It's always a great feeling bringing something back to life. I've slowly been fixing up my '65 Bolens 1000. New ball joints on the steering, new driveshaft bearing, new axle pivot pin and bushings, and adjusted the clutch today. I've rarely had an engine seal go bad, the Bolens has the original transaxle seals and the Wisconsin TR10D still has both original crank seals and they both hold oil no problem. I've only seen one B&S push mower with the brake pad wore down to nothing, however I've seen alot of the older (80s) ones with the band brake that have nothing left to them and not doing anything.

Well, I'm stumped. The Homelite-Jacobsen

I have a couple of weeks before the mower will be needed at the new house so I'll continue testing. If I can't make it do the same thing again I guess I'll go ahead and take it over there.

Okay, mystery over - its the ratchet ass'y for the recoil starter. It has an oil hole in the center of the square drive - use it once in awhile. I never could get it to do it again. Because it had not been used in some time, a little bit of something must have broken off and got between the shaft and the drive. But if it happens again later, at least I know what part to get. All I did was look it up on You Tube and there were many 'screeching B&S' videos.

I was about to say check the recoil ratchet. It can also cause the recoil spring to break. It's a sound you never forget.

I had to 'make' a blade for the HJ. Original blades are no longer available. As luck would have it, a generic 20" mulch/bag blade worked, except the two pins on the blade driver are too close to the center hole for the generic blade. So, I got out a good round file and starting working the inside ends of the slots, getting them closer to the center. It took me quite a while but I did it. I really don't want to do that again, so I hope that blade lasts as long as the engine!

Took the mower over to the new house along with the two daughters to show them how to use a mower. It actually went rather well and the old Homelite-Jacobsen turns out to be the perfect mower for that application - light, easy to start and maneuverable. Plus, as it always has, it simply does a great job on a lawn. Both girls ran the mower including starting several times and both used the rechargeable trimmer. I used the gas trimmer and blower. The place looked great and I put my good old mower in their shed. I'm happy about it because its a great place for it - small lot, all lawn, no ditch, no bare dirt. Not to worry, I'll be checking on it to make sure they don't run it out of oil or anything. And it is still mine - on loan only although if they take care of it, it can stay there, but if they abuse it I will pull it.

I cut some with it too and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A 20" aluminum deck mower with 3.5 HP B&S sounds different than today's mowers and its not a sound you are going to hear very often anymore. This is probably the last one of this model that's still being used. BTW, its had an E3 plug in it for about 5 years - runs great.

The other mower, the Murray, is being used too and is doing a good job. Nobody cares about that one and its just an interim solution, but you have to hand it to B&S - that engine had been abused but came back to life with minimal effort. All I did was change the oil and start using good gas in it. The plug was dirty but I didn't change it - figured it would clean up with the good gas + stabilizer and some MMO. Starts easy and doesn't miss so I don't see any need for a new plug. I just don't change spark plugs on mowers - my 2004 LB 10684 (Tecumseh) still has its original plug and it runs great.

Well, the Homelite started squealing again so now I'm forced to put a starter clutch in it. I was using it myself yesterday over at the new house and it started in. I just put it on my truck and brought it home to the 'hospital'. Tomorrow I'll go to my local small engine shop and see if they have one. They should since I believe the same part is still being used. I put my 22271 Lawn-Boy commercial on the truck and went over today and finished the job.

When I took the mower over there the first time I also took our Black & Decker rechargeable trimmer as well as my grass trimmer. The girls loved the battery trimmer and used it well. The sister-in-law went out to buy them one like it and came home with a 120V plug-in that requires an extension cord. She's got a head like a pine knot. I'm sure they're going to eventually destroy my little mower but it may as well go out with it's boots on. :(

Hey, I saved $25, I think. :) I watched some vids about the starter clutch and since I had decided to take it with me to the shop I went ahead and removed it. You don't need to try to jam the flywheel with it's easily breakable vanes - just jam the blade with a 2x4 through the discharge port. You don't need a special clutch remover tool either - a good old pipe wrench is fine. The square drive on mine was very loose so I figured the clutch was shot, but I found that the pressed-on cap with the rubber seal in the center was actually raised up over 1/16" on one side and since I'm the only one who has ever worked on the mower, and I never messed with the clutch before, it must have been like that from day one. So I took it apart and was very surprised to see the 1/4" ball bearings to be in like-new shape. I went ahead and cleaned it with solvent spray and a toothbrush including the shaft in the flywheel, oiled it up (shaft and square drive only - the bearings don't need oil or grease which may get gummy and stick them in the locked position instead of allowing the rotation of the clutch body to throw them out of the way in the special recesses) including soaking the felt insert in the top of the square drive with about six drops of oil. Then I put it back together, using a non-marring hammer to set the cap in position while supporting the clutch body on an anvil, which took harder whacks with the hammer than I expected but it snapped on tight. Now the square drive was no longer loose. The 1/4" screws that attach the debris screen to the clutch also hold the clutch assembly dust cap in place.

