My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

If it sounds like it is siezing up it probbaly is. Have you checked or
changed the oil?

Also, the "thing on the top" is probably your pullcord and clutch
assembly. I dont think the overrunning clutch in there would squeal
though.

Most likely you have a rid bearing that is going/gone.

I have seen this a lot in older B&S motors. Its a cheap part and is
easy to replace if you know how.

Josh

Brian wrote:
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

meant ROD bearing not rid bearing.....my bad

perhaps your overruning clutch could be dried out. A simpler thing to
do before replacing the rod bearing is to take your top cover off (
there should be a few 1/2 or 9/16 bolts holding it on. Once you lift
that up (if your motor is like the one i am thinking) you should see a
square oist sticking straight up. in the top of that should be a
little plug with a tiny hole in it. You can pull that plug and try
putting a few drops of oil in there and see if that helps. Sometimes
those do get a little dry and make a little noisem but squealing after
it "ramps up" makes it sound like it is out of oil or a bad bearing
IMHO.

Let me know

Josh


wrote:
If it sounds like it is siezing up it probbaly is. Have you checked or
changed the oil?

Also, the "thing on the top" is probably your pullcord and clutch
assembly. I dont think the overrunning clutch in there would squeal
though.

Most likely you have a rid bearing that is going/gone.

I have seen this a lot in older B&S motors. Its a cheap part and is
easy to replace if you know how.

Josh

Brian wrote:
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

wrote:
meant ROD bearing not rid bearing.....my bad

perhaps your overruning clutch could be dried out. A simpler thing to
do before replacing the rod bearing is to take your top cover off (
there should be a few 1/2 or 9/16 bolts holding it on. Once you lift
that up (if your motor is like the one i am thinking) you should see a
square oist sticking straight up. in the top of that should be a
little plug with a tiny hole in it. You can pull that plug and try
putting a few drops of oil in there and see if that helps. Sometimes
those do get a little dry and make a little noisem but squealing after
it "ramps up" makes it sound like it is out of oil or a bad bearing
IMHO.

Let me know

Josh


wrote:
If it sounds like it is siezing up it probbaly is. Have you checked or
changed the oil?

Also, the "thing on the top" is probably your pullcord and clutch
assembly. I dont think the overrunning clutch in there would squeal
though.

Most likely you have a rid bearing that is going/gone.

I have seen this a lot in older B&S motors. Its a cheap part and is
easy to replace if you know how.

Josh

Brian wrote:
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

Sorry for my ignorance, but should I use regular 10W-30 oil or is there
some sort of lawnmower oil I can get from Ace Hardware or Lowe's?

Yep any regular motor oil will do just fine.


Brian wrote:
wrote:
meant ROD bearing not rid bearing.....my bad

perhaps your overruning clutch could be dried out. A simpler thing to
do before replacing the rod bearing is to take your top cover off (
there should be a few 1/2 or 9/16 bolts holding it on. Once you lift
that up (if your motor is like the one i am thinking) you should see a
square oist sticking straight up. in the top of that should be a
little plug with a tiny hole in it. You can pull that plug and try
putting a few drops of oil in there and see if that helps. Sometimes
those do get a little dry and make a little noisem but squealing after
it "ramps up" makes it sound like it is out of oil or a bad bearing
IMHO.

Let me know

Josh


wrote:
If it sounds like it is siezing up it probbaly is. Have you checked or
changed the oil?

Also, the "thing on the top" is probably your pullcord and clutch
assembly. I dont think the overrunning clutch in there would squeal
though.

Most likely you have a rid bearing that is going/gone.

I have seen this a lot in older B&S motors. Its a cheap part and is
easy to replace if you know how.

Josh

Brian wrote:
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

Sorry for my ignorance, but should I use regular 10W-30 oil or is there
some sort of lawnmower oil I can get from Ace Hardware or Lowe's?

wrote:
meant ROD bearing not rid bearing.....my bad

perhaps your overruning clutch could be dried out. A simpler thing to
do before replacing the rod bearing is to take your top cover off (
there should be a few 1/2 or 9/16 bolts holding it on. Once you lift
that up (if your motor is like the one i am thinking) you should see a
square oist sticking straight up. in the top of that should be a
little plug with a tiny hole in it. You can pull that plug and try
putting a few drops of oil in there and see if that helps. Sometimes
those do get a little dry and make a little noisem but squealing after
it "ramps up" makes it sound like it is out of oil or a bad bearing
IMHO.

Let me know

Josh


wrote:
If it sounds like it is siezing up it probbaly is. Have you checked or
changed the oil?

