Lawn Mower Will Not Start - You Will Never Guess Why
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Picked up this Craftsman Lawn Mower that will not start. If has a Briggs Quantum engine with good compression and spark, easy fix? Maybe not.
Camshaft: amzn.to/3hdvUb8
Engine#: 126M02-6863-F1 Code: 13101956 (Built October 2013)
Camshaft Part# 691449, 492830, 498275, 498817
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#GeneratorRepair #SmallEngineRepair #SmallEngine #DIY #Fixed #Troubleshooting #HowTo
Nice Job James. I have not ever encountered that problem, it's good to be made aware of it. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! Judging by the comments, it might be a more common problem then it should be.
@@jcondon1 yessir. Very common issue here in hell. I mean ne Texas
@@jcondon1 ... Clearly, you are intelligent enough to diagnose and repair an internal timing jump due to camshaft failure. So why not go ahead and use "than"?
@@JW...-oj5iw Wow... grammar police here.
@@woolval52 ... The plaintive crying of the poor little offended girl. Shut your pie hole and make a sandwich.
Had to watch this one, really takes me back to the late 70's. My Dad brought home from the dump a lawn mower that was not working. In short order he had it running, he went on to salvaging mowers from the trash heap, fixing them and selling them. Rarely bought new parts salvage one to make another run. This made for a lucrative way to make a bit of extra cash. Eventually he began repairing other folks mowers all out of the shop behind our house. Eventually he rented a store front , then secured franchises to sell new equipment, and do warranty work. Branching off to chain saws, and other small engines. Moved on to buying some commercial property and building a larger shop, which expanded 3 times. When he retired in 1992 he sold the shop and land for a significant amount of money. Not bad for a guy with a grade 8 education that never made it past corporal in the forces after 25 years service.
Life is an endless education
This is, and used to be, the wonderful American story. Men who were willing to work hard and had an idea that benefited both themselves and others.
Then the two pincers started squeezing the life and ingenuity out of entrepreneurs: government throwing down countless obstacles plus their grasping tentacles coupled with the other pincer: out-of-control litigation.redistributing wealth from the Makers to the Takers.
smart DAD
Dad sounds awesome. That's the dream.
Nice
This is starting to become one of my favorite channels on UA-cam. Your videos at first start off as a unknown mystery, sometimes with twists and turns and often a happy ending. The well placed shots, clear and concise explanations of how these things work make this a quality channel. Thank you for taking the time to share your talent with the rest of us in a way that is easy to follow and digest.
You'd be proud of me. I fixed the neighbor's garage sale purchase mower with a Honda GCV160 motor. It was surging when warm. I immediately suspected a lean condition. Found fine dirt in the tank. Cleaned it out. Took the carb apart, cleaned it, and found the emulsion tube above the main jet had its little holes clogged with the fine dirt. Used a wire from a wire brush and cleaned them out. Mower runs perfect now.
most issuers these days, is the ethanol gas, sits for a bit wont start, ends up water settles in the gas to the carb bowl, drain carb, tank, new gas usually fixes. if spark and starts with ether, then that is what I try first.
Those are so much fun. Good Job!!
See my solution to dirt in the gas above.
Similar: I was given a Husqvarna with a GCV160. It would run for only one or two seconds each time I tried to start it. Fixed that by cleaning the main jet using a twist-tie wire, but then the governor was making it surge (aka 'hunt'). Fixed that by cleaning the pilot (idle) jet using a strand of fine copper wire from a lamp cord. The twist-tie wire wouldn't fit through the pilot jet.
@@wryanddry2266 It's something how a thing so small could create such problems.
nice! I got a Craftsman 20" like new from the local thrift shop for FREE. The deck and blade barely had any signs of use at all. They said the engine was seized. I pulled it through at the store, it was very hard to pull, but it wasn't seized. Took it home and saw that the 'safety blade stop' cable had broke down at the lever on the engine. Re-attached it and the mower is running fine! FREE! YAY!
He's right! I never guessed why. This guys small engine skills are way above my paygrade. I'm jealous.
In the world we now live in where everything is a "throw away" item it`s good to see someone taking time to rebuild. Thanks for sharing.
That's why this one failed
Plastic on metal engine part for a important function
@@stephenbartram7377 Yep... P-lastic! aaaaaargh!!!
surely metal can't be that more expensive...
