Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Older Montgomery Ward 11 HP Starter Problems, continuity tester, clutch pedal

Question
hi Allen!  I'm trying to help my non-computer savy grandpa.  He has a riding mower, Montgomery Ward 11 HP electric start 38" 6 speed trans axel, model TMO 33917(A?)EQ56H.  He's having trouble with it starting.  was doing ok for awhile, really have to crank down on the clutch though.  grandpa says if he had a schmematic of the engine he could fix it.  what do you think?
thanks, dawn

Answer
Hi Dawn!  I'm assuming by "cranking down on the clutch" you mean fully depressing the clutch pedal to "make" the switch under the mower and allow it to crank.  Option one is to drain the gas, flip the mower over and make sure the switch mounting and wires aren't loose. Next you can purchase an inexpensive "continuity tester" at wally world to check the swiches internal health, just go across the switch contacts and manually make the little actuator button(mower is switched off for this test!).  Doing this over and over may make it work better, if they used self cleaning contacts in the switch (they slide against one another as they close).  Hope this helps!