Ok, Yardman is several years old (I believe about about ten years or so) but I have had it a few months. Worked fine for awhile. Last few times I would cut it would cut for a good while then it would just cut off. Battery is weak so I would always have to jump it off beforehand. No problem with that, just kind of aggravating. Well, when it would die on me in the middle of a cut, I would not even be able to jump it off. Last time it cut off, I pushed it back to the carport and it was VERY hard to push. Even after it sat for awhile it would not jump off or start or anything. Oil level is/was fine. I thought maybe the engine locked up, but like I said the oil level was fine and fairly fresh.

I found this site a couple days ago and noticed all the solenoid problems. I had noticed a clicking sound so I found the solenoid and jumped the two pegs with a screwdriver. Got a minor spark but that was it. So I hooked up cables (with truck turned off) and tried, got a little bigger spark. Tried holding the key turned on and tried the solenoid again. Nothing. SO I cranked my truck to get more battery power. Ok, now, when I jump the solenoid I get a BIG spark and can actually see the starter engage (hood and cover are removed). The starter does try to turn but the flywheel won't turn and the starter gear cannot engage it.

Please tell me this thing is not locked up. What else can I check?

Also after I did all this, I disconnected the cables (truck to mower) and turned the key. NO clicking no from the solenoid and it would actually engage the starter yet it still would turn the flywheel.

Try turning the flywheel by hand... does it? (till it hits the compression stroke of course) ohv engine or side valve?

You could have a bad starter, mis-adjusted valves (if ohv).

How about the teeth on the ring gear on the flywheel? All there? How about the teeth on the starter gear? Does the starter go all the way up? Or just jam midway maybe?

Try turning the flywheel by hand... does it? (till it hits the compression stroke of course)
No, but that does not surpise me. Due to the compression (I think?) I cannot even pullstart the mower. Never could. Even when all was fine. Although the pull string and gear it sits in work fine when you take the shroud off. If it is on the mower, there is NO pull starting this thing.



Ohv engine or side valve?

Don't know, late here will check tomorrow, not 100% on how to tell[/QUOTE]



You could have a bad starter, mis-adjusted valves (if ohv).

How about the teeth on the ring gear on the flywheel? All there? How about the teeth on the starter gear?

All the teeth are there on flywheel and starter...



Does the starter go all the way up? Or just jam midway maybe?

Hmmmm... I am not sure. Looks like the starter gears just stay up, inline with the flyweel (or maybe they are midway) when I put power to it and/or let the power stop. But I will also check that tomorrow.


Thanks for the help so far.

Well on telling if it's a ohv engine or not... a ohv engine will have a big cover on the front of the cylinders, and be stamped ohv usually...
Flat head/L head/side valve engines have flat heads basically... lot of fins on the head, spark plug out the front... usually a ohv's is out the side.

Ok, well I do know that the plug is out the front. I work from the house and need to work a little bit (or A lot, haha) this morning. Its 7am now but I will get out the shortly and look for the rest...


Thanks

Ok, still not 100% on the OHV or or side valve but if I had to out money on it would bet that it's a side valve. Like I said earlier, the plug does stick out the front and that is where the head is also ( I believe) with the coil pack on top of the head up next to whatever the flywheel is inside of.

The starter...
As far as moving up all the way or only midway... it is not moving up and down at all. It is like it is up and teeth lined up perfectly 100% of the time right now. I can see what I believe to be a plastic piece that you can tell is supposed to move up and down to put the starter gear in line with the flywheel. It stays up right now continuously trying to turn the flywheel. Maybe it drops down after it starts?

I can back the flywheel up maybe a little over an inch, then try to start it. You see the starter gear turn the flywheel turn back to where it originally was before I turned it backwards. Hope this is some more good info and explained good enough.


Thx for the help...

Ok, the starter gear some of the time might not go back down until they start...
But the flywheel still doesn't... can you turn it without the sparkplug (by hand) ?

