....now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the oil
and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped the old
blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull and ran
BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower shaking
around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

I stopped the machine, pulled the plug wire and started checking it out.
Blade & springs seems tight and straight. Shaft seems straight. No loose
bits that I can see. So I start it up again and it's knocking and shaking.
Off it goes quickly.

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I bent
the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be flooded or
maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to keep it from
firing.

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it
will be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't
even know if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the
make of engine. ARGH!

Mower is a 5.5 horsepower Sears "Eager-1" with 20" blade. Takes a Champion
RJ19LM sparkplug.

So... any advise anyone? Where should I start?

Hopefully it was the thatch blade and is now flooded from tipping it
over to remove blade. remove air filter if it is wet and start it later.
I dought it is the key or it would not have started after you hit the
rock. It is the blade or crankshaft, hopefully just the blade.

"Noozer" wrote in message
news:Tsjae.1109690$8l.249104@pd7tw1no...
...now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the
oil
and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped the
old
blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull and ran
BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower
shaking
around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

I stopped the machine, pulled the plug wire and started checking it out.
Blade & springs seems tight and straight. Shaft seems straight. No loose
bits that I can see. So I start it up again and it's knocking and shaking.
Off it goes quickly.

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I
bent
the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be flooded or
maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to keep it
from
firing.

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it
will be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't
even know if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the
make of engine. ARGH!

Mower is a 5.5 horsepower Sears "Eager-1" with 20" blade. Takes a Champion
RJ19LM sparkplug.

So... any advise anyone? Where should I start?



Wow.

If it wont start now, then I'd try replacing the key where it times the
flywheel to the crank.

If the crank output shaft is bent, and the whole works is vibrating, then
hit it with a *big hammer*...IOW re-straighten the shaft....

Suggest use wood or some soft metal between the hammer and shaft so ya dont
cause any more damage if your whacking on the crankshaft though.

--

SVL

"Noozer" wrote in message
news:Tsjae.1109690$8l.249104@pd7tw1no...
...now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the oil
and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped the old
blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull and ran
BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower shaking
around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

I stopped the machine, pulled the plug wire and started checking it out. Blade
& springs seems tight and straight. Shaft seems straight. No loose bits that I
can see. So I start it up again and it's knocking and shaking. Off it goes
quickly.

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I bent
the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be flooded or
maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to keep it from
firing.

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it will
be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't even know
if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the make of engine.
ARGH!

Mower is a 5.5 horsepower Sears "Eager-1" with 20" blade. Takes a Champion
RJ19LM sparkplug.

So... any advise anyone? Where should I start?

This is Turtle.

It is the blade or the shaft that is bent. You will have to figure it out.

TURTLE

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:40:35 GMT, "Noozer" wrote:

...now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the oil
and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped the old
blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull and ran
BEAUTIFULLY!!!


The key is located between the "flywheel" and crankshaft. Remove the
top cover of the engine (the part with the pull rope) and you will see
the flywheel below it. Usually has cooling fins around the edges and
the ignition coil at the back. Remove the mechanism attached to the
crank and you should be able to see the keyway and key. It will be
pretty obvious to you if it is stipped.

You need a puller to remove the flywheel without breaking it. I have
always just used a bar to pop it off but did break one once eons ago
so get the puller or be prepared to buy a new flywheel.

Chances are you bent the crankshaft when you hit the rock. If this is
the case its probably time for a new mower as the repair will exceed
the value of the machine.

Steve B.

Noozer,
This may be a stupid question, but what kind of lawn/grass are you
cutting to have your mower that close to the ground to hit a rock that
small?

I live in Fl and have St Augestine. My mower is always set to the
highest position, which is 4" for the deck.

And to answer your question, I would say that the blade is bent. As
Ramsey stated, it probably isn't starting because you had it upside
down.

Let it set for a while, crank it a few times with the spark plug out,
and then try starting it again.

Ron wrote:
Noozer,
This may be a stupid question, but what kind of lawn/grass are you
cutting to have your mower that close to the ground to hit a rock that
small?

I live in Fl and have St Augestine. My mower is always set to the
highest position, which is 4" for the deck.

