OT Lawnmower starting

[Lanse]

My craftsman stopped jumping, and apperentally needs a new starter. Im looking for some way to start this thing without a pull starter since there is none,and it'll be a couple weeks before i get a new starter, the guy im getting it from's truck broke down. I'm told that there is no pull starter for a tecumpsa 12hp engine like that, and i havent found a pull starter for it. The guy told me to try wrapping a string around the flywheel nut and pulling it, but i'll past.

So im looking for a pull starter for a tecumpsa 12 horse motor, my email is [email protected] and more so any safe, off color ways of starting this thing, are there any???

 

[JoshuaGA]

You better hurry up with that B and get a belly mower for it. I'm afraid your stuck if it can't be started by pulling off.

JoshuaGA

 

[JT]

Lanse,
What is wrong with the starter that you seam to think it needs to be replaced? There are a lot of things that get a new starter and that don't fix it. If you want to email me with what is going on, I will try to help you.
Jim

 

[Lanse]

E-mail sent, thanks Jim

 

[Andy Motteberg]

What went wrong with the starter you have? Does it spin? Are you sure it is the starter? Some mowers have a starter solinoid, they can burn out and if it is burned out the starter won't be getting any current. Take a good battery and put a wire from the power terminal on the starter to the positive terminal of the battery and ground the starter to the negitive side of the battery and see if the starter turns or not. If not, your starter is bad.

 

[Lanse]

yeah thats what i tried. It spins if you spin it, but doesnt do anything else

 

[Andy Motteberg]

If the starter does not work, you'll have to buy a different one or fix the one you have.

 

[Jim H SW-PA]

If you can get at the flywheel end and nothing is in the way you should be able to pickup an older engine pully [wrap rope around style]You may have to resize the hole to fit your shaft,Just be careful tho, that knot hurts!--Even under some wind crank style starters when you take the top off have a flatter version of the same style pully I'm talking about.{Back in the 70's I had a Volkswagon with bad starter Put one on alternator shaft worked took a lot of ribbing about my B&S VW tho.JUST TRY TO USE THE CHAF SCREEN SO THE ROPE DON'T GET CAUGHT IN COOLING FINS!!

 

[rednekelmo]

use the wire brush wheel on a grinder to engage the fly wheel of the motor and pull the triger. that said

A) be sure the mower is in neutral and the deck not engaged

B)use the type of wire wheel that will let all of the wheel contact the flywheel

I learned this trick in VoAg a little over 20 years ago and have used it to good effect a couple of times. just be careful and be aware of what's going on

 

[old art]

reverse the battery and try it .the starter is a dc motor with magnets for the field it will run backwards easy mistake

 

[2x4]

electric drill, air wrench, something like that and use a socket that will fit over the square metal piece under the screen. You will need to pull it off fast once it starts. Not a safe method but it works & saves a bunch of cranking.

 

[jose bagge]

Lanse, I've been using a peice of hay string to pull start a Honda engine on an air compressor for 2 years now. get back to your roots and pull that rascal!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Lanse, someone mentioned a drill, motor or air wrench. STOP! DO NOT USE AN AIR WRENCH! it will turn the flywheel nut down till the flywheel splits and falls off! How do I know that?

 

[Matt Kane]

I haven"t seen anything posted yet about this, but did you check all of your safety switches? I have worked on quite a few lawnmowers and the starters were fine, there would have been a fuse thats hidden or a bad switch. They are basically wired in series and if one goes bad, then it will not start. Just something to look in to.

 

[Lanse]

Its not a problem with switches, the starter wont work if i remove the wire from the silinoid and jump it there either. I also managed to shear off the valve/jet thing under the bowl trying to fix a stuck float. Rest assured, this is the last craftsman mower i'll be buying

 

[Anonymous-0]

Two boys stopped and bought a used push mower I had for sale.They tried to start a B&S engine by wrapping the broken rope around the flywheel.The rubber handle split but they kept trying.They pulled on the rope using the steel pin for a handle.The engine started and shot the steel pin right thru the calf of one of boys.Could have gone thru his neck.Sad part was I would have put a new rope in the rewind for 5.00.After paying the EM bill dad threw the old mower in the dump.The mower I sold them ran fine all summer and made them some money.