I thought it was the battery the whole time but it isn't. I checked the battery & it has 12.85 amps. The engine will only turn over once & when it does it seems slugish it then will do nothing until yo uturn the key off & then back on & the process begins all over again. I did this so long that the battery on the pos terminal with its cover began to melt that is how hot the terminal became. I am stuck for ideas, all answers welcomed.
Thanks
Garry

I assume you meant 12.85Volts. But anyway, if this is an overhead valve engine, (will have OHV on valve cover), your vavles are probably out of adjustment.

Yep meant 12.85 volts meant to say with ohm meter, oh well. I have never doen this before, is it tha thard or should I just take it to a lawn mower shop.

Garry

No valve adjustment is not hard. Depending on your level of mechanical skill. I would rate it at about 3, with 10 being the hardest. The only reason I rate it a 3 is because of the need to use feeler guages.

Thanks
Garry

Try changing the solenoid. Pretty cheap part and easy to do. I had one go bad on me before.