ok guys.....i mowed grass once this year and went to start my mower to mow again and this is what happened...its a 15.5 kohler ohv craftsman mower.....i went to start it and it started and then died cause it wasnt warmed up yet and it seemed to choke a little and shuddered and a backfire, well when i went to start it again it just cranked and cranked and didnt even act like it would try to start, just cranks over. I checked the plug and it had spark but went ahead and put a new one in it anyway and i take plug out and i have spark and even have fuel on the plug so im sure its getting fuel too...if i hold the choke on i get a big backfire which i didnt get before...seems like i have compression and flywheel key isnt chucked and took the wire off the coil and still have spark so coil is good...its got me stumped here so if you guys have any suggestions i would be thakful!!!!...i have been reading about valve lash on here, could it be that or not???

 

Well, You didn't post the engine model and spec numbers so we don't know if your engine has adjustable rockers or not. But pulling the valve cover and checking for a bent/popped out push rod or really loose rocker arms would be a good start.

 

well i would of never thought this but i ended up checking the chuck in the flywheel and it was broke just from trying to start it and it acted like the motor went backwards when it started and the key broke...so thanx anyway guys and i guess i should of checked that first!!!