Sound advice.
"Don Young" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi.
Yesterday while I was mowing the lawn, my mower engine suddenly
stopped. The blade continued to spin until it slowed to a stop. It did
not strike any objects. It was working fine up to this point.

When I attempt to start the mower by pulling the string, the blade will
spin quietly, but I do not hear the engine try to engage. Additionally,
it feels "loose" when I pull the string; previously, I could hear the
engine cranking, but not anymore.

I'm not very experienced with lawn mower or small engine repair, but I
did some basic troubleshooting by looking at guides on the web. The
flywheel key, and the blade adaptor key both seem to be intact. The gas
is fresh. Oil was recently filled.

My mower is a Craftsman, model 143.996504 with a 6.5 Eager-1 (Tecumseh)
4-cycle engine (917.377431).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

The other posters have some good advice, but from your description it
sounds possible to me that your engine has a connecting rod broken at the
crankshaft end. That is based on engine spinning freely without any
sounds. The engine is likely beyond economical repair.

There are some other possibilities, such as a valve being stuck open, that
are easily repaired. If it spins over easily there can be no compression.
I would have someone knowledgeable have a look at it if possible.

Don Young