And to answer your question, I would say that the blade is bent. As
Ramsey stated, it probably isn't starting because you had it upside
down.

Let it set for a while, crank it a few times with the spark plug out,
and then try starting it again.

I'm inclined to agree with your assessment except I think 3" is a *big*
rock. If the blade is bent, the balance is gone.

Frank

m Ransley wrote:

Hopefully it was the thatch blade and is now flooded from tipping it
over to remove blade. remove air filter if it is wet and start it later.
I dought it is the key or it would not have started after you hit the
rock. It is the blade or crankshaft, hopefully just the blade.



Hi,
Maybe it's flooded now. Can try after removing the blade.
If it still shakes, twisted rod or shaft.
Tony

Always tip the mowers with the carb side up, same for snowthrowers, etc.

"F.H." wrote in message
news:njmae.772$Nc.305@trnddc03...
..

I'm inclined to agree with your assessment except I think 3" is a *big*
rock. If the blade is bent, the balance is gone.

Frank

Dohh!!!.........and.....(wink)......

Anymore the blades are so damned hard that the stress and deformation goes
directly to the crank output shaft....

To the point where nowadays you can generally straighten the shaft by
"dialing in" the blade and still get satisfactory results.

Been there and done it almost *too many times*...

( I dont mow grass anymore, but still I've got a wife that is *terribly
hard* on equipment )

--

SVL

I'd take the blade off, just leaving the crank shaft exposed and try to
start it. you may have flooded it when you had it turned over so air it out
and change the plug. With the blade off, if you can start it, I think you
can tell if the crank is bent
"Noozer" wrote in message
news:Tsjae.1109690$8l.249104@pd7tw1no...
...now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the
oil and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped
the old blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull
and ran BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower
shaking around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

I stopped the machine, pulled the plug wire and started checking it out.
Blade & springs seems tight and straight. Shaft seems straight. No loose
bits that I can see. So I start it up again and it's knocking and shaking.
Off it goes quickly.

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I
bent the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be
flooded or maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to
keep it from firing.

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it
will be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't
even know if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the
make of engine. ARGH!

Mower is a 5.5 horsepower Sears "Eager-1" with 20" blade. Takes a Champion
RJ19LM sparkplug.

So... any advise anyone? Where should I start?

While SVL's method will work, if your shaft is bent, a good small engine
shop should have a special device to straighten the crankshaft while still
in the engine. The engine is removed and mounted in the device to do this.
Anytime you hit a solid object with a push mower, the key in the flywheel is
suspect. Use only the factory type replacement key, or you risk major damage
next time. Also be aware that direct blade-to-shaft-mount push mowers don't
usually crank well at all without the blade on, as they usually have
aluminum flywheels and need the blade swinging for extra momentum while
cranking through.

RJ

"PrecisionMachinisT" wrote in message
...

"Noozer" wrote in message
news:Tsjae.1109690$8l.249104@pd7tw1no...
...now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the
oil
and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped the
old
blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull and ran
BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower
shaking
around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

I stopped the machine, pulled the plug wire and started checking it out.
Blade & springs seems tight and straight. Shaft seems straight. No loose
bits that I can see. So I start it up again and it's knocking and
shaking.
Off it goes quickly.

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I
bent
the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be flooded
or
maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to keep it
from
firing.

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it
will be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't
even know if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the
make of engine. ARGH!

Mower is a 5.5 horsepower Sears "Eager-1" with 20" blade. Takes a
Champion
RJ19LM sparkplug.

So... any advise anyone? Where should I start?



Wow.

If it wont start now, then I'd try replacing the key where it times the
flywheel to the crank.

If the crank output shaft is bent, and the whole works is vibrating, then
hit it with a *big hammer*...IOW re-straighten the shaft....

Suggest use wood or some soft metal between the hammer and shaft so ya
dont
cause any more damage if your whacking on the crankshaft though.

--

SVL

In article Tsjae.1109690$8l.249104@pd7tw1no, "Noozer" wrote:
....now it's buggered up.
[snip]

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it
will be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't
even know if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the
make of engine. ARGH!

