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dejablues
 
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Default Craftsman Lawn Mower Problems


"cover" coverland914 @ yahoo.com wrote in message
...
I have a Craftsman Eager series self propelled mower that my son used
in the neighborhood to make a few bucks mowing lawns until it suddenly
developed a problem and I can't tell if it's a gas problem or a timing
problem which leads to the following questions...

Do lawn mowers have a proper 'timing' adjustment?


No, it's set on the flywheel.

The reason I ask is
because when it ran, it seemed to be having a timing issue - misfiring
and such as it barely ran following the problem surfacing.

How does a person determine if the coil is creating the problem? I
assume that with an ohm-meter, one can tell if the primary is OK but
how about the secondary part of the ignition? I held the spark plug
cable and gently pulled the start cord but couldn't feel much 'zap'
but notably, some was there.


OK, if you have spark, that means it is probably not an ignition problem. A
quick way of checking this to spray carb cleaner in the intake while it's
running, and see if it runs any smoother.


I think this might be down to the ignition system side or perhaps even
the carb (filthy air cleaner I pulled off that may have allowed dust
through) and really don't want to just keep throwing money into it if
the money would be better spent on another mower but obviously, would
like to save it if I can.

Does the magneto (or coil) have a surface that can be cleaned (air gap
with the flywheel) to help the spark issue ???


You can sand the magnetic surface on the flywheel and the coil, but the
problem is most likely in the carb. The jets could be clogged. If you do not
feel comfortable rebuilding the carb yourself (it is not really
cost-effective to have a shop do it) , replace the mower. Money dumped into
a three-year-old mower that has seen hard use would be better spent buying a
newer mower, especially if you can make the money back by mowing other peopl
e's lawns.


Would appreciate any pointers from any lawn mower mechanics to help me
decide again, if I should just dump it and buy another one... It's a
7hp motor on approx a 3 year old walk behind, self propelled mower.
TIA for any feedback...


That is one big push-mower!