On 16 Sep 2006 14:49:26 -0700, wrote:

I have an older Sears Craftsman lawn tractor with a 180 opposed twin
cylinder Briggs and Stratton Engine. My son was cutting the lawn with
it the other day and it gradually stalled out on him. He started it
up again, but it quickly stalled out again. Now the engine will barely
crank and will not start.

Can't solve your problems but a few things:

I checked the battery with a multi-meter and it tested at 12 volts. I

A fully charged battery is about 12.6 volts. Of course yours is not
fully charged, but you could charge it. Voltage stays near 12 volts
even while a battery is 80% discharged. I forget the math, but it
makes sense.

So the ohter guy is right, that you have to measure the voltage while
you're trying to start the mower. I think it should be at least 11
volts then, but I only have experience with cars, with much bigger
engines.

If you are going to clean the battery cables at their ends, remove
them at each end and use a knife or something to scrape them shiny. I
had a car that, every time I left the lights on and ran the battery
down, wouldn't start even with a jump. First I had to take the
battery cable off the solenoid and scrape it clean, then put it back
on. Later I learned that when it wasn't too tight I could reach my
arm under the car and just twist the cable on the solenoid bolt about
20 degrees, but I only recommend that when your dressed up and on your
way, like I was.

tried jumping it with a portable power source and this did not help. I
tried a new on/off switch and this did not help.

The cranking switch? If it cranked a little bit when it was bad,
obviously that switch was good. Also you could have saved a new
switch, unless you had it already, by using a wire with alligator
clips on each end. Just bypass the switch. Radio Shack has a bag of
10. Worth every penny, 5 times every penny.

I removed the cover
and I can turn the flywheel by hand without difficulty. The oil level
appears to be ok.

Any suggestions of what I should do next. I don't have much
experience with engine repair, but due to the tractor's age I don't
think it would be worth taking to a repair shop. So I willing to take
a shot at home repair.

From what I've read I am thinking the starter engine might be the
problem. One internet source suggested jumping the starter directly
from the battery. I am willing to try this, but it appears on my mower
that I need to first need to remove the flywheel to get to the starter

I really doubt that. Are you sure it doesn't bolt on at the side,
after slipping up inside the flywheel.

and this looks like a major undertaking, especially given the age of
the engine.
Is the starter where I should start or are there other things I
should or could check first? One question I have is whether a problem
in the starter would have caused the engine to stall out after it was
already going?

No. So that's what makes it seem like the battery is weak, maybe
just needs a charge or a jump. I would jump from the car. You won't
run out of juice, especially if you run the car occasionally.

Like any starter, don't crank it for more than a couple minutes at a
time or it will get too hot.

What's wrong that made the engine stall is another question. Maybe it
will be fine when it is cold. Check spark plug that it's not fouled.

Any other suggestions on how to troubleshoot this issue? I do have a
basic Briggs and Stratton manual for the engine on a CD-Rom, but it
does not contain alot of trouble shooting info (at least that was
helpful to me) on the starter/electrical system. It is helpful,
however, on assembly and disassembly issues.