Also, the "thing on the top" is probably your pullcord and clutch
assembly. I dont think the overrunning clutch in there would squeal
though.

Most likely you have a rid bearing that is going/gone.

I have seen this a lot in older B&S motors. Its a cheap part and is
easy to replace if you know how.

Josh

Brian wrote:
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

Yes, it is the starter overrunning clutch. I have had that happen a
couple times but haven't really tryed to oil one. For sure it is not
a rod bearing. That would knock, not squeal.

Harry K

Yes, it is the starter overrunning clutch. I have had that happen a
couple times but haven't really tryed to oil one. For sure it is not
a rod bearing. That would knock, not squeal.

Harry K

Yeah i was thinking that after i posted...if the rod bearing was spun
and on top of the bottom one (in the cap) it might squeal a
little...but i am lening twoards the clutch..oiling them sometimes
works sometimes doeasnt....luckily they are easy to replace if need be.

josh

wrote:

Yes, it is the starter overrunning clutch. I have had that happen a
couple times but haven't really tryed to oil one. For sure it is not
a rod bearing. That would knock, not squeal.

Harry K

Yeah i was thinking that after i posted...if the rod bearing was spun
and on top of the bottom one (in the cap) it might squeal a
little...but i am lening twoards the clutch..oiling them sometimes
works sometimes doeasnt....luckily they are easy to replace if need be.

josh

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.

"Brian" wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:

Yes, it is the starter overrunning clutch. I have had that happen a
couple times but haven't really tryed to oil one. For sure it is not
a rod bearing. That would knock, not squeal.

Harry K

Yeah i was thinking that after i posted...if the rod bearing was spun
and on top of the bottom one (in the cap) it might squeal a
little...but i am lening twoards the clutch..oiling them sometimes
works sometimes doeasnt....luckily they are easy to replace if need be.

josh

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


Does jerking on the rope, or banging your hand on the top of the engine,
(only if moving pars are not exposed there.) stop or change the noise?
That would suggest the starter mechanism needs lubrication.

Bob

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

You're probably right. If it's not a task that is not very
straight-forward then I shouldn't attempt it.

Yep, I've seen this before. The repair technique follows:

Remove the three bolts that hold the motor cover on. Typically 7/16
wrench. Sometimes also a bolt to get the motor cover off the throttle
cable.

Lift motor cover off.

In the center of the the flywheel is a clutch, which looks like this:

TinyURL was created!
The following URL:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BRIGGS-STRATTON-...RTER-CLUTCH-7-
8-HP-NEW_W0QQitemZ7567963290QQcmdZViewItem

has a length of 102 characters and resulted in the following TinyURL
which has a length of 25 characters:
http://tinyurl.com/yywj4n

For the next part of the operation, you'll need small screwdriver, and
a magnet.
Use the small screw driver to remove the ring around the shaft. Then
pull the almost-square sleeve off the top of the crank shaft.

Use a magnet to remove the five or six ball berrings, set them aside.

Use some solvent to clean the crankshaft which is now exposed. Solvent
and cotton swabs to clean inside the almost-square part.

Lube inside the almost square part, with something that won't gum up.
Silicone is good, or maybe silicone and dry graphite mix.

Slide almost-square part back on crankshaft.
Replace ballb errings.
Replace round cover.
Replace motor cover, snug in the bolts.

Shuold be good to go for a few more years.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Brian" wrote in message
oups.com...
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?

I've heard clutches squeal. To me, that's far more likely than a rid
bearing failure.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
ups.com...
meant ROD bearing not rid bearing.....my bad

perhaps your overruning clutch could be dried out. A simpler thing to
do before replacing the rod bearing is to take your top cover off (
there should be a few 1/2 or 9/16 bolts holding it on. Once you lift
that up (if your motor is like the one i am thinking) you should see a
square oist sticking straight up. in the top of that should be a
little plug with a tiny hole in it. You can pull that plug and try
putting a few drops of oil in there and see if that helps. Sometimes
those do get a little dry and make a little noisem but squealing after
it "ramps up" makes it sound like it is out of oil or a bad bearing
IMHO.

Let me know

Josh

The Briggs book calls for straight weight HD30 for most climates. But
10W-30 works fine. Please use a good brand, my fav is Castrol. Other
folks like Pennzoil, Mobil, Quaker State, etc.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Brian" wrote in message
oups.com...


Sorry for my ignorance, but should I use regular 10W-30 oil or is
there
some sort of lawnmower oil I can get from Ace Hardware or Lowe's?