I would have thrown it away for sure
@@stephenbartram7377 Yep. That's a setup for a fail, plastic on metal. I see it in my work too and all manner of equipment. I miss the days when you could buy equipment (anything, ftm) built/made to last.
Agree. I strive to fix anything myself.
My late father used to do small engine repair as a side job when I was a boy. I used to watch him and this really brings back memories. Fixing things is sadly a lost art these days. I miss my father.
I found out my Father in-law did that too after these yrs. Married . At his funeral I find out 🤔💁♂️. He was a Machinist by trade. For F16s . He taught his 3 boys and my wife. How to take apart toasters and then radios. Then small engines. Who knew.
Don't we all! We don't know how much they've taught us until they're gone. So for you kids that still have yours? Don't forget to tell them how much you love them!
There is nothing more satifying than to take something that has no percieved value to an average person, and make it like new for a few bucks.
Good going! That's probably a $300.00 mower!
If you did this yourself you would have to go buy the tools to do this kind of work, which would probably cost the same as a replacement mower, hence why people throw them out...
@@starzlea So true. Our society has us conditioned to throw things away. I've repaired small engines, vacuums, all kinds of stuff. It is so rewarding!
It's a 150 dollar mower at Lowe's.
It’s great but what if it doesn’t work. You have to back and troubleshoot it all over again. By the time you figured it out you already spent $300-$400 of time and labor.
@@javierbaron1856 do it yourself is the only way a shop would probably get in excess of $150 to do the repair but very well done video
Fun to watch a master mechanic solve a problem. Always a good thing sleep on it.
A helpful tip: The gas tank fill cap on this and similar mowers was very poorly designed! Grass and other debris collects on the underside of the cap flange and when you remove the cap the debris falls into the gas tank. As an ex lawnmower mechanic I am very meticulous when it comes to using clean gas so when the carb jet on my Toro kept getting clogged I knew something was up. After discovering the source of the problem I did two things. First I installed an inline fuel filter in the short rubber gas line running from the tank to the carb. Do NOT use the little red plastic style filters sold online as they will not filter out smaller particles. Rather use the round clear plastic filters that contain fiber filters. Due to the short distance between the tank and the carb and the overall length of the filter this requires some manipulating but it can be done. Second, and this is very important, before removing the gas cap run a rag around the bottom surface of the cap flange to remove debris. I haven't had a single clogged carb jet in the two years since I diagnosed this problem.
I totally agree with you everything is so poorly made the fail in this country so you consume more and more product I have a lawn mower engine roughly the same model in style but it's from 1990 everything is internally cast or aluminum I've even gone as far as polishing it and porting the engine it's 190 cc's from factory it's probably 200 cc since I've done everything to it This country's despicable when it comes to waste. I've also stated that these engine brake switches are horrible for the magneto and flywheel so my recommend recommendation is to take a double strand piece of wire wire to your magneto and wire it to the block of the engine run the wire up your handlebar to an off and on switch. Patent pending.
Thanks so much for that tip. I already knew about installing a primary filter after the tank but never heard about the gas cap debris issue before. Now I’ll be on the lookout for that with every mower I work on. 👍🔧🧰
I have made it a habit to always overfill my tank to flush out grass debris since the mid 70’s and have never had an issue with a clogged up carb.
For this exact reason, for about the last ten years, I keep a 2" paint brush on the wall where I fuel my equipment. I use the brush to whisk away all the debris from the base of the cap and the surrounding area before removing the cap. Only takes about five seconds.
rbarr775 I like that method better than overfilling or using a rag to clean off the debris. Thanks!
My father started his career as a machinist in the navy. He taught me how to repair all sorts of small engines and even some car and outboard engines. It is a very useful skill that I have never needed even once as an adult. But I'm glad I learned.
Uncle had a BMW with a bad gearbox indicator. Gearbox was fine, sensor was broken and changing it was nearly 2000€ because you had to gut the gearbox...
If you’ve never used it once even as an adult, is it really a “useful skill”?
@@donn1387 If you can repair small and big engines, you can repair a lot of other things, understand a lot of things and have fiddly fingers. All types of usefullness here. ;)
@@donn1387 Knowledge is always useful. I appreciate auto mechanics more because of that knowledge and experience.
