Craftsman 18.5 HP Mower Starting Problem


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Old 11-07-10, 12:04 PM
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Craftsman 18.5 HP Mower Starting Problem

I have a question about a Craftsman 18.5 HP mower that has a starting problem. When I place in start it might crank a bit and it might not. It is not the battery, not the starting switch, not the solenoid as I have replaced all three actually. I was able to get it to start in the summer, but when the switch is turned to start mode, it just hesitates and then all of sudden will start. It is like I have to find the precise switch position. Now that it is cold, if I go out and crank, it will click and will not start. If I then put a battery charger on it and make sure it is charged really well, I might be able to get it to start and it will start and seemingly run fine until the next time. If I shut off, after running a while and try to restart, it will usually restart. This is driving me nuts. Can there be such a thing as a weak starter? Sometimes the engine will backfire during the starting, what is causing that?
 
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Old 11-07-10, 09:51 PM
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Sounds like the valves need to be adjusted to allow the compression release to function again.
 
 

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