Lawn Mower Muffler Popping, and Shaking?

balls

Okay so I got a mower off craigslist, restored it and now it is having some problems.

When primed it starts up usually first pull, so as you can see it runs pretty well. But it seems that it shakes quite a bit and that every 5 or 6 seconds a pop or 2 will come from the exhaust. What is a common cause of this?

What is the easiest option to check first? I don't want to take a part the engine to check the rod or anything if it is not necessary. I have the oil set at full so it is not low on oil. It burns a little bit of oil as well.
Its a 5HP Briggs and Stratton Four Stroke Push Lawn Mower.

Answer
Most lawn mowers have a very simple ignition system. The flywheel has a magnent which passes coil and produces the spark plug voltage. The timing of the spark (which is your problem) is controlled by the flywheel connection to the crankshaft. It has a "key" which fits into slots in the flywheel and the crankshaft. Often, when the blade of the mower hits a solid object, like a curb, the key will start to shear. If it shears completely the engine won't run. If the key just gets bent a bit it throws off the relationship of the flywheel magnet and the pickup coil enough to cause your problem.

Take off the flywheel (under the rope pulley) and remove it from the crankshaft. It's a tapered shaft. Pull out the little key and get a replacement from Ace hardware.

how do you set the timing on a lawn mower?

Q.

Answer
You set the valve timing by lining up the spots on the timing gears when re-assembling the motor,.... its all but foolproof.
You set the ignition timing by making SURE the key way and the square key and the slot on the flywheel all line up exactly......again, almost foolproof.
The embedded magnet(s) in the flywheel pass the induction coil magnet and that charges the coil, and shoots the spark to the plug....

With the proper stoichiometric fuel ratio, the engine will run.

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how do you set the timing on a lawn mower?

Answer
You set the valve timing by lining up the spots on the timing gears when re-assembling the motor,.... its all but foolproof.
You set the ignition timing by making SURE the key way and the square key and the slot on the flywheel all line up exactly......again, almost foolproof.
The embedded magnet(s) in the flywheel pass the induction coil magnet and that charges the coil, and shoots the spark to the plug....

With the proper stoichiometric fuel ratio, the engine will run.

More lawn mower help?

Rob

I recently hydro-locked my lawn tractor, and I got it running again, i burnt off the excess oil in the system however, the motor doesnt seem to be running right. its acting as if its running out of gas (the rpms going up and down, pulsating really) it doesnt shut off, but it acts up and in low gears it jerks you as it gains and looses power, is there something i forgot to do? I cleaned the plugs drained the carb, air filter and all that.

Answer
Open the gas cap on your push mower. Tilt the lawn mower to empty the gas tank. Set the mower upright and fill the gas tank with new gas. For riding mowers, use a siphon tube with a hand pump to drain out the gasoline. Start the mower
Go to the carburetor and find the idle adjustment screw, Turn the screw to the left one-half turn. Start the lawn mower. If the idle is still too high, turn the adjustment screw one-eighth turn counterclockwise. If the mower idles too low, turn the adjustment screw one-eighth turn clockwise.

Also did you turn the engine over without the spark plug in to remove any excess fluid? Keep the engine running and pull the throttle cable back to allow the engine too burn any more oil away effecting the carburetor, if that doesn't work its time to move on to a carb rebuild.

Best of luck- BTW I strongly believe that the problem now lies with the carburetor , as you said you originally got it running after I told you the procedure how to get rid of the hydro lock condition

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how do you set the timing on a lawn mower?

Answer
You set the valve timing by lining up the spots on the timing gears when re-assembling the motor,.... its all but foolproof.
You set the ignition timing by making SURE the key way and the square key and the slot on the flywheel all line up exactly......again, almost foolproof.
The embedded magnet(s) in the flywheel pass the induction coil magnet and that charges the coil, and shoots the spark to the plug....

With the proper stoichiometric fuel ratio, the engine will run.

More lawn mower help?