There is a huge shortage of people that can do this work.
Its a skill worth putting on a hook and tossing into the job pool see what bites.
I have a neighbor that bought 2 of these mowers. Both have a failed to start problem. I suspected a broken cam problem. You have shown how simple it is to repair. Great video. Thank you for posting.
Briggs is notorious for those plastic cam assemblies failing, they shouldn't use plastic on the cams.
Another case of the purchasing department under the gun to reduce costs, and deciding to use an inferior part design - And as is most likely usual, the engineering department had no say in the part replacement.
I had a Honda do the same thing on a pressure washer. What is with the stupid plastic gears?
Metal gear could have blown up all running parts in the crank case, metal cams wear down too esp if not oiled, which would be cheaper to replace a plastic cam or all internals? They should put a plastic or brass key on the fly wheel too.
Its like a circuit breaker for your house, would you want a 200 amp breaker on a 20 amp line? What could go wrong?
Farming equipment has shear pins on everything too if you put a shear pin in with too hard metal the rest of the machine blows up if something gets stuck.
@@Seriouslydave doubtful, the gear spun on the shaft, I have never seen a metal cam do that!
@@Seriouslydave in reality though mowers in this price range with internal engine issues are 90% of the time just put out for trash, not taken apart and fixed, it's a friggin shame too.
Nice work JC, always a calming influence within the small engine fraternity. No stress, no fuss and no rush. A discerning upload!
Hi
Ivoiiie
@@roynorris5146 Hi
Great job! I wish l had a son like you. You seem to be a very good young man. You cut the grass and clean up after you. Most of todays youth wont cut grass for their parents. God bless you.
Well done James, you should be teaching a small engine course, you would be a good teacher, thanks for sharing your knowledge , you were very helpful.
Having the key on the crankshaft shear off is a very common problem with these mowers where the engine's crankshaft has the blade directly bolted to it. When the blade hits something "unmovable", such as a rock, the flywheel continues to turn, shearing off the key. The engine then won't start because the spark timing is extremely far off. While common with push mowers, I've even had it on a John Deere lawn tractor, whose engine crank isn't directly attached to the blades; apparently that problem was caused by a backfire or other issue, but exhibited the same no-start symptoms.
Its not always visible that theres a problem until the flywheel is removed and the key inspected , whats helped me is to inspect the blade and underside usually if its backfiring and the blades been damages you can bet the key is sheared and timing is off
Generate when they hit something to stop the blade the momentum of the flywheel continues
I've had ones where the flywheel to crank is off a tiny bit and it was no start. Removed and reinstalled flywheel and it worked,
I have one in my shed my neighbor owns been trying to get it started he didn't give me good history on it changed all the broken cables and break did spark plug cleaned Carb, checked spark still no start I think I am here or got something with compression this video is amazing I got a lot out of it I only wish to get as good as you.
Ahhh, bring back the old briggs style...never an issue except for plug fouling from worn valve seats..hand lap reface, good aluminum carbs with brass seats and neoprene seals..
Had this type issue on a brand new 7250w generator..out of box..that was a teardown ! Three day fix, started up, plugged into home power, ran fifteen minutes and utility can back on .ha!
James, I’ve come across this as my sister hit a water shutoff valve in her lawn. I was able to straighten out the decompression valve and drilled a hole for a spring pin to locate & lock the plastic gear in proper timing. My sister has used it for a couple seasons now with no issues. The air trick is a great way to diagnose what's going on.
That’s exactly what I was going to suggest to anchor gear n cams 👍
perfect instructions on resetting timing..I recently ran over a rock that knocked the timing off and caused this problem..it started once and belched smoke like a champ.. i shut down immediately and it wouldnt start again so i tore it apart to see what was happening but had no idea what to look for till i got this vid. and it worked perfect... thanks amigo.. good job.
Nice to watch people fix small engines. Thanks. It would make sense the larger sprocket gear would break loose considering the torque to shaft size. I may need this video for my Sear's mower I had put aside a few years ago not understanding the insides so well. You took a lot of the apprehension out of what seemed an insurmountable job.
its pleasure to see someone do a repair properly. there are so many fools that dont know what they are doing posting videos its not funny
It's a pleasure watching such professionalism and expertise in action. I dount I'll be tearing into any small engine motors anytime soon but I enjoyed (and learned from) your video so much, I downloaded it just to watch again sometime. Well done and thank you for sharing your expertise.