I can only move it say, maybe 1.5 inches backwards and then back to the original spot. But keep in mind that even before I had troubles with this I could not pull start it. I mean you could not pull on the handle at all. And that part was NOT due to the pull rope being tangled or the jammed cause when I took the shroud off, which housed the pull rope, it pulled out easily then.

It sounds ( the pull start system) is that you have a older style clutch (instead of the newer bowl, where the pawls would catch indentations when you pulled the cord and turn it over)
It looks like a big square thing sticking up basically... it's a one way ratchet... and should only turn one way

Ok, yes I do have that square thing sticking up and YES it will turn only one way. I was thinking though that it turns freely the way it does so the pull cord can wrap itself back up. I cannot turn it at all the other way. Without going out there to look at it, I think it turns freely counter clockwise.

Yes it should turn opposite the way the engine turns... If that does what it's supposed to, look at the magneto and make sure its not catching the flywheel.. you have tried it without the sparkplug? No difference?

With or without plug makes no difference. The magneto (1 inch tall and two inches wide?) is right above the flywheel and everything seems to turn together from the flywheel up. I guess I am looking at the right thing. Of course when I say 'turn' I mean only the one inch or so that I have talked about.

The magneto has the spark plug wires coming out of it... it should be beside it.

Ok, I just kid of glanced at it. I thought that was a coil pack. LIke I said I did just glance tonight, will look more detail tomorrow but it did look like it was touching it. I assumed it was supposed to be. I will look more at it in the morning.

Thx for all the help, even though have not solved the problem yet...

OK, the magneto was not stopping it cause I took it off and still tried to turn it by hand, which I couldn't except for the 1.5 inch play we have already discussed. Don't forget though, as previously mentioned, I have NEVER been able to turn it with the pull rope. So me not being bale to turn it by hand does not surprise me. Of course it moves no further when I put power to it. Same 1.5 inch (if I back it up by hand).


I am about ready to take this thing aprt, but I may not get it back together, haha... to aswer your latest question, the magneto was NOT stopping it from turning...

Ok, about the only things that would be left... stator came apart from under the flywheel and jammed... engine seized, or a belt is still engaged?. I'm not leaning towards engine seized at the moment...

OK good. Belt still engaged would make a little sense since it was so hard to push back to the carport. I will look here shortly at it although I am not sure on how to tell if it is still engaged or not. Will check it out...

Starter? Maybe so, but just the way it looks when it does turn some, I don't think that's it, although maybe I can remove it (couple of bolts) and would the gear on it spin freely then? I bet if I put power to it while removed it would spin, wouldn't it? That would be a way to check it carefully though...

Yeah, just hook the starter up to the battery directly and it should spin pretty fast as usual...

As for the belt, just look underneath for slack in them if they are disengaged.

Ok, my buddy from across the street who works on mowers but has been out of town for the last couple months came over. He first tried to turn it and said I had belts engaged (as you and said). Fiddles with them, then said no, your starter is hung up. He fiddled with it and got the gearing on the stater to go back down. Then he was able to turn the flywheel. He said I have a broke wrist pin. Maybe more but he knows I have that at least. You could turn it a lot smoother now, feeling a click then it stops and if you put just a tad more force behind it, it till click a lot louder then turn all the way around. He said that's because of the wrist pin. DOes this sound feasible before I tear into this thing?

If so, I believe I have only about four bolts to snatch it off and turn it upside down (after I drain the oil). ANything else I need to know before I do snatch this thing off? I have a cut off valve for the fuel so no problem there.

Well hang on. I went out there but then got to thinking. Even if I do have a broken wrist pin, this things should STILL turn over. Probably crank. Might make one heck of a racket, but it should still do it, right? SO maybe the wrist pin is not my entire problem. We can turn the flywheel, so I would assume that means that the engine has not seized up. I am not 100% on what I should try to do next...

Hopefully your around soon...

