I purchased an old red Snapper riding mower a year ago. The whole engine had been reworked, but now it starts screeching after I crank it. The oil & gas are fine (no water mixed in with the gas or gas mixed in with the oil). Is there anything I can do? I know the basics as far as replacing parts, but not enough to know what's going on with it. :)

So does the engine actually start? Pull the spark plug and turn the starter, do you hear the screeching?

If it has a pull rope and a briggs and stratton engine, then there is a common problem. The clutch under the blower housing. Clean or replace. There a 5 ball bearings in it.

The engine does start, and once I adjust the gas flow, which I almost always have to do after starting it, it continues to run. I've checked the spark plug and it is fine. It does seem as though it's running a lot slower than it was. I will go now and check the clutch. Thank you both so much for your help. It's been trial & error for me as I am female, lol. This is my second used snapper in about 7 yrs. I kept the old one for replacement parts.

I have another question... how do you replace the belt? I know how to put it back on once it jumps off, but when I tried to take it off completely to replace it, I couldn't get it off because of a red (prong/bar?) in the back of the mower. I also thought I knew where the clutch was, but when I sat the mower straight up on the back two bars, I couldn't tell which one it was. Is it the circular disc that sets near the back of the mower? I know I sound like a complete airhead, but it's so hot outside & I've gotten no where over a good period & I feel like taking a gun & shooting the stinking thing, lol. It is a Briggs & Stratton engine with a pull rope, but I don't use the pull rope, it has a start button.

How about a model number?

If the screaching is intermittant and occurs at any time randomly, then the clutch under the blower housing is a good possibility. This screech comes from the pull rope area.

Since you use the starter, youmay be able to remove the blower housing which contains the pull rope to see if the screech goes away.

The clutch works by flinging 5 ball bearings when you pull the rope which makes the rope and flywheel engage. If the area where the balls are gets dirty, one or more balls hang and spins the rope and makes a screachy noise.

Hi there, sorry for the late reply. I managed to get the blade belt changed. Whew!! What a nightmare! The model number for the mower is 30085S, and the model number for the engine is 191702 (8hp). I cut grass with it today, and kept having to adjust the gas flow. After a couple hours of cutting, adjusting the gas flow wasn't working anymore, and it was shooting out black smoke. It kept wanting to cut off once the blade was engaged. I checked to make sure nothing was caught up in the blade. Could it cutting off have anything to do with the clutch? The oil level is fine & it's the same color it was when it was put in, not the slightest bit discolored. Thanks again for your help!

Wow! So many troubles since my last post. It turned out that my oil was BLACK, so I replaced it, but that still didn't work. I wound up having to replace the starter because the inside of the starter was worn down completely. I used it only once since I drained the black oil & put new oil in it. I noticed it was shooting black smoke out again, so I checked the oil & sure enough it was black again after only one usage of new oil. I just changed the oil again & I can get it to turn over at all. I hooked the batery up to my husband's newer mower, but it still wouldn't turn over, leaving me thinking that something major might be wrong. Does anyone have any suggestions at all?

I want to help but computer being repaired. Phone type getting old. Too much oil? Fix screech. About $15 remove plug. Does it crank with rope? Key?

The screech turned out to be the starter, or at least I think it was. I put right at a quart of oil in it after I changed it. I wasn't sure how much to put in it, so I poured oil in it until it was full. Is a quart for a 8 hp Briggs & Stratton too much? I'm wondering & hoping it's the spark plug, it won't crank at all, it doesn't even attempt to crank. When I took the spark plug out it had black all over it, so I'm hoping that's what's causing it, it's just starting to seem like a domino affect. Thanks so much for your help, I understand the computer problems, I just got mine out of the shop too.

Too much oil. Dipstick. Add, wait 5 min. remove ds. Wipe. Insert. Read. etc. get spray carb cleaner & plug. Too be continued Mon.

OK, now that you got a new plug and carb cleaner...

Spray carb cleaner into the plug hole. Place rag over opening and crank until the gunk comes out.

Make sure the oil level is correct. The only way to tell, is to add a little. Wipe off dipstick. Insert. Wait about 20 sec. Remove and check level.