Plastic cam are u kidding me talk about garbage plastic carburator s too more garbage with higher prices talk about greed wow
Another win. Interesting issue found. James, it’s time you treated yourself to a lift. Even a simple one would do. My knees hurt just watching you work on the floor.
A lift? I don't think he needs one,after all I suspect this is his hobby n not his profession.
I work on mine on my tailgate. Lol
I have a bad back to begin with and troubleshooting a small engine always takes more time than I would like to spend bending over. The last mower I repaired was a husqvarna AWD motor and it is the heaviest mower I have ever seen. It's a beast. I had to have my wife help me lift it up there. 'Twas a 450 dollar mower brand new and I fixed it for 16 bucks. It's what I am using at home now.
B&S motor. Lol
I really liked the way you worked, clean and methodical.
Brilliant thanks, I didn't know that plastic pressed into shafts was hidden in these engines. I think the sound it made like the chuff of a steam engine on starter fluid was an indication that valves were popping at the wrong time. Very helpful to us dabblers!
Great Video . We learn something new every day and this is no exception. Real nice to see someone taking the time to teach others how to fix things especially the lawn mowers and yard equipment. I'm however surprised that a reputable engine builder would use such cheaply made parts in their products. Thank you for your for posting this video.
Nobody fixes shit in today's throwaway world. Global warming is going to teach all the idiots a lesson.
Great to follow that diagnosis and repair
@@leroydavis3538 Only way to remain competitive is to use lower cost materials. Since we have become a throwaway society, most repair shops would probably not repair this mower. I basically gave some old lawn mowers to the dealer I bought my riding lawn mower from. He said they would just go into the junk pile. Neither of the old lawn mowers had that many hours on them. They just kept failing on the power drive system and after the 2nd time with less than 10 hours on it (a good seasons mowing for my yard and would not work the following spring) I decided it was not worth spending another $150 for the same repair. Lawn mower was from a very well known manufacturer in the Minnesota. Just a bad and unreliable design.
Its a Briggs...
Briggs went bankrupt a couple of years ago,I think some of the last engines made were a lot worse than the one in the video. Some other company picked up the assets and trademarks. @@leecowell8165
Man the feeling of seeing someone fix something better than new WoW! love it, Thanks James
Plastic cams.... Insane. Seems that every time they stick plastic inside an engine, reliability disappears.
Good work.
Plastic INSIDE an engine? That is ABSOLUTELY the worst case of planned obsolescence!
Especially coming from Briggs and Stratton, that’s what happens when you have try to save on cost
Great video and I like how you showed the entire process with a clean machine, can't work on my projects if it's cruddy, I clean them up and makes less mess overall.
Outstanding video, very informative and free from unnecessary intro, music, safety information, tools used, long back story, etc.
Another great video. Its disappointing to me that Briggs (and others I assume) would use plastic cams. Another step towards a throw away world. Thanks for making this video.
Lot of manufacturers use metal cams but each lob in pressed on to round shaft, makes fault finding nightmare only got to move 10 degrees
And MANY of these plasticized units never made it beyond their first mowing.
Another outstanding video!! Thanks much. It seemed evident that it was the gear that slipped even without the bonus footage. The decompressor was now being interfered with by the gear. Since the decompressor is fixed to the shaft, but now binding with the gear, then it had to be the gear that moved.
Wish I had seen this video last year when I was trying to fix my mower. Had exact same problem and put the mower out on the curb where someone picked it up and I went to the store for a new one. Now know what to look for.
Great Job, James. Strange reasons why lawn mowers never start, yet too many owners would never have thought, time or ability to disassemble the engine that far and troubleshoot down to that lone critical gear / assembly.
One other question is why do you rarely seem to sharpen or replace the blade ?
Haha. He is good small engine mechanic that is making videos, that someone might actually watch. Not like he is really going to use that lawn mower. Im more interested in "no choke" start and no mower safety device
Thank you, this was exactly the help I needed. Mower is now running great
Nice! I had one a while back with the Honda-clone engine with OHV , bought it new and it was getting harder and harder to start, eventually quit altogether. Eventually figured out that the valves were adjusted too tight. I backed off the adjustment a bit and it was running again! I like the simplicity of the side valve engines.
