I have one question. Do I put the flywheel onto the crank shaft and
then push the key into the slot between the wheel and the shaft? Or do
I put the key into the slot in the shaft and place the flywheel over
it? Right now, I just visually align the slot in the flywheel with the
slot in the shaft, set the wheel down, and then gently tap the key all
the way down the slot with a small screwdriver. Could this be the
problem?

Also, when I tap the key into the slot, I push it all the way down. Do
I push it all the way or make the top of the key level with the top of
the flywheel or the top of the crank shaft?

John Lawrence wrote:
I've seen this on a number of occasions. In those cases the flywheel was not
seating properly. If its not seated firmly on the tapered shaft, the weight
of the flywheel it self attempting to keep spinning while the engine comes
to a stop, will shear off the key. The taper of the shaft is what holds the
load. When you are replacing the flywheel, pay particular attention to the
position of the key. It is very easy to push the key down and out of the
grove. If this happens the flywheel will not seat on the tapered shaft.
wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a 15 HP Craftsman riding lawn mower that uses a Briggs and
Stratton engine. Anytime I put the key in and start it, all I get is a
clicking sound. The flywheel doesn't turn at all and after a couple of
clicks, smoke starts coming out of the engine compartment. So I talked
to a guy at the Sears repair place, and he told me to change the
starter, solenoid, and flywheel key. So I buy all three and put them
in. (Note: The old flywheel key was in perfect condition) I give the
engine full throttle and turn the key. The engine suddenly comes to
life and sounds as if it had a lot more power than before. I turn the
engine off and go inside.

The next day, I try to crank up the engine, and it won't start. The
starter motor is turning the flywheel like is supposed to, but its just
not cranking up. So I change the spark plug with a brand new one and
try to crank it up again. It does nothing. I then open up the flywheel
and see that the key is sheared completely in half!!! I change the key,
close everything up, and restart the engine. It cranks up fine and runs
perfectly. But I turn it off. Let it cool down, and crank it up again,
and it won't start again. The flywheel key is again sheared in half!

So everytime I change the key, it works fine. But then the second time
I crank the engine up, the key shears. What do I do? I don't think the
crankshaft is bad because the original key that I pulled from the mower
the first time was fine.