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riding mower won't turn over

15 years ago

please help me out.

i got a toro wheel horse 269-h. model cv20s. kolhor ohv engine. i was cutting the grass and the darn thing quit running. turned the key and nothing. i checked the starter (put screwdriver accross the the leads) and the the selonoid goes up and the starter spins. when i turn the key half way there is a big "clunk" (like the sound of a solonoid, coming from the front of the engine, near the carb area not sure if this is normal or why it is so loud) the lights go on. i turn the key the rest of the way and nothing. i put my hand on the relay and turn the key all the way. i can feel current (or buzz) going through the relay. i imagine it is a saftey switch but where. it has low oil shutdown. i checked the oil level and that is fine. any areas i should start and how to test.

thanks in advance,

the wife is yelling.

kuby

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Comments (5)

rustyj14
15 years ago
I think you had best seek professional help! Sounds like the engine has decided to quit forever! With all of the clunks and bangs and no results, i think you have suffered big problems.
Better find a repair shop and get somebody there to visit and check the engine.
Rustyj
butchs_hobby
15 years ago
Disconnect the plug wire(for safety) and see if the motor turns over by hand. Most mowers use an electric PTO clutch and its held on with a bolt into the crankshaft, put a wrench/socket on it and you should be able to turn motor, if you can't the motor is likely kaput(junk). You have checked the battery cables at the battery and made sure they are nice and clean. A dirty or loose bat cable will make a regular vehicle act stupid(affects the computor) and will play heck with most anything with a 12 volt system.
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Craftsman riding mower won't start
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Pull the valve cover and check the valve clearances. The engine not wanting to crank over may be due to valves needing adjustment to restore function of compression release. Don't worry about the flywheel key shearing, that is not something likely to occur on a mower that has a belt driven deck, The concern over shearing a flywheel key by hitting something and stopping the blades is only true in push mowers where the blade mounts directly to the crankshaft. Belt driven blades can't stop the crankshaft quick enough to shear a flywheel key. The puzzling part of the description is how the exhaust seems to have gotten louder just prior to backfiring. Start with the valves.
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"Also regarding them not selling replacement bushings, does that mean I'd just have to buy a whole new starter?" You didn't answer whether the "different starter" they put on was a new one or a used one. The end/mounting plate can be bought with the bushing in it and just replace that. As said above, while the bushings are "not replaceable", you can usually get one that is the right ID at a good hardware store, farm supply store and probably auto parts store. All that I have found have an OD that is too large and are too long. No problem for me since I have a metal turning lathe and other machine tools making replacement fairly simple. I am not sure I would recommend you undertake it. I have been able to tell about the bushing by taking hold of the end of the starter shaft and pulling side to side. Might want to ask esemilio above how he did it but I wouldn't jump into that until you know that is the problem. "putting 2 - 3 drops of oil where the starter shaft exits the end/mounting plate may help." and that does help, does that mean the bushings are wearing out and I will have to replace the starter anyhow?" No, that means the starter bushing was dry making the starter harder to turn over under load. The loose bushing is another mater. As I said, IF the engine will start, try the SeaFoam before getting involved in repairing/replacing anything. And you didn't answer about whether the engine had valve repair before the problem started. Walt Conner
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"Also, if anyone can recommend a brand of shoes w/ soles that last longer than a couple months for a lawncare guy, I'd REALLY appreciate it! Thanks!" I've read on a commercial lawnmower forum that a lot of LCO's say if one of their employees shows up to a job with tennis type shoes, they send 'em home until they come back with steel (or composite) toe shoes/boots. I can personally recommend Timberland Pro Series low cut work boots. The are soooo light weight and comfortable, even with the steel toes my employee requires when we're out in the railroad environment.
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Another Craftsman riding mower that won't start
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The switch itself would be a good guess seeing as though the solenoid is new. You may want to also verify that the choke is closing all the way to help your cold start.
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njdpo
15 years ago
I too would hear clunks coming from the carb area on my 20hp Scotts (Briggs Intek motor) . Turns out the carb has some type of Solenoid on it ...

if you get a close look at the bottom of the carb - you will see a wire going to it... What happened to the good ol simpler days?

i suppose its there to stop the engine from flooding when its not running ?

long story short - it was my solenoid which died on me ...

Did you try jumping across the Solenoid - or the starter motor? its not clear to me what "leads" your speaking of (sorry).

Another test for you... Put the key into a run position / put the choke on (if you need it to start your motor) , and then bypass your solenoid.

If you get your motor running - your probably looking at defective solenoid... thats what I ended up doing before i swapped mine out for a new one.

you said "darn thing quit running" I assume it has gas ...
If you can spin the motor but can NOT get the motor started with the ignition in the run position - you might want to test if your getting spark at the plugs.

good luck
tomplum
15 years ago
I assume you are speaking of a relay behind the dash rather than the solenoid. You can swap the relays around to see if that changes things. There are also 3? fuses to check. One that affects the poer to the ign switch and therefore the solenoids. As stated, I would also guess the click noise is the carb solenoid.
fisher40037
15 years ago
Before these guys have you out shopping for a new engine,
push in your pto switch, one of the clunks you likely are
hearing is you electric pto clutch engaging, and your
tractor will not start/crank, until you turn it off/push
it in, then start your troubleshooting again, check the
simple things first, and get back to us.

Fish

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