Rob

I recently hydro-locked my lawn tractor, and I got it running again, i burnt off the excess oil in the system however, the motor doesnt seem to be running right. its acting as if its running out of gas (the rpms going up and down, pulsating really) it doesnt shut off, but it acts up and in low gears it jerks you as it gains and looses power, is there something i forgot to do? I cleaned the plugs drained the carb, air filter and all that.

Answer
Open the gas cap on your push mower. Tilt the lawn mower to empty the gas tank. Set the mower upright and fill the gas tank with new gas. For riding mowers, use a siphon tube with a hand pump to drain out the gasoline. Start the mower
Go to the carburetor and find the idle adjustment screw, Turn the screw to the left one-half turn. Start the lawn mower. If the idle is still too high, turn the adjustment screw one-eighth turn counterclockwise. If the mower idles too low, turn the adjustment screw one-eighth turn clockwise.

Also did you turn the engine over without the spark plug in to remove any excess fluid? Keep the engine running and pull the throttle cable back to allow the engine too burn any more oil away effecting the carburetor, if that doesn't work its time to move on to a carb rebuild.

Best of luck- BTW I strongly believe that the problem now lies with the carburetor , as you said you originally got it running after I told you the procedure how to get rid of the hydro lock condition

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lawn mower problems?

carol k

i have riding lawn mower and starter kicks out and turns motor one turn then stops..i hooked starter to a charger and it will keep running fine so i dont think its the starter..what should i do next

Answer
If the battery test good and all of the connections are good 12 volt source, check the valves in both overhead valve or in block style valve. Meaning, an overhead valve has a head with valves in it that you can take off, push rods, and adjustable rocker arms ( the valves are not contained with in the block). You should also check them on a valve inblock style on some series and brands ( ex. if it is like a k series Kohler they have adjustable tappets in them that have a clearance that needs to be set). I forgot to mention this style of motor contain the valve in the engine block You can tell by the head just being flat and just having spark plug hole and no moving parts in it. If it is a valve in block style or overhead, and all other conditions are met valves set properly,no electrical problems. This could maybe have a compression release problem. There is a spring and a lift pin on the camshaft that releases compression from the piston chamber. It is on the cam shaft and through cintrifigal force allows weights through turning rpm to move a pin and in turn allow the valve to go to the open position allowing compression to leak down and not dead head while starting so it can be turned over easier. After the engine starts the weights fall back in and the release is no longer holding the valve open and the valve tran operates normally. Usually if you put a charger on it will start fine. With this problem the starter has unlimited amperage ( whatever the charger is usually 300-600 amps if it a big one) to turn that motor over. Most mower batterys will carry a lot less cold cranking amps. Just remember that testing your cables can be tricky checking them with an ohm meter is a bad reading because if just one strand of the cable is touching you will get a good reading. Check the draw of the starter with an inductive pickup to see how many amps it is pulling if it is pulling just a few it is cable and connections or starter prob. If it is pulling a lot could be starter problems or it could be a compression problem because the starter is having to work double time to try and turn that motor since the cylinder is building up full compression. I have had the compression release in many cases cause a customer to buy a new starter, cables, and switch when he didn't need em. He put it on and it didn't make a difference. I am into diagnosing not spendin money. Hope I helped you diagnose it and I explained it so you could understand p.s Just dont want you to spend money on something you dont' need!

How do i set dog bones out of my lawn mower?

Cockpillag

Answer
YOU TAKE SOME PENIS AND SHOVE IT IN THE LAWN MOWER UNTIL IT BREAKS OFF THEN YOU GIVE YOUR BLOODY PENIS TO YOUR MOM

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Why do dog groomers charge less to groom dogs than a lawn mower charges to mow my lawn?

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chrisgo

Most dog groomers set a price for grooming at around $30 an hour. Lawn mowers charge around $60 an hour, hair dressers around $80 an hour and mechanics around $100 an hour. Why do dog groomers feel their service is so valueless when it is as difficult and as skilful as the other services?

Answer
Hello. My grooming price range is between $ 35.00 - and has gone as high as $ 200.00. Trust me I don't under charge my self.