What a relaxing video. Very therapeutic. Thank you James.
Edit: And no awful music!
The most important part! The sound of silence!!
This was an excellent video, easy to understand and was exactly the same issue I was having with my Briggs 6.5hp intek pro engine. Had me quite stumped really. This video helped out a lot. Thank you.
Ps.
It’s a shame that all these companies are using plastic internal components these days. It’s one thing with all the external components they changed from metal to plastic but to be using plastic for parts like that is just pathetic
@@charlesmarlowchuck5060 lol I did scrap it. Because even after addressing the issue, put it all back together and still wouldn’t start. It was a brand new engine too that sat in my bosses garage for a few years on a go kart project he didn’t finish.
I ended up just going to harbor freight and buying a predator engine to finish the go kart for my daughter. So far no complaints with that engine. Fired right up and runs every time
Plastic now being used to break so you buy another
My brother has a long lasting "solution" to plastic bearings and gears. He has a metal fabrication business. Basically, he cuts a gear out of steel to use as the replacement part.
He also has customers with plow blades on their pickups that break. While under warranty, he repairs to factory specs. Once the warranty is up, the final repair is made, good for the life of the plow blade.
Plastic is so wasteful. So is the foreign steel.
You are a good mechanic!!
Good job getting it going.,
❤ This is why the older mower engine are worth saving no plastice gears in them 😊
They make stuff to break so in a couple of years you just go out and buy a new one.It's really sad how greedy companies can get.
These are made far better than what you can buy now. The shear pin is a common repair. There is one always in my toolbox. It does suck when it fires wrong and the pull cord rips out of your hand.
@@toadalgea " The shear pin is a common repair." Agreed, one need only break down as far as the flywheel; however you must have missed the part about the failed camshaft requiring the opening up of the engine - not an easy fix.
Your right everything now is made with a life span of 3 years then you have to fix it or buy a new one and in some cases the fix is more expensive then buying a new one..
That’s why I detest the phrase “good enough”, the cause of failure, crashes & lives!
Zero cool I agree 💯%
Man, those blade adapters always fight me coming off. Lucky you!
Was expecting it to put up a fight. The mower was not that old.
You are a great mechanic and I will check the timing after seeing your in-depth demonstration I feel like I can get into the guts of this old mower of my brother in law’s and with the knowledge you have freeing given. Thanks for filming this.
Before one starts mowing, clean the underside and spray with vegetable cooking oil. This will keep the cuttings from sticking to the chassis and make it easier to clean next time. Do not use petroleum based oil.
That's the only thing vegetable oil should be used for.
A sheared flywheel key. Learned that when I was ten. They were designed to do that so when you hit a rock and stalled the machine, you didn’t bend the crankshaft and ruin the engine. Some engines had a specially designed key for that purpose. (Flywheel)
I just hit a tree root, stopped the engine hard and fast, sheared the flywheel key, have a laundry list of other parts, have never done that before! Bought a ryobi 40 volt machine as a good backup plan
@@josephgriffin1065 ⁹8
When you discovered the gear off position re: the lobes James, then you pointed out the decompression ears bent and binding against the gear web, that told me it was the gear that moved in regard to the shaft, as, if you will recall, the decompression assembly is pinned thru the metal shaft so it stayed true to the lobes.
Hey James, thanks for sharing this. I am truely devastated to see plastic cams inside an engine. The plastic carbs were already the point where I decided to keep my older Briggs&Stratton engine on my mower as long as it doesn't fall apart.
I wonder when they will finally come with plastic pistons and cylinders...
Greetings from Germany!
Andreas
The older engines built before 2006 are definitely better then the newer ones.
I work in a Garden Machinery Store/Workshop. We stopped selling all machines (and I mean all - pedestrian lawnmowers, ride-on lawnmowers, stump grinders, shedders/chippers, etc.) with a single cylinder B&S in 2011.
The only B&S engine worth it's weight today are the V twins, all other B&S are absolutely useless.
The plastic carbs were bad enough, but plastic carbs with solenoids (that just keep going).
One Craftsman Ride-On was collected for repair (under warranty) three times in one season.
Now instead of collecting them we just have replacement solenoids with us and replace on site.
