15.5 hp craftsman

[Anonymous-0]

it cranks but wont start I noticed there is a black like a soup can thing that has a spring with a circled ring that has teeth on it at the the top of it but its sitting below the main engine teeth what is this thing called and could this be the reason it wont turn over. I check wires and safety switches,and spark plug they were okay. its a briggs and stratton

 

[El Toro]

That sounds like a bendix drive you're trying to describe on your starter. When you're making a start battery voltage should flow to your starter causing the bendix gear drive to engage your ring gear which will crank the engine. You may not be getting battery voltage to your starter. You may have a loose connection or the connection needs to be cleaned. Use a volt meter to check for voltage at your starter. You will need a helper and be careful when working around that ring gear. Hal

 

[Anonymous-0]

please leave mowing to the professionals. not trying to be rude but the average person just doesn't have the skill to run and operate a mower. please take that old thing to the junkyard as soon as you can. old equipment is highly dangerous and unsafe.

 

[joe csuti]

Do as Hal says to check starter motor,if starter motor runs but drive gear on starter motor won't engage ring gear on flywheel,IF battery on tractor has been disconnected/removed or replaced,check that battery connected correctly(neg term on battery connected to chassis/eng block)if polarity reversed starter will run in rev rotation & starter drive will not engage flywheel ring gear,if battery connected correctly & starter motor runs,then drive/bendix on starter bad/has bad parts,goto link below with mod/type #'s of eng,look up eng from briggs eng list,these series eng used 2 different length starters & 3 different drives depending on what flywheel ring gear made of,locate starter drive assembly on drawing/parts list(usually 309)and get correct drive assembly/parts for same from local dealer/sears
starter

 

[Anonymous-0]

Okay, you say it "cranks" but won't start. Either the engine has no spark, is not getting gas. I think the 15.5 has the electric fuel shut off on the bottom of the carburetor. When you turn the key on, this should click to open up and let it have fuel. This could be stuck closed. Try dribbling about 3 tablespoons of gas into the carb thru air filter and see if it starts momentarily. If you had said it backfires thru carb while cranking, I would guess flywheel key was sheared off. Check to make sure spark plug is definately sparking more that 1/2 inch from ground.

 

[hardscrabble]

HUHH?!?!

 

[El Toro]

That must descibe you.

 

[Bspauld]

My kids were mowing the lawn when they were 7 and doing a good job at it,most make them pros

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks for the replies everyone sorry it took so long I've been working a lot lately. So I replaced the battery, no luck. I replaced the solenoid, no luck. I put a screwdriver between the two terminals of the solenoid so it goes to the starter directly. The starter pin engages, it just doesn't have that umph. So im guessing its the starter. Now there are two wires going to the underneath of the carb, could this be a faulty wire? Is there a way to take the starter off and take it apart to see if something inside it isnt working? what do I look for? Can it be rebuilt or cleaned? And does a fuse,( which I dont know where its at, have anything to do with this problem? Also, Is there a way to start the flywheel without the starter?

 

[joe csuti]

If the gear on starter is engageing ring gear on flywheel,but starter stalls,it may not be the starter,remove spark plug,turn flywheel by hand 4-8 turns,confirm that eng isn't seized/stuck due to broken internal parts,with plug still out try to start eng,if starter cranks eng now,then your problem could be one/both of the following-if eng an ohv,valves need an adj & acr not working,float in carb leaking & flooding cyl when eng at rest & hydrolocking piston on compression stroke.The wires going to carb bowl are for the antibackfire sol,when ign sw turned to off/stop position,sol de-enregizes & shuts off gas to main jet in carb.You might want to goto local dealer,briggs website an buy service manual that covers your eng or goto ebay & buy a cd that covers all briggs eng,covers anything you need to know to troubleshoot eng & repair(staters,elect system,ign,clearance/torque charts etc)

 

[Anonymous-0]

So when I got a new battery.. 50 bucks!!.. I noticed the terminal on one side was or looked like it was cleaned off with a wire brush... hmm I thought... and went about my business with the rider..so..It seems I was dooped into buying a used battery that was just refilled or whatever they do to them cause after a 5hr charge my mower runs as if I just bought it. Thanks everyone again for the comments... I did in one regard learn a lot about my rider.