I've done a couple. Really not a dificult task.

Oh, forgot. While you have the motor cover off. The engine is air
cooled, so you'll be doing the motor a favor to clean off any dirt or
dust.

Tip the mower onto the side, and drain the old oil out. Should take
about 20 ounces of new oil. Oil change is cheap, and really helps the
motor last as long as possible. Use good quality oil. 10-w-30 is fine.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Harry K" wrote in message
oups.com...

Yes, it is the starter overrunning clutch. I have had that happen a
couple times but haven't really tryed to oil one. For sure it is not
a rod bearing. That would knock, not squeal.

Harry K

I also charge $20 for advice.... (wink wink)

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Brian" wrote in message
ups.com...


I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.

Dear Ed,
Fortunately he doesn't have to reassemble the spring part of the
mechanism.
I wondered the same thing, him not kowing what a carb is.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:xpK4h.6594$Tz.777@trndny01...

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place
charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but
if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble
the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Dear Ed,
Fortunately he doesn't have to reassemble the spring part of the
mechanism.
I wondered the same thing, him not kowing what a carb is.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:xpK4h.6594$Tz.777@trndny01...

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place
charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but
if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble
the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Lawnmower guys says it sounds like the starter and the flywheel binding
up. He says there is no clutch on this lawnmower.

which seems odd, because if this is a pull start there has got to be
something that allows the crank to overrun the pull-cord assembly.

if there isnt one of those then this must not be one of the standard
B&S motors I have worked on...I am having a hard time understanding how
a pullstart motor would work without a clutch on the pull cord....

Josh


Brian wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Dear Ed,
Fortunately he doesn't have to reassemble the spring part of the
mechanism.
I wondered the same thing, him not kowing what a carb is.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:xpK4h.6594$Tz.777@trndny01...

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place
charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but
if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble
the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Lawnmower guys says it sounds like the starter and the flywheel binding
up. He says there is no clutch on this lawnmower.

wrote:
which seems odd, because if this is a pull start there has got to be
something that allows the crank to overrun the pull-cord assembly.

if there isnt one of those then this must not be one of the standard
B&S motors I have worked on...I am having a hard time understanding how
a pullstart motor would work without a clutch on the pull cord....

Josh


Brian wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Dear Ed,
Fortunately he doesn't have to reassemble the spring part of the
mechanism.
I wondered the same thing, him not kowing what a carb is.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:xpK4h.6594$Tz.777@trndny01...

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place
charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but
if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble
the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Lawnmower guys says it sounds like the starter and the flywheel binding
up. He says there is no clutch on this lawnmower.

If it helps, it is a MTD model with a B&S engine. I'll post what is
wrong with it hopefully tomorrow when I get it back. The repair didn't
seem too straightforward so I decided to take it to the Pros.

"Brian" wrote in message
oups.com...

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but if
you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

You're probably right. If it's not a task that is not very
straight-forward then I shouldn't attempt it.


But how will you learn then?

http://www.eio.com/repairfaq/REPAIR/F_sambook.html
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lmfaq.htm

Bob

wrote:
which seems odd, because if this is a pull start there has got to be
something that allows the crank to overrun the pull-cord assembly.

if there isnt one of those then this must not be one of the standard
B&S motors I have worked on...I am having a hard time understanding how
a pullstart motor would work without a clutch on the pull cord....

Josh

Same here. I suspect the motor mech is hung up on a terminology thing
or is splitting hairs. Of course there is the possibility that he
figures he can get away with it since Brian isn't up on small engines.
That engine, if a pull start, does have an overrunning clutch.

Harry K



Brian wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Dear Ed,
Fortunately he doesn't have to reassemble the spring part of the
mechanism.
I wondered the same thing, him not kowing what a carb is.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:xpK4h.6594$Tz.777@trndny01...

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place
charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but
if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble
the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Lawnmower guys says it sounds like the starter and the flywheel binding
up. He says there is no clutch on this lawnmower.

Harry K wrote:
wrote:
which seems odd, because if this is a pull start there has got to be
something that allows the crank to overrun the pull-cord assembly.

if there isnt one of those then this must not be one of the standard
B&S motors I have worked on...I am having a hard time understanding how
a pullstart motor would work without a clutch on the pull cord....

Josh

Same here. I suspect the motor mech is hung up on a terminology thing
or is splitting hairs. Of course there is the possibility that he
figures he can get away with it since Brian isn't up on small engines.
That engine, if a pull start, does have an overrunning clutch.