Needless to say we dropped Craftsman/Husqvarna/Jonsered machines went for AL-KO Solo that do not have any unnecessary electronics, no solenoids on the carbs (which are not plastic) and the belts don't ware. Only one deck belt in ten years.
AL-KO Solo are a German design, assembled in Austria - which means all tools required for assembly/maintenance are "metric" - so more more of that silly "imperial" stuff anymore.
Greetings from Ireland :-)
All the people that have had the failure in those engines should start a class action lawsuit!
Wow that was one of the most satisfying engine build I have ever watched Cleary explained from the start to the end.
IMPRESSIVE... Wow, you really know your stuff! This is way beyond my capabilities but was so interesting to see you work out the problem & sail through the deconstruction & reconstruction. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, for having such great visibility, detail, & explanations, & for NOT having any background music... you ROCK, James!!! God bless!
[9.20.2022]
It's a shame so many manufacturers have gone to plastic internal parts, simply don't have the reliability of the old school engines
I agree
Most of those parts are made in China.
@@HsingSun I phones are made in China. Is there anybody complaining about I phone build quality
It's intentional to make more money. That and he majority of American consumers will always shop with their wallet and buy the cheaper mower. You get what you pay for . Cheaper mower, plastic parts. Your blaming the manufacturer? It's not the manufacturer call it's the consumer. You build a better one then you can't complain.
James Kenta. You sound like somebody thats 25 years old . I became of age in the 1970s and my experience with small engines and consumer grade tools were they didn't compare favorable with foreign manufacturers engines and handtool . Particular red Chinese hand tools. Other counties electronic devices like camera , chisels. tape recorders television load binders far exceeded the quality of American manufacturing . Taiwan hand tools were very low grade compared to zred Chinese tool .
40 years later Harbor Freight cheap Chinese hand tools and and power equipment are depended on by professionals and hobbyist
What you said about seal position is true on low-hour motors or motors with good maintenance history. High-hour motors (and this is true in the automotive and aircraft industries as well) will often have a small groove worn around the OD of the crank right where the edge of the lip seal contacts the crank. When a groove is discovered the seal usually has some amount of free space where it can be driven in further past the groove, or shimmed, or carefully driven in less than originally so the groove is not in contact with the seal's lip.
I've had lawn mower engines where 1 of the rocker arms was missing... I couldn't find it.. I mean, I tore the engine completely apart... nope, not even shrapnel... I replaced it with a new one, and mower was perfectly fine... I can't tell you how many times I pulled the pull start on that one, it had good compression and everything... lol
Pretty sure that MOWER MEDIC 1 has a video of discovering a missing valve retainer or lash shim. Sorry I can't recall the exact problem, but it was a part that was omitted during factory assembly, resulting in an engine that never ran from day one.
On a different note, a pushrod on my friend's pressure washer bent, dropping the rocker off the valve. We set the rod on a hard surface, placed a piece of hardwood over it, felt the high spot and gave it a medium whack with a hammer. Got it perfectly straight with one hit. That was about three or four years ago. It's still going strong.
You're right! Out of all of the things that it could've been, I would've never thought of this. Thanks.
First time watching James. nicely done. troubleshooting sequence, thought process, concepts, etc. very informative and educational. thanks for taking the time and sharing.
Thanks
I've got one with a similar issue. Timing is definitely off but the key is intact. Was hoping not to dive into the engine but I guess that's the next step. Thanks for the vid!
I found a two stroke Iron horse in the trash one year - minus base and blade - checked it on the spot and seemed ok. A couple years later I found a base. It backfired a bit and with a new blade went for 10 years. Then I moved house and gave it a going over and replaced the keyway. Now it runs perfect. That was 25 years ago...
BRILLIANT !!!!!
Got that same mower. Thought cleaning was more complicated. Thanks I’ll do that when I get home.
Peculiar problem never expected this sort of problem in an branded manufacturing unit. Camshaft gear moving away shaft. Design failure must be modified.
No sir. Design is PERFECT! You forget. 'Planned Obscelence' is more important than 'Build to Last'. Need consumers to repurchase OFTEN! Plus, repair service companies need products to fail OFTEN. Economically necessary.