How to properly dispose of lawn mower?

utcreed

I have a broken lawn mower i need to get rid of. I live in texas. Do you think the trash man will take it if i leave it on the curb? Will i have to visit a land waste to dispose of it?

Answer
just set it on the curb it will probably be gone in a day or two...lots of people spend their time driving the streets and alleys looking for such items thrown away.

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How can I fix a hole in my lawn mower deck?

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Mike

It's a push mower, and I can't afford to buy a new lawn mower.

The hole is small, but the deck can no longer support the weight of the mower because the hole is in a corner.

Answer
clean the area down to bare metal and use a LOT of JB Weld. (its a strong epoxy made for pretty much exactly this) I'd use duct tape under the hole to hold it in place while it sets but don't press it tight to the metal right around the hole, let it sag a bit so the epoxy has a lot of metal to hold on to.

keep in mind you can find really cheap working mowers in most areas. I've been using a $30 mower for 2 years and the one before that was $50 or so.

Why does our furnace blower sound like a lawn mower running?

Zackary H

We have a Luxaire Furnace that is only about 5 years old. It was working perfectly fine until a couple of days ago when we noticed the furnace was keeping the house a couple of degrees below what it was set to. Not thinking much of this considering the season change, we ignored it until last night. All of a sudden, when the blower kicked on, it sounded like a lawn mower was running in our basement. I pulled the panel and the blower looks like it is brand new, but it is for sure where the sound is coming from. As it shuts off, the sound slows down until it stops.. much like a small gas motor. Considering it is warming up and we do not need the furnace running right away, I would like to try to tackle this problem myself. So where should I start? Does it sound like the blower needs replaced for some reason? It is a Swirlwind High Performance Blower. Thanks!

Answer
Superman is correct

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how to start a lawn mower after winter?

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Anthony

i have a snapper lawn mower(riding) that has set out all winter. what should i do to it before trying to start it?

Answer
charge the battery check to see if the plug is serviceable change the oil change the gas filter put fresh gas in start it up

Removing a lawn mower blade adapter help?

Salvatore

Ok so I am overhauling a lawn mower engine and replacing the gaskets, trying to remove the blade adapter. It will NOT come off. I used a little hand torch and I wasn't able to get the adapter cherry red but I used a crank puller various times, used penetrating oil, I even used kerosene on the thing to set it a fire, I banged the hell out of it with a hammer, and it just wont come off. There is no loose rust on it, but the thing is over 10 years old. Any ideas or thoughts?? I tried different things throughout the past 2 weeks and its not working.

Answer
If it screws on try removing it in a clockwise direction. It that doesn't work then I would say two weeks of trying is long enough. Take it to a lawn mower repair service.

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Removing a lawn mower blade adapter help?

best lawn mower setting image

Cory

Ok so I am overhauling a lawn mower engine and replacing the gaskets, trying to remove the blade adapter. It will NOT come off. I used a little hand torch and I wasn't able to get the adapter cherry red but I used a crank puller various times, used penetrating oil, I even used kerosene on the thing to set it a fire, I banged the hell out of it with a hammer, and it just wont come off. There is no loose rust on it, but the thing is over 10 years old. Any ideas or thoughts?? I tried different things throughout the past 2 weeks and its not working.

Answer
If it screws on try removing it in a clockwise direction. It that doesn't work then I would say two weeks of trying is long enough. Take it to a lawn mower repair service.

What is wrong with my craftsman lawn mower?

Ashley P

I bought a self-propelled craftsman lawn mower in May of this year. It starts just fine, but after pushing it for about 5 feet, the engine slows and dies. I have replaced the air filter, checked the oil and it's got gas. The grass isn't extremely long, I bumped up the wheels to the highest setting, and tried mowing smaller rows, but every 5 feet it chokes up and dies without fail! Any ideas what's wrong with it?

Answer
Check the gas cap. It must have a small hole or 4 in it and the gasket must be free to allow air in to the tank. To verify this is the problem, start the mower and do not move it , just let it sit running. If it then dies, loosen the gas cap and try to start. Very common problem and an easy solution.

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