Most likely that's what it is. The key attaches the flywheel to the
crankshaft, at the top of the engine. Remove the cover that contains the
pullcord, and you should see it. You'll want a steering wheel puller or
similar tool to remove the flywheel. If you just try to pry it off, you may
break it.

Once you get the flywheel off, collect all of the different pieces of the key
and take them to a mower repair shop. They'll need the make and model of your
mower, or of the engine, too. While you're there, get a few extra keys so
you'll have one on hand the next time this happens. The keys won't cost much
more than a dollar apiece, if that, so it makes sense to have spares.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

PrecisionMachinisT wrote:
"F.H." wrote in message
news:njmae.772$Nc.305@trnddc03...
.

I'm inclined to agree with your assessment except I think 3" is a *big*
rock. If the blade is bent, the balance is gone.

Frank


Dohh!!!.........and.....(wink)......

Anymore the blades are so damned hard that the stress and deformation goes
directly to the crank output shaft....

To the point where nowadays you can generally straighten the shaft by
"dialing in" the blade and still get satisfactory results.

Been there and done it almost *too many times*...

( I dont mow grass anymore, but still I've got a wife that is *terribly
hard* on equipment )

LOL, I've never hit anything big enough to cause problems but I've had
the blade off plenty of times to sharpen it. I was told to buy a new
one because the blade needed to be balanced but an old machinist with a
pedestal grinder in his garage is a tough sell. g I just put a small
dowel pin in the grinder and place the blade on it. Once I get it sharp
I just grind a little here and there until it's stays motionless.

Saves time and money.

Frank

F.H. wrote:

dowel pin in the grinder and place the blade on it.

LOL, in the *vice* not the grinder. So much for ISO-9000

"Ron" wrote in message
...
Noozer,
This may be a stupid question, but what kind of lawn/grass are you
cutting to have your mower that close to the ground to hit a rock that
small?

I was detatching... Bar with a couple heavy springs that break up all the
loose stuff in the grass. It has to be low to get into the dead stuff.

I live in Fl and have St Augestine. My mower is always set to the
highest position, which is 4" for the deck.

I do cut my grass fairly long... But here in Calgary AB the grass doesn't
grow too fast!

And to answer your question, I would say that the blade is bent. As
Ramsey stated, it probably isn't starting because you had it upside
down.

I only flipped it up about 80 degrees, carb side up... That's why I'm not
sure about the flooding. I will be poking at it again today. I've got the
regular blad on it now, so hopefully it doesn't shake anymore. I hope it's
the key if it isn't the blade. Don't want to have to replace this thing yet.

I didn't think there'd be so much damage from a small rock. It was only 2"
or so... maybe not even now that I look at it.

THANKS FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK EVERYONE!

Wish me luck!

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:53:39 +0000, F.H. wrote:

dowel pin in the grinder and place the blade on it.

LOL, in the *vice* not the grinder. So much for ISO-9000

Strike two. A "vise", perhaps?

--
If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much space.
Linux Registered User #327951

On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:40:35 GMT, "Noozer" wrote:

...now it's buggered up.

I hit a rock with my Toro last year and bent the blade. When I
replaced the blade it wouldn't start. Cause was flooding from tipping
it on it's side. I waited a few minutes & it started.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Retired Shop Rat: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
Now I can do what I enjoy: Large Format Photography
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Dan C" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:53:39 +0000, F.H. wrote:

dowel pin in the grinder and place the blade on it.

LOL, in the *vice* not the grinder. So much for ISO-9000

Strike two. A "vise", perhaps?


Compare :

http://tinyurl.com/cdbm6


To :

http://tinyurl.com/bofgu

--

SVL

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower
shaking around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I
bent the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be
flooded or maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to
keep it from firing.

Turns out it was an EASY fix... Just the key on the flywheel. This put the
timing off, so it ran horribly until it finally slipped to far to run at
all. Wasn't sure where this was going to be located but you folks helped out
greatly!

Once I replaced the key for $2.00 (bought the last one they had!) the mower
is running like a top again. No other damage.

....now to replace the wobbly 8" "nylon sleeve" wheels with something a bit
sturdier to make pushing it easier!