Isn't a beautiful thing when everything just works out and it turns out to be a Beautiful day 😀🌞
had the same issue with my mower. really bad design and its just a matter of time until it happens again. briggs should stop making easy start with this design. my cam also slipped in addition to the arm bending
Lightweight is good and what did I use it for it’s a lawnmower ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxTPN04aT-Qdjr_KS3ql7ng8wnU3wwsCqk also recommend Yes it is lightweight so hence not as robust as our old one. But if you take care it does the job really well.
WOW!!!! i HAD A MOWER WITH THIS SAME EXACT SYMPTOM!!! AFTER SEEING YOUR VIDEO I AM SURE THIS WAS THE PROBLEM!! I NEVER DREAMED THE TIMING GEAR AND LOBES WERE PRESSED ONTO THE SHAFT!!! WHAT A POS!!! IT IS SAD TO SEE MANUFACTURING DROP TO SUCH CHEESY LEVELS!! GREAT VIDEO THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
Got a all steel w glass headlights, 1983 Murray RIder 42" , Hood opens like car , peerless transaxle, has the Briggs 12HP IC (industrial commercial) engine, we just fix it instead of buying new plastic front end types which seem to be the only choice anymore for new ones, ( plastic would crack the first time someone tapped a bush or tree). Runs good ! InventPeaceNotWar
I just started working on lawn mowers. Already had experience working on vehicles. Thought I'd start flipping lawn mowers. I just got a Toro, same engine as this craftsman. Except I paid 80 bucks for mine. I can sell the toros 200 to 225, so I dont mind spending money. Well after today I'm not spending that much any more. When I got it home, gave it a pull. It was a hard pull, locking up, almost jerking my arm. It did start and run half way descent. Sounded good. So I did the service. Flushing the fuel system. Then gave it a bath. Then went to start it. Still locks up when pulling, and now wasnt starting. So I pulled the rope several times, and it fires up. But it's hard to start and violent on your shoulder joints. Timing. So I checked the timing. The key is about 3/4 out of timing. I'm thinking that the engine its self is good. Since it started and ran. That all it could need is a cam replacement. I'm gonna tear it apart tomorrow, see what happens. Gonna use this video as guidance.
They could have keyed those plastic parts and the engine might last far longer. This does not seem to be economics. It is planned obsolescence.
I have collected a couple of semi dead Craftsman mowers to fix . Perhaps this is the issue. Nice vid!
as a retired sircraft maintenance engineer i lov to see precise manual following work so clean all click torque💪💪👍
Thanks
Incredible video! Absolutely clear explanations and such tremendous attention to detail. Thank you!
"The gears and the lobes are plastic..."
Planned Obsolescence much, Briggs?
I used to sell and repair Briggs.
Biggest mistake.
Going to plastic carbs.
They warped all the time and turned the mower into junk.
I replaced many with old aluminum carbs.
I call it the Walmart philosophy. Everyone wants the cheapest thing they can find without buying used. That means the mower with the lowest price will outsell anything else. My dad taught my brother that when a lawn mower breaks, junk it and get another. My brother buys a new mower every 2 to 3 years using that method. In a way he's right because a repair by a shop is always more expensive than a new mower. I grew up in the DIY era but I think that has been replaced by the throw away era.
@@danielebrparish4271 You're right. Average American thinks price is the only factor worth considering. And as a Do_It_Yourselfer, am amused when the price of a part (with shipping) is more than the cost of a new replacement.
NICE JOB YOU WENT STRIGHT TO THE COUSE AND FIXED IT.
Excellent work including the video production. Especially without "those" distracting background music so viewers can actually pick up the knowledge, undisturbed!
Great 👍
Good fix. Spending $50 bucks on a mower that is worth $50 bucks. I realize you did it mainly for UA-cam content.
Was hoping it was just a carb clean and a total of a $25 investment, but cannot always win. Would still rather fix it at cost then trash it.
@@jcondon1 At least you can use it and get some profit out of it. I just fix stuff for myself and that way I can justify it.
You’re expertise never ceases to amaze me. One thing that puzzled me is why you don’t have or use a hydraulic press to press in the seals and bearings. A press offers so much better control than a hammer and socket. I always thought the shock to the component from the hammer has some affect on the longevity of the component. Harbor freight has a nice hyd press pretty reasonably priced.