Wrist pin connects the rod to the piston... it should still turn over unless its essentially broken some and jammed.
Of course you never actually know unless you look...

I'd look under the flywheel first for anything hanging up, if no... then it has to be internal.

So, I take it your talking about removing the flywheel before I remove the engine and look internally? Can the flywheel be removed without taking the engine off the frame?

Of course, just a nut to be taken off... of course the flywheel is fitted on (essentially its stuck on good) and a puller will help a lot to get it off... or light taps from underneath with a rubber mallet (but the ring gear you have to worry about messing up so not a good idea)

Ok, here is where I am now. Nothing has changed since my last posting (I have had no time in the past several days) except I have removed the engine from the frame and I have drained the oil.

Now, since we can manually turn the flywheel to a certain point, and it stop till we put just a little more pressure we are assuming a broken wrist pin. But that does not explain why when we try to crank it, it only moves about 1 inch then stops. I am wondering if the starter gear itself is messed up and it will not allow the flywheel to turn. You also mentioned taking off the flywheel. My idea was to turn the motor upside down and tear into it to look at the wrist pin and anything else that was damaged.

3 things here and I am not sure what to do first

1)starter (can I still test it with the engine off the frame? Or did the engine being mounted actually 'ground' the starter since only the hot wire goes to it.

2)flywheel - I don't have a pulley puller but I feel like you were leaning towards me doing this route first, of course that was before I removed the engine.

3)tear into the bottom of it and worry about other two later since we are 99% sure it has a broken wrist pin.


Which route do I take?

Thanks

After reading this post:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/lawn-garden/older-mtd-rider-wont-start-32213.html

I am now wondering if I do not have a broken wrist pin. Should I be able to turn the flywheel continuosly in the same direction through the compressin stroke and beyond? I thought you could only turn it to a certain degree. The guy in the post I copied also can turn his by hand almost freely, yet when he tries to crank it, it only goes an inch or so...

And come to think of it, when I drained my oil, it sure was thin, maybe it was gas that made mine so thin. I am as lost as a puppy dog now...

Well, I found out my problem. Took the engine off, turned it over and pulled the bottom off it. WHat I found was a broke rod, and the part the rod connects to at the bottom (looked like cast iron) was also broke on the sides. ALthough the rod was still fully attached to it. It was all jammed in there crooked and all. Now I have to decide if this thing is worth rebuilding or not. Not sure how much they cost...

Man that's freaky... (the conrod, should attach itself to a steel crank) if that's what your talking about that looks iron?

I'd either short block it, or find a good used.

Ok, Yardman is several years old (i believe about about ten years or so) but i have had it a few months. Worked fine for awhile. Last few times I would cut it would cut for a good while then it would just cut off. Battery is weak so i would always have to jump it off beforehand. No problem with that, just kinda aggravating. Well, when it would die on me in the middle of a cut, I would not even be able to jump it off. Last time it cut off, I pushed it back to the carport and it was VERY hard to push. Even after it sat for awhile it would not jump off or start or anything. Oil level is/was fine. I thought maybe the engine locked up, but like i said the oil level was fine and fairly fresh.

I found this site a couple days ago and noticed all the solenoid problems. I had noticed a clicking sound so I found the solenoid and jumped the two pegs with a screwdriver. Got a minor spark but that was it. So I hooked up cables (with truck turned off) and tried, got a little bigger spark. Tried holding the key turned on and tried the solenoid again. Nothing. SO I cranked my truck to get more battery power. Ok, now, when I jump the solenoid I get a BIG spark and can actually see the starter engage (hood and cover are removed). The starter does try to turn but the flywheel wont turn and the starter gear cannot engage it.

Please tell me this thing is not locked up. What else can I check?

Also after I did all this, I disconnected the cables (truck to mower) and turned the key. NO clicking no from the solenoid and it would actually engage the starter yet it still would turn the flywheel.
Take the fly wheel of look and see if any of the magnets are lose. If so that will stop the flywheel from turning.