Right in the middle of plowing

Fuel run into cylinder - float sticking and crud on the valve pin- ethanol gums up the works when it evaporates -clean same should be fine.
Sol. Bad? not always lot of times its the start switch or in some cases the relay contact. If you have a good battery and are using it quite a bit never notice the small drain.
Over all if we got the epa crud and osha disemboweled on our small engines life would be so much better.

 

It's the Kohler Courage 27 HP twin. 2007, I believe.

 

Just got back into town. Not sure when I'll have time to mess with it, but we're getting more snow......
I may need to have the drive plowed.

 

Interesting, but it works perfectly fine as long as it didn't sit not running. When I checked my lawn mower, and put a plastic intake, we checked the carb settings. The float was confirmed to be set correctly, and the carb was cleaned and verified it was all good. The motor would flood before and after the carb was cleaned. Obviously I didn't do anything with the fuel solenoid. I do see the logic in what you are saying though, but it's hard to argue with the effectiveness of a $3 fuel shutoff vs a $50+ solenoid that's just there to stop backfiring.

 

Yah, but then people would get another couple years out of the darn thing before needing a new mower.

 

Yep. Mines a 98 MTD POS, that just keeps going. My parents bought it for me used as a house warming present when we bought our house in 2008. I did have to put a new head ($50 for the parts and a couple hours of my time) on the 16.5 HP single cylinder Briggs, and the drive belt shredded this past summer, but it's been very good to me. A mouse chewed the coil wire and I had to replace that, as well and a $30 battery last summer.

I've gotten so much use from out that I will need to replace the front tires soon. They are nearly bald. I'm pretty sure it's outlasted the intended service life.

 

You can still get lock de-icer where you're at? Local Napa quit carrying it due to there being something in it that the damm meth heads like.

 

I have an 08 Poulan lawn tractor with a 15.5 Intek engine that already I had to replace the head gasket (thank goodness for Dony 73 vids) and other incidentals. I intend to keep that thing running as long as I can, even with baler twine and duct tape if I have to. I did put a gas shutoff on it last year, just in case the thing starts the inevitable gas overflow into the engine.

 

Oh yah. Nothing like a squirt of de-icer up the nose.

 

Hey, that sounds like fun.

Kids

 

Get ya some HEET fuel treatment and put it in a squirt bottle or small spray bottle.

 

I'll pass. I figure I need the few brain cells I have left.

 

Finally had a fairly nice day, no snow, and a little warmer.......pulled the starter, after trying to start again, and the gear is just spinning, but stuck in the up position.
Squirted a little PB on it and it dropped back down, but still won't catch the flywheel.
Looks like there's a small cap/shroud or something missing that should attach to the bottom part of the teeth, but no idea if that would have anything to do with the issue.
Here's a pic............

 

That was a good hint, "it dropped down". Under the black plastic cap is a "Bendix" essentially a "screw cut" motor shaft and female threaded gear. In operation you turn the key the motor shaft starts spinning, the gear not turning instantly says WTH and screws up the shaft. It then pushes the gear into the flywheel and since the flywheel is not turning twisting force holds it up and spins the engine. When the engine starts the faster turning flywheel overcomes the speed of the motor shaft and the gear spins down the screw.
Long winded but look under the black cap as the gear needs to be free, extra free to run up and down the "screw" . NO heavy grease... Lil white lube or ?
And remember the mounting points and bolts "are" your second wire.