Keep up the awesome videos 👍
Check the flywheel to make sure there are no cracks in the magnets if you suspect ignition and have weak spark. Always use loctite 222 pink or loctite 242 blue on lawnmower engine bolts, because of the vibration. This will save you from having to over tighten any bolts. This is advice coming from me, a 30 years experience small engine repairman
I think that may have been a "variable timing" engine. :-)
B&S used to be the leader in small engines but with plastic internal parts, not any more in my opinion. Probably made in China and may be in the category of disposable mowers.
All low end engines have plastic cams
Really interesting, I would not have suspected the camshaft. The Brigs and Stratton engines are usually very reliable, i have a mower with one that i have had about fifteen years. I used to have it serviced by the dealer and had issued with the carburettor gumming up on ordinary petrol, but since I retired I have been servicing it myself and i now use Aspen fuel using that it has started first pull even in the most adverse weather and after long periods of disuse.
any effort in the war against the disposal generation is a good move. People throw out just about everything at the first sign of trouble. Weak and lazy generation filling up the landfills!!! Honorable work from an honorable man....
You have the patience of Jobe with the removal of the old gasket material. Me, 3 or 4 tubes of Yamabond #4, aka gorilla snot. It’s a lawn mower, not a Formula 1 motor. Appreciate the lesson in “the right way”.
Great job I’ve been working on small engines for 20+ years I hate how those cams are made out of plastic
I'd never have thought of that! I grew up in the world where those plastic parts didn't exist!
I have purchased and then resold several mowers that simply needed the valves adjusted. They generally had new starters became they didn't want to turn over very fast. It was because the exhaust valves weren't opening far enough to let out the compression. So, after a valve adjustment, they ran fine.
Used to sand a 45 degree bevel on a piece of Plexiglass. It would remove gaskets easily and not take a chance on damaging the aluminum housing.
I have seen this quite a few times on Honda CRF250/450 dirt bikes and a few Kawasaki KX250/450F bikes also. Usually the intake cam gear rotates on the cam and causes a no start condition. 24 years in the powersports industry and ya learn something new every day.
Excellent info about the relative position of cam lobe to the tab on the camshaft timing gear...made me RUN out and check a Quantum engine I had in pieces in the garage...at 2.45 AM !!!!!! Phew... it lined up fine!!!!
Cheers from Australia...great video.
I'm surprised you went with a used plastic cam. I don't trust plastic parts much so I don't usually go with used items. I'm surprised someone has come up with a metal replacement cam that holds up better than the plastic OEM. It's sad to see how many lawnmowers, both push style and riding mowers go to the junk heap due to problems from relatively cheap parts. I know clogged carbs probably rank at the top due to alcohol based fuel and stale fuel issues. Cheaply made parts and plastic pieces probably account for many of the other failures. Mowers are so expensive today! It would really be wise for most people to repair/ have repaired a mower with a minor part failure. The USA would have a lot less trash in the landfills if these large items were repaired instead of thrown into the trash every year! Good job with the diagnosis and repair!
Nice work James. Liked your prep work and use of pre-lube as well. Professional level work.
I guessed right! But only because I had this same problem on the same mower and I'm stubborn so I needed to know why it won't run. It took some time to figure out the problem though. You figured it out fast.
What a great job ! I thought about fixing mine after that but I'm not sure I could do all the fiddly bits !
Very interesting. I thought it would be the lobes on the camshaft that got loose. Your channel has taught me more about small engines than I ever learned in school.
Check out Mustie1 You will learn a ton more
@@jjyemg2397 I already follow him.
That's why me and my buddy while working in the lawn mower shop referred to them as briggs and plastic
Thank you, I have the same problem and your video was very helpfull. That save my second hand lawn mower. I never did mecanic but your video is so good that I fix it by myself!!
Very good video,please keep them coming,cheers from California brother!!!
Even if you get a metal cam, many cams these days are made by pressing the lobes onto a splined shaft. I'd imagine it would be fairly rare for those to spin, but they're still not what they used to be. That is, a single piece, forged and ground.
Brigs and Straton used to have such a high level of quality. Sorry to hear that they have moved to plastic parts
James: For laughs & giggles, I would have been tempted to file several shallow notches on the shaft & tried JB weld to see if it would hold. Not likely considering the drag on the cam lobe as it climbs the slope of the lobe, but it would still be interesting. Great video Sir, as always.
Cheers! from the wind swept hinterlands of Alberta