craftsman tractor problem....

[ford1386]

I have a craftsman tractor model number 917.254620 and when it gets cold it wont turn over easy at all i had the starter and battery tested and everything came back good, i was told it was a compression release problem, but i would need to tear the whole motor down to do it, so i was thinking if there was a way to convert it to recoil start it has a 12 hp tecumseh in it, or change the whole motor over to a briggs and stratton but dont know where to get cross reference info? Any help would be great

 

[OilPatch197]

Sounds like it needs a shot of ether!

 

[martin]

When was the last time you changed the oil? and what grade of oil are you using? Those motors use a splash oiling system so if the oil has gone thick it will be hard to turn when it's cold.

 

[02RangerXLT]

How cold is cold? Nothing will start easy if the temps. are low enough...

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

i know what you're talking about. there is a solenoid that releases some compression for easy starting. find out where it is and test it.

also who tested it and where?

 

[Legend]

I don't know about Tecumseh at all, but it was a real common problem on Briggs & Stratton engines. The B&S had the compression release for starting built into the cam. When it fails, as apparently most of them do, the engine is so hard to turn over that the starter will only turn it over if jumped with good jumper cables from a running vehicle. The B&S repair is approximately $180 for parts and 4 to 6 hours of labor to repair. Not at all worth repairing. Now I have a JD LA120 mower that has a B&S 21HP twin. I'm really hoping they fixed that problem so this one doesn't do the same thing.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, not worth fixing. Craftsman mowers aren't high quality anyway. My grandpa bought one a while back when his old old older than me one finally gave out on him a few years ago.

In its first year it needed 3 trans-axles.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

i've heard a lot of bad about craftsman. we've had ours brand new since 2000 and the only problem it has ever has was a cracked float (after i popped some wheelies, coincidence?). still starts everytime and runs excellent. we have towed a lot more than it was ever built for too the transaxle doesn't slip

 

[LearjetMinako]

I own a 2005 Craftsman riding lawn with the B&S 18.5HP engine, 6-speed. Never have had any problems. I do yearly tune-ups, and change the oil every 25 hrs of service. It just got its 100 hrs service done last year. Only thing that went was the battery after 4 years. Still starts up great in 10*F weather and takes the beating of 90+*F heat for mowing 2 hrs at a time. I use a Fram 3614 oil filter and Royal Purple 10w-30 oil.

 

['95 ranger]

this is what you should do with a mower!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dus32EqqERA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTJItscCooc

 

[zukirider21]

Craftsman mowers aren't high quality

ive had countless craftsman mowers, abused all of them severely, and am still convinced that they're a damn good product. and i work at a small engine shop so i see all the crap that can go wrong.

 

[Frank The Tank]

I was so confused when you said craftsman and tractor together, you meant lawn-tractor. I was going to pop in and help u out, lol.

Us crazy Farmers......

Frank

 

[martin]

I've not had one of those motors apart in quite a while but if memory serves correctly the compression release is just a little bump on the exhaust cam that just lifts the valve for a very short time before its normal opening time, making it possible to hand crank it at very low rpm. That being said if the valve clearance is excessive, due to wear etc. it will not de-compress at cranking speed.

 

[schmoo]

i would put synthetic 10w30 in and shine a
heat lamp on it for a couple of hours.

 

[ford1386]

I found the problem it was a valve clearance issue, I got out a feeler gauge and adjusted valves and starts like a champ every time. But about 2 months later my father-in-law sold me his john deere lx176 with a snow blower, rear weights, and chains, so i sold the craftsman with plow and bagger for $500, but it starts up every time thanks for the info guys............