite wide. Intake would have been .015 to .020 and exhaust in the .020 to .025 range before my adjusting. As to her engine numbers, she used the numbers she had showed the guy to pull up a parts diagram of her engine on the briggs site (mod-287707, type-022501, code-970311ZD). She kept asking why the head gasket in the book (and in her hand) didn't look like the one on the briggs site. So I made up a story about 'L' being the cumbustion chamber shape of a valve-in block (What's a valve, what's a block). Girls!!! If I was doing a repair for money, I would do a complete job. A customer wants a working repair. Not a maybe. And doesn't want to pay extra for a second try at fixing it. I would always replace a bad starter, not change the drive gear and/or brushes. Probably replace the short block on an engine that is smokeing or useing oil. Kids are fun! But I try not to help. A little advice when they are stuck, usualy with a science lesson. Oh, In your bolt numbering scheme, I didn't know which bolt was to be number one (I now think you meant top center). On the other hand, I kinda don't believe it matters if you go around several times and take each bolt up just a small amount. So I used the sequence in the 'L' head manual, skipping the bolt under the exhaust which was still hidden and of course the one that was removed for the push rod galley. Oh, I was asking if they retorqued the flywheel nut. What a couple of stooges!! JerryO