I have a sears engine that made a noise like a broken cable when I tried to disengage the blades. I tried to restart the engine alone and it just spins. I checked for fuel to it and tried a new spark plug. It still just spins until the battery goes dead. Is this more a spark issue or maybe the overrunning clutch has broken? An interlock somewhere? I notice the belt to the blades seems very loose but not binding anything up.

Thank you

My craftsman riding mower 13 1/2 hp will not start. I replaced the spark plug and gas.the spark from the plug seems light but I'm not sure.thank you austin

Did the engine die when you heard the noise? Have you checked the cable?