B&S 11.5HP Riding Mower sitting for 2 years+ where to start...?

[ChoppyChoppy]

WalMart has batteries for 19 bucks now. If it has fuel, spark ( magneto is likely good ) and compression. It will run. Adjust the valves. They have a mechanical compression release that if the valves are tight will not release. I bet that's what is wrong. Common no start condition on them.. My guess is it needs a battery and the Bendix drive for the starter. Napa also has the parts too.

Must be a local thing. The lawn tractor batteries here are in the $50 area. Car batteries are around $100.
That's at Wallmart.

Op...I don't know where you live (locations don't load on my phone), if it's near Palmer, AK bring it by the shop and I'll fix it for just parts cost.

 

[matt167]

that's in NY I know. 18.44 plus core. Its a spring special. Regular price is 30 for the cheapies and 40 for the better ones

 

[matt167]

the valves are adjusted thru the access or valve cover just like any engine. If they get too tight, they wont kick over the comp release. I dont remember spec. But I will find and report back. The bendix is the spring and gear on the starter. The engine should be able to be turned over just by rotating the top cover of the flywheel

 

[matt167]

http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/engine_specs/briggs_valve_gaps.asp

 

[djones]

One of the biggest problems with old rider mowers are the safety switches and the wires leading to them. There should be one for the seat, one for the brake and one for the mower deck. If any one of them is bad or not making contact you will have a no start condition. Yes, you could temporarily bypass them to test them but be sure to reconnect them before letting anyone use the machine. Check closely for loose wires or disconnected wires going to these switches. Use a good test light to check for continuity of the switch, power in --- power out, dual wire switches. It may also be ground in --- ground out, single wire switches. In either case you must have a complete circuit before any power is sent to the starter. Your other choice is to jump the starter solenoid to see if it will turn over at all. If you are unfamiliar with the step do not attempt. You may have to trace the switch wires to look for breaks in the wire, cut wires etc. The bendix drive is the gear assembly on the end of the starter including the gear and spring, but before getting into that part you have to see if the starter will turn over. You could always touch the red jumper cable from your battery or battery charger directly to the stud of the starter to see if the starter will turn. There will be a spark and some noise as the starter engages, if the starter is good.

 

[djones]

Oh yes, be sure to put the ground cable on to a good part of the frame if you think the battery may not be good.

 

[HusqyStihl]

I pulled the battery and its been holding so far (after 3 tries on the smart charger). Thanks, i know all about the correct way to jump the dead vehicle, good ground point as close to the starter as possible. May have to spring for a new battery anyway if i get home and it tells me bad batt again. The neighbor did say it would never hold a charge anyway. Either crap batt or the (alternator/stator) is shot in which there is 2 to choose from. One just D/C only, othe is A/C D/C in which there is a ln A/C 100 volt plug on the top up by the steering wheel. Never seen that before, especially that old of a mower

 

[djones]

If the battery case shows any sign of bulging, toss it out. It has been frozen and will not hold a charge no matter what you do to it.

 

[HusqyStihl]

No signs of bulging, looked somewhat new condition besides the fluids only 1/2" to 1" from the bottom. I distilled it up and been charging it for a couple days on a smart charger. 2 times said bad batt on the charger but thats happened to me before on a brand new top of the line F250 battery and 3 time was the charm. If it was mine id just throw another battery in it. Problem is after a rough lookover of the entire machine, needs new fuel lines, top engagement kit of the starter gears, and a couple more parts adding up to at least 80$ in parts just to see if i can get it cranking. Like i said it was a charity thing for some low income neighbors so i doubt the work will be done. Ill be explaining to them whats all needed just to attempt to try and get it to run and my guess, if theyve got the cash, maybe they'll wanna proceed, maybe not. The maybe not would then become my machine. And with all 4 tires dry-rotted and one flat with a torn sidewall, i doubt much will come from this machine except the 11.5 B&S engine for down the road log splitter project if anything... Decisions, decisions...

 

[HusqyStihl]

Woke up this morning and the smart charger showed good battery and holding 100%, so skeptical me i disconnected it and re-attached it to see if it will say/do the same before i start giving it the load on the ride-on and screw it up. I would hate to replace 80-100 worth of parts of my own money just to find out it's siezed (unlikeyl) but without a way to turn it over, there's no way to tell i spose... wish it had a pull start as well and i can pull my shoulder out with that sorta test lol

 

[Marshy]

Things to look for would be mouse damage to wires. Sitting that long usually results in a mouse kindom in the wire loom or other areas. Check the intake filter because that usually makes a great newly wed suite for them. You should drop the carb bowl and check for varnish/sluge, it will likely need a cleaning. Also drain the old gas and oil and replace with new. Toss the old battery right out, trying to jump the mower with just an automotive battery and jumper cables alone with the old dead lawn mower battery hooked up might not be enough juice. Your best bet would be to unhook the old battery and put your jumper cabled on the terminal leads and have the cables hooked to a running truck or car. Keep in mind, the start circuit usually has a safety switch in the seat and the brake pedal.

