Hi Jerry, Thanks for that.Yes it is a briggs motor, 6.75hp. You're the first one to mention the viton seat having a groove. Everybody else I spoke with (outside this forum) thought the grooves were the problem. The needle and seat look brand new, no build up, no corrison, no cracks upon closer inspection with magnifying glass. Yesterday I had a devil of a time getting it to continue running. When I could get it started, I'd have to remove the entire air filter apparatus. Once it ran, I could put everything back on. As soon as I started walking down a slope on the lawn (+30 deg) the engine died. Took it all apart again and discovered the seat had turned partial around in its position so it wasn't sealing at all. Straightened that out and tried again. This time the mower worked ok. My frustration level was quite high at that time. I was ready to let it roll down the hill into the forest below. =8-# Jim Jim

Hi All, These are the parts. I will post some closeups or different views if anyone thinks they can help. Ron

Steve That's exactly the one. When I unbolted the brake assembly, I expected the two halves of the electromagnetic clutch to separate. They didn't, which suggests that they may have spot welded themselves together due to foreign material in between the inner and outer components (as suggested in the Ogura troubleshooting guide). How did you separate the halves of the clutch when you rebuilt your own unit? Did you use a puller and if so, which parts of the clutch did you attach the puller legs to? I tried by attaching my puller to the pulley and it just pulls the clutch tension springs upwards while the clutch drum remains firmly rooted to the baseplate. Thanks

If you don't plan on using the PTO, leave it off. As to the bolt, the only consideration is that the threads inside the crankshaft end will rust if the hole is not filled/sealed. Why dont you just go to a hardware or auto parts store and buy a bolt about 3/4" to 1" long and coat it with grease or anti-sieze compound and run this bolt in tight? This way, if you ever need to put the PTO back into service, at least you will still have a good hole to work with. Take the OEM bolt with you so you can get a bolt thread that matches the hole in the crank.