QuestionThanks a lot. I tried all three of your suggestions, but everything was good. Something, however, happened while I was following your advice and it started turning freely again. It must have been an unseen problem that your procedure corrected. I have encountered another problem however.
The lawn mower will not crank. The spark plug is sparking. I traced it down to what I believe is a bad "?head gasket?" It is on the main engine body. The carb, spark plug, valves, and exhaust are on one side, and this large gasket seperates them from the other parts.
I sprayed soapy water on it and turned the flywheel by hand. Bubbles come out from a degraded spot, and then the bubbles are sucked back into the engine as I continue turning the flywheel. If I spary starter fluid into the carb and try the crank it, I can see a spray of liquid come out from the bad spot on the gasket.
Is this gasket or seal indeed called a "head gasket?" I need to know what to look for when ordering a replacement. I also would like to know if you have any advice about how to replace it. It looks like I unbolt three bolts to remove the exhaust and four bolts on front and the whole peice should come off giving me access to the gasket. I am very grateful because you have already saved me some money with your advice, if you have any more I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
Johnathon
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Followup To
Question -
Greetings Sir,
I have a problem with my father's Craftsman 7.0 hp self-propelled lawn mower that hopefully you can help me with. It has a Briggs and Stratton engine with a rear gear drive. The craftsman model number is 917.377820. The engine has the number 128602 0304 21 031210fa stamped on it. A sticker on the gas tank has "Family: ybsxs. 1901VE 275078" on it.
The problem is that it is really hard to pull the cord to start it. It will not start. Removing the spark plug has no affect on the difficulty. Spinning the blade by hand is also difficult. It takes the same amount of force to spin it a complete revolution---there is no binding or easy positions. My father put forth the idea that a bearing went bad. My future father-in-law suggested that maybe the brake is malfunctioning. From my little knowledge, I assumed that a bent or broken connecting rod might be the problem. No one has looked at it. I wanted an idea of where to start first.
The mower was cutting and starting fine until one day it just stopped by itself. This is when it became hard to pull the cord. It had/has oil and the rod that you hold down on the handle to work the brake is being held down. The drive is not being engaged. It is barely over a year old and was only used for several hours. If you have any suggestions about what the problem may be and how to fix it, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for you time,
Johnathon
Answer -
Hello Johnathon:
From what you have described we are going to Check a few things. 1- Check the Drive Belt from the Engine to the Wheel Drive. If Broken they tend to Wrap around the Crankshaft and cause it to be Hard to turn. 2- Follow the Engine Shutdown/Brake Cable to Where you see the Engine Brake. Have someone operate the Brake Handle and make sure it is Releasing from the Engine. The Engine Brake is like a Band Around the Flywheel. 3- Remove the Blower Housing (Engine Cover) and make sure the Coil hasnt slipped and is Rubbing the Flywheel Key. The Coil is spaced .020 from the Flywheel. 4- If any of the Above then you have a damaged Engine Block (Internal Problems). Hope this Helps.
Good Luck
Respectfully
John
Answer Hello Johnathon:
Great! Thats what i was Hoping to Hear. Go Back to the Engine Brake/Stop Cable. At the Engine the Brake Assembly needs to be Sprayed where it piviots. The Spring Brake was Not released even though you had the Brake/Stop Lever Retracted. The Spring was Stretched but the Actual Brake was Stuck. Spray all the components and let Stand Overnite then Spray off evcess with Air Pressure. If you Dont have an Air Compressor, you can buy Air in a Can at Radio Shack for about 8 to 10 dollars.
OK. The other Problem. If I am understanding you Correctly, I would say yes. If you can, send an email to the support site asking them to forward it to me. Then I can see exactly what we are discussing and be 100% sure of my answer. Hope this Helps.
Good Luck
Respectfully
John
