don't where else to put this:D got an 11 horsepower briggs motor. thing will turn over like a champ only if the spark plug is out. i can turn the key and the thing will tun over till i drain the battery but if i put my finger over the hole she won't go at all.

don't where else to put this:D got an 11 horsepower briggs motor. thing will turn over like a champ only if the spark plug is out. i can turn the key and the thing will tun over till i drain the battery but if i put my finger over the hole she won't go at all.

sounds like a weak starter. when you take the spark plug out theres is no compression load for the starter to push against





















is this going in your rock crawler :flipoff2:

okay i'm going out on a limb here but i'm thinking the starter is good cause i have replaced it. can't think how a brand new starter would be weak so soon. will tear it apart and see what happens.

okay i'm going out on a limb here but i'm thinking the starter is good cause i have replaced it. can't think how a brand new starter would be weak so soon. will tear it apart and see what happens.

new never means good, i already took 2 starters back to advanced auto for my 78 f150. same with lots of other parts.

you're not the only one with mower issues. i have an old 5hp carb'd murry that won't stay running. worked last spring but now it acts like it doesn't have enough power to cut a blade of grass. as soon as you take it off of full throttle too, it slowly dies, regardless if you throw it back to full throttle. very frustrating considering i was really hoping to get my 2' jungle under control today. :(

you're not the only one with mower issues. i have an old 5hp carb'd murry that won't stay running. worked last spring but now it acts like it doesn't have enough power to cut a blade of grass. as soon as you take it off of full throttle too, it slowly dies, regardless if you throw it back to full throttle. very frustrating considering i was really hoping to get my 2' jungle under control today. :(



that sounds like a carb issue. like jet or float is acting up. pull the carb and clean it. i'd also check the plug and plug gap.

So what you got in the rear a d60 44 up front d300 pushin em both. Really though sounds like a bad starter. Maybe bad battery.

Maybe its flooded as hell but I'll bet battery. Does it have a pull start? Try it if it does. If you can't with the pull start, its flooded really bad.

i can put a charger on it and pull the plug and crank it till tommorrow:laughing: put the plug in and it goes whhhhhhhh whhhhhhhh whhhhhhh about 3 times and thats all i get. is there some kind of decompression switch/spring internal that could be bent/gunked/broken???? i tried cleaning up the starter and still same symptoms.

jeez... put a comp tester on it and see what it reads.... maybe it has so much carbon build up? I know old kohlers have compression release on the camshaft but i dotn think that would prevent cranking.

jeez... put a comp tester on it and see what it reads.... maybe it has so much carbon build up? I know old kohlers have compression release on the camshaft but i dotn think that would prevent cranking.



yeah a comp tester i have but whats it suppose to read:D well if the compression release is fouled/gummed and not realing then when the plug is in it would not turn plug out(less restriction) it works.


i'm going to say to hell with it and pull down the engine:smokin:

should read 80-120psi crank over a few times.

you're not the only one with mower issues. i have an old 5hp carb'd murry that won't stay running. worked last spring but now it acts like it doesn't have enough power to cut a blade of grass. as soon as you take it off of full throttle too, it slowly dies, regardless if you throw it back to full throttle. very frustrating considering i was really hoping to get my 2' jungle under control today. :(

Check the air filter first. Its probably choked solid with fine dust. Then check the carb, including looking for water in the fuel bowl.

If it won't turn over with your finger over the plug hole, its not going to push up a compression gage. Its next to impossible for me to believe that putting your finger over the spark plug hole makes it stop turning. Are you sure the crank case is vented, and its not building a vacuum on the underside?

Has any work been done to it since it last ran? Are you sure it has the right piston? Compression should blow your finger off the hole, not stop the piston. Not enough compression to blow your finger off the hole, and not enough compression to stop the piston.

My guess is that somethings not right with the drive alignment between the starter and the crank, and just a little extra load is binding it.

that sounds like a carb issue. like jet or float is acting up. pull the carb and clean it. i'd also check the plug and plug gap.

normally i am all gung ho about tearing something apart and figuring out what's wrong and fixing it. but i've never touched a mower other than to mow the lawn and don't want to render it unusable....though, i guess i'm in no better shape as it sits right now, considering it won't stay running.

yesterday i put new gas in it hoping that would help turn things around, but to no avail. though, i noticed that as i was filling it with gas, it quickly started leaking out the hole on the little rubber prep button up front and when i pumped it a few times it started draining/leaking out the hole on the side where the air filter fits on. what the hell? flooded? has something gone majorly wrong here that it's basically peeing all over the place for no good reason :( looks like i have a nice project to keep me busy tomorrow.

Depending on your location... I got an extra 11 hp Briggs sitting in my garage. Just pulled it out a few weeks ago. Runs like a champ! I'm in SE WI. you?

weak battery? It doesnt take much to spin it over with no load, wouldnt think your finger could stop it tho. sounds like the battery

yes i can stop the starter from cranking/making it drag my simply placing my finger over the sparkplug hole. i know the battery is not an issue cause i can put a charger on it and still have the problem. i'm pretty sure the charger is keeping the battery at 12 volts and i tested the battery via hydrometer and volt meter and the battery was good. don't know what has been done to the motor since i bought it used. started when it was bought and ran a couple times then it started this. pulled the old starter and it looked nasty so i replaced it and it didn't solve the issue. had a key switch i got from my old work and rewired the whole thing. still no go. so i'm at the point of just tearing it apart:D wish me luck:D

Can you keep it from turning over with your hand on the flywheel guard?
Maybe the wire corroded in two somewhere. Can you take the starter off and check its strength.

Hook the batt charger (on boost) to the starter. What happens?

yes i can stop the starter from cranking/making it drag my simply placing my finger over the sparkplug hole. i know the battery is not an issue cause i can put a charger on it and still have the problem. i'm pretty sure the charger is keeping the battery at 12 volts and i tested the battery via hydrometer and volt meter and the battery was good. don't know what has been done to the motor since i bought it used. started when it was bought and ran a couple times then it started this. pulled the old starter and it looked nasty so i replaced it and it didn't solve the issue. had a key switch i got from my old work and rewired the whole thing. still no go. so i'm at the point of just tearing it apart:D wish me luck:D

Load test it, or hook it to a car battery. Just because it has 12v doesn't mean it's worth a shit.