QuestionI have a well-maintained and reliable 1997 Murray Lawn Tractor with a B&S 18.5hp engine and 46" cutting deck. After cutting the lawn, I cleaned out of all of the debris from the mower deck (as usual). When I tried to start the tractor to back it into the garage, it would not start.
I immediately suspected that perhaps I disturbed the wiring harness while cleaning the tractor. The battery was fully charged, all wires had solid connections, and the inline fuse to the solenoid was good. When I turned the key, I heard a whizzing / buzzing sound, but the motor would not even attempt to crank.
A Google search picked up this site for me. I searched for similar problems on this site, and found many helpful hints, but nothing exactly similar to this situation.
So I pulled the engine cover off of the tractor, and tried to start it again. I saw that the flywheel on the starter was spinning, but was not rising high enough to engage the motor.
The flywheel appears to be mounted on a plastic corkscrew shaft (or this may just be a plastic cover, I am not certain). I noticed that a sliver of plastic was peeling away from the shaft, sticking out and blocking the flywheel from rising to the correct level.
I cut the sliver of plastic off with a knife, and filed down and sanded what I could not get with the knife. When I tried again, old reliable started right up.
Hopefully, posting this experience here will help the next poor soul who encounters a similar problem and fears needing a new starter.
So I guess I should ask the questions. Is this "peeling plastic" problem common? Is it symptomatic of another problem? Is there anything people can do to prevent this from happening or (in my case) prevent this from getting worse?
Thanks in advance.
AnswerGeorge-
You did an outstanding job troubleshooting that situation, and thanks for making the post!
Be sure to be prepared to have your starter rebuilt tho- that sliver of plastic means the plastic drive sleeve is failing, tho it may last another year.
Great Job! Best of Luck!