Bottom line, the clutch works smoothly and I ran it for about five minutes with no screech, so I guess it's okay. Just in case it isn't, I already did my research so I have the engine numbers as well as the part number for the clutch. This old engine is a 93902-3116-01 , code 8911 0324 (1989, 11 cubic inches). The kids love this light, easy-to-use mower. After using it in their yard, when I took my LB 22271 over there to finish after the old one broke down, it was like driving an Abrams tank in a gymnasium - way overkill!

For years there has been a raging debate about lubricating in the end of B&S starter clutch. I'm one of those people in favor.

There is a small hole at the end of the clutch shaft, and behind the hole is a felt pad. A single drop of oil is usually sufficient.

I usually prefer to disassemble the starter and lubricate with a small amount of high temp grease or anti-seize compound.

In both cases less is more. Use too much, and you will attract dust and dirt, and could possibly run down to the balls in the clutch assembly, causing them to stick. Use either one drop of oil, or about a pea sized ball of grease at the end of the shaft.

I guess everyone has their pet way of doing it. I used an 'oil' which is actually a gun product called FP-10. Its a light amber oil that has some cleaning properties and sports a friction modifier so it still lubricates when dry. The way I feel about lubricating this assembly is I understand the reasons why some say don't lube, but Briggs & Stratton saw fit to include the felt oiler and a small hole to oil it periodically. I never even knew the hole or felt oiler were there so this part never got oiled since it was built in 1989. Now that I know, I'll probably give it a few drops every spring as long as the engine lasts. The way it's going it may be working after I'm gone.

Since I am using a liquid oil, I obviously know it will migrate, but I have my doubts it will cause any trouble in the lower assembly simply because rotational force will sling it out, leaving only the residual lubricating effects, such as they may be. This is the reason I will oil it in the spring and run it immediately.

The only other thing I have to work on with this mower is trying to balance the blade. The normal way won't really help. As I said above I had to 'make' a blade because the originals are obsolete. I found a generic 20" multi-purpose blade that looked like it would work but the two indexing slots did not extend close enough to the center hole to fit the driver. I filed them with a round file until I got the blade to snap into place, but I got a slight vibration. I think the indexing slot on one side has to be touched up so the blade can move to that side just a hair. Its going to be a trial and error deal but once I get it right I will scratch marks so I can take it off to sharpen/balance and get it back in the same position.

If this mower wasn't absolutely perfect for the yard it now belongs to, I would have to talk myself out of going to all this trouble to keep it going. I think this is going to be the last go-around for it. The blade problem is a killer. The deck has a plenum under it of 14" diameter. The blade driver sits so a straight blade will just about hit the plenum, so any blade used has to dip at that location. I got lucky finding this blade that fits perfectly in that respect but every time I need a new blade now I have to modify the pin slots and go through the centering procedure to avoid vibration. Plus, everybody wants to mulch and this mower is not designed for that and simply doesn't have the power for it. It will discharge and bag great, though.

Here is the last new blade I was able to get for it. You can see how it dips to clear the plenum. The plenum has a lot to do with adding velocity to the air in the 'vortex' part of the deck that leads to the discharge port. You can also see how close together the indexing pins are on the driver. I guess this picture was probably six or seven years ago and that blade is long gone.

Under Deck

Final comments; took the mower to the new house again and watched the girl use it for almost an hour with no noises from the clutch. Taught her how to put the bag on and take it off to empty. Its kind of a pain compared to a modern set-up where the bag has a frame and you just take it off and dump it. This is a soft bag that is hung on the mower, a support rod and the bagging chute and it zips open. That shouldn't be a problem spot, right? A zipper on a grass bag that picks up plenty of dirt and everything else. Anyway, we're bagging now that leaves and pine needles are starting to drop and the bag will stay on until I reconfigure the mower for spring.

The other mower I did for my stepson is doing fine too