Harry K



Brian wrote:
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Dear Ed,
Fortunately he doesn't have to reassemble the spring part of the
mechanism.
I wondered the same thing, him not kowing what a carb is.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news:xpK4h.6594$Tz.777@trndny01...

"Brian" wrote in message

I'm going to take it apart tonight after work. Lawnmower place
charges
$20 to look at it, but the $20 goes towards the repair.


In your case, it is $20 well spent. I don't mean to sound nasty, but
if you
don't know where the carburetor is, do you think you can re-assemble
the
clutch and spring mechanism properly and really save that 20 bucks?

Lawnmower guys says it sounds like the starter and the flywheel binding
up. He says there is no clutch on this lawnmower.

Yea, I'm not up to snuff on small engines. From a link that Bob posted
above, I gleaned this from the section regarding squeals:

"A screeching or squealing sound may be the result of worn bearings or
inadequate lubrication. This could be due to lack of oil (!!) or a
problem with the oil distribution system (pump, passages, slinger,
etc.). It could also be a problem with auxiliary mechanical parts -
power take-off, front wheel drive, or a starter clutch that fails to
disengage."

This suggest to me that there is a clutch, or at least starter clutch.

Brian

What did you find out about your mower...

Just curious

Josh

wrote:
Brian

What did you find out about your mower...

Just curious

Josh

Lawnmower guy is looking at it today. Apparently my puny lawnmower was
not a priority

Brian wrote:
wrote:
Brian

What did you find out about your mower...

Just curious

Josh

Lawnmower guy is looking at it today. Apparently my puny lawnmower was
not a priority

Let us know when you do find out, we all want to know.

'As for priorities when dealing with 'lawn mower guys' You will find
that his regular customers always get priority. I like to schedule
anything I need to take in for times when his business is slow. Spring
is a bad time. Late summer isn't bad, Winter is bad if you are in
snow country. I drop the item(s) off and tell him to get to it when he
can and I won't need it until .... (weeks or months down the road). He
appreciates that and then when I do have a problem I need 'right now'
he tends to give me preference.

Harry K

Harry K wrote:
Brian wrote:
wrote:
Brian

What did you find out about your mower...

Just curious

Josh

Lawnmower guy is looking at it today. Apparently my puny lawnmower was
not a priority

Let us know when you do find out, we all want to know.

'As for priorities when dealing with 'lawn mower guys' You will find
that his regular customers always get priority. I like to schedule
anything I need to take in for times when his business is slow. Spring
is a bad time. Late summer isn't bad, Winter is bad if you are in
snow country. I drop the item(s) off and tell him to get to it when he
can and I won't need it until .... (weeks or months down the road). He
appreciates that and then when I do have a problem I need 'right now'
he tends to give me preference.

Harry K

I live in Florida. There is no "snow time" I'm not sweating it. It
hasn't rained much so the grass doesn't really need mowing for a couple
weeks at least.

"Brian" wrote in message
oups.com...
My Briggs and Stratton 3.5 HP lawnmower squeals when I pull the cord
and start it. It will run fine for about 10 seconds until the engine
ramps up and there is a loud squeal coming from the part that rotates
when you pull the cord (Carburetor?) on the top of the engine. It
almost sounds like it is seizing up. Any clue what is causing this?


I just fixed my mower with this problem. I took off the
top engine cover, squirted a little oil into the top of the
starter clutch through the little hole in the center, put a
couple of drops around the seal at the bottom of that
same part, and re-assembled it. Problem solved.

Bob

Ok. I just got the lawnmower back today. It seems the starter assembly
was rusted. They put some white lithium grease on it and it is back to
normal. I have a feeling this is going to be a normal thing for this
mower.


Brian wrote:
Harry K wrote:
Brian wrote:
wrote:
Brian

What did you find out about your mower...

Just curious

Josh

Lawnmower guy is looking at it today. Apparently my puny lawnmower was
not a priority

Let us know when you do find out, we all want to know.

'As for priorities when dealing with 'lawn mower guys' You will find
that his regular customers always get priority. I like to schedule
anything I need to take in for times when his business is slow. Spring
is a bad time. Late summer isn't bad, Winter is bad if you are in
snow country. I drop the item(s) off and tell him to get to it when he
can and I won't need it until .... (weeks or months down the road). He
appreciates that and then when I do have a problem I need 'right now'
he tends to give me preference.

Harry K

I live in Florida. There is no "snow time" I'm not sweating it. It
hasn't rained much so the grass doesn't really need mowing for a couple
weeks at least.