If you have no experience with getting lawn mower engines running after setting outside, uncovered, for a long time---my suggestion is to not pursue it any further! I repair dumpster finds, and it only took me a year to get it right, and a lot of wasted cash! you will have to remove the engine fancy shrouding, then the fuel tank, the recoil starter assembly (cover wnere the starter assembly resides), remove the cylinder head and head gasket, clean out the carbon in there, and replace the head using a new head gasket. then rebuild or free up the starter assembly. Dump out all of the old oil in the crank-case, and replace with SAE 30 oil. install a new spark plug, set at .030. Sand the magnets on the flywheel until they look rather shiney, remove the coil and sand the ends of the coil legs with sand-paper, #80 grit. Clean out all grass clippings, dirt, mousie nests and crud. Reinstall the coil loosely. Using a 3/4 in. wide by 6 inch long strip of birthday card between the coil legs and the magnetic area of the flywheel, when you think everything there is good and set right, tighten the coil leg bolts, turn the flywheel, and that strip will slide out, and the gap will be set correctly! Reassemble the flywheel cover, and the gas tank,assuming you have cleaned it out. Check the fuel hose for clogging or cracks, replace if needed. Stick a fine piece of wire thru the hole in the gas cap, making sure it is open! Now: If you have done the preceding and all is done as i said--install fresh gasoline and SAE 30 engine oil, checking to see that you don't over fill it. Set the controls, and try to start it. If it runs--whoopee! Sharpen the blade, oil the wheels, and go out and cut grass! BUT!! If it fails to start, or you have pulled your arm out of its socket, or it clanks badly--well--just set it out by the curb, on garbage night, and it'll be gone by ten p.m.! This info comes to you under the auspices of Rusty Jones, the self-educated mower man, who learned the preceding by personally doing the things as described in the message!

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?

The alternator is under the shroud by the flywheel. You don't need to get to it to test however. There will be wires coming from under the shroud. ONE will be a kill wire for the engine. The other ONE or TWO will be from the alternator. IF there are 2 Yellow wires, they will go to a Voltage regulator. Let us know how many wires, the colors and the color of the connector.

In the process of acting on the advice, checks and tips given in your replies, I disconnected the plug going into the stator's outlet and using a voltmeter on the tips revealed, got 19-20 DC volts. Good stator! I found that the positive wire from the stator and into the switch and out to go around the amp meter and back to the solenoid was defective. Rewired it, took the amp meter apart, and all is copacetic now. In the area of probably too much information: This Craftsman rear-discharge 6-speed mower was purchased in 1985 for just under $2,500. Still runs great, use it all the time for finer mowing and would take the rear-discharge over any side discharge including my 3-blade, 61" deck diesel mower. 1985 Craftsman mower: 502-255750 Engine: 253707-0181-01 Stator #: 393474 [dual circuit]