 

[HusqyStihl]

Filter and area looked brand new, havent dug into the carb yet, the gas tank was empty and i found out why when adding some gas and found the entire length of fuel line split from dry-rot which i replaced along with the original filter. i'ts gonna have to be a thurough job but where do i draw the line on charity and help fixing the neighbors mower for "cheap" and throwing a bunch of money at it "that they dont have" to get it runnin, and not only runnin but tune'd and make sure everything is ready to mow. blades, belts, ya know... i could see getting very deep in the pockets and my father was all about me getting it going. he sees me with the saws but the bigger the machine, the more complicated and time consuming it is to just try to get it spinning let alone back on the road or should i say grass. gonna need tires all the way around even if it ran great. It seems the only thing they tried was a fresh air filter and then parked it under a lean-to and tarp for the past two year. and my father bugged cause it got rained on yesterday... sheesh, that thing needs more than rain, i'm abuot to take a pressure washer to if to wash the critters and sludge out of it

 

[HusqyStihl]

Things to look for would be mouse damage to wires. Sitting that long usually results in a mouse kindom in the wire loom or other areas. Check the intake filter because that usually makes a great newly wed suite for them. You should drop the carb bowl and check for varnish/sluge, it will likely need a cleaning. Also drain the old gas and oil and replace with new. Toss the old battery right out, trying to jump the mower with just an automotive battery and jumper cables alone with the old dead lawn mower battery hooked up might not be enough juice. Your best bet would be to unhook the old battery and put your jumper cabled on the terminal leads and have the cables hooked to a running truck or car. Keep in mind, the start circuit usually has a safety switch in the seat and the brake pedal.

tomorrow i will auto jump it, already disconnected the fat-guy-on-board safety switch (just 2 cables that ground out when the seats pressed down so were good to go with the seat up. no chance of frying any fuses or starter with 12v running truck jump? that top engagement gear of the starter is already chewed up (which the owner pointed out but i've found a replacement kit for like 21$ either way) just hate throwing money at something that not sure if its gonna run or not. oil is correct level, gas is holding (now) and i just picked up a plug for it yesterday, figured why not ya know... hook up the spark tester if needed. they also said the "alternator was shot" but the stators come in two different setups, one for 33+/- and the "dual AC/DC 50$=/-

 

[Marshy]

Woke up this morning and the smart charger showed good battery and holding 100%, so skeptical me i disconnected it and re-attached it to see if it will say/do the same before i start giving it the load on the ride-on and screw it up. I would hate to replace 80-100 worth of parts of my own money just to find out it's siezed (unlikeyl) but without a way to turn it over, there's no way to tell i spose... wish it had a pull start as well and i can pull my shoulder out with that sorta test lol

I just sold a Craftsman with a 20.5 hp B&S twin cylinder engine. It had a plastic thing over the flywheel to keep larg debri and fingers out and I could take the palms of my hands and turn the engine over. You chould also reach under the engine and turn it over by grasping the belt pully. It should have low enough compresion to get it to roll over a little.

Regarding the battery, the same mower (above) sat in my climate controlled basement and was dead and wouldnt holda charge after 2 years. It was brand new with one season on it before it went into "storage".

 

[Marshy]

I have experience with the charging system on those... my mower was 12 volts so a jump was not an issue. Sounds like you need a mower junk yard. Tires are a dime a dozen there, you could probably get 4 for $20. Belts are a whats going to gouge the wallet.

 

[HusqyStihl]

Ive had some luck with my charger after keeping it running 4 to 5 times and it does bring em back from the dead. either a damn good charger or im about to blow this thing up

 

[HusqyStihl]

ever see a 110V plu on the very top of these things? id assume thats the worst place to put an outlet, pointing towards the sky where the rain would fill it up. i found the ipls for the engine but wish i could find a wiring diagram for the whole unit

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

We can't even do tubes that cheap!

Last yard tractor we put tubes in, it was about $40 for a steer and drive tire tube/install.

From the sounds the the tractor, if it came through the shop here it would have a $300-400 ish bill.... and yes, we get some of those. Also get the ones that squeak at a $50 bill on their $5000+ dollar pro grade machine.

 

[matt167]

tubes are $5-6 usually.. We can sell them off the shelf at WalMart tho they are really a TLE use item. But it becomes how much is it worth of your time. Our install of tubes is $10 for a specialty tire mount and then tube cost.. Its not hard to put a tube in, but still time and pinched fingers

ill add that I gave my old truck to a coworker who needed it more than I needed money out of it. I would have got $1k if I sat on it long enough.

 

[Marshy]

ever see a 110V plu on the very top of these things? id assume thats the worst place to put an outlet, pointing towards the sky where the rain would fill it up. i found the ipls for the engine but wish i could find a wiring diagram for the whole unit

Im not sure about the 110v plug. I know my snowblower has an electric start option where you hook a 110v cord into the plug and hit the button. I wonder if its similar...