Hope It Can Be Fixed.

HobieMarty · 10-31-2022, 06:52 AM

So, I am really upset with myself over this.
I have my Dad's lawnmower, a Toro Recycler 22. It had been sitting for several months but fired right up on the 1st pull and ran great. Well, I thought it was sitting up a little high for my yard so I lowered it down and was trying it out and whammm, I hit a dang root and of course the mower immediately shut off. I tried to restart it but knew right away that there was a problem so I take a look and see that the blade is bent to hell so, off with the blade and I ordered a new one.
While waiting for the new blade to arrive I decided to refurbish some things on the mower. I replaced the broken engine cover with a very nice used one I found on ebay, replaced the broken drive cable, removed all the wheels, masked off the front tires and painted the front wheels to match the rear wheels better. I know, I know, it is a lawnmower but I wanted it to look fresh. While I had the front wheels off, I inspected the drive gears and generally cleaned everything and scraped all the old built up grass from under the deck. So, I put it all back together this past weekend, pulled the cord and again on the 1st pull it fired right up, only uh oh, there is a knock coming from inside!!!! The engine runs but upon start up and when I cut the engine off, there is a really pronounced knocking.
I understand that the knock may be a bent connecting rod and can be replaced. I had my son pull on the cord to spin the blade while I had a look underneath and I didn't see any wobble from the shaft bit I will do some measuring to make sure the crankshaft isn't bent. So, anyway, yeah, if I just had not hit that dang crepe myrtle root...
Here are some pics of my project.

The model of this mower was manufactured from 2002-2006, and according to the label on the engine, it was manufactured in 2005.

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asphaltgambler · 10-31-2022, 07:25 AM

Well, parts are cheap, they are about as simple as it gets. Winters coming, tear it down replace what's wrong, back I'm business by Spring

SCadaddle · 10-31-2022, 07:45 AM

"Here's your dinner!" (and you want NO part of THAT part!)

Rot 911 · 10-31-2022, 07:59 AM

Your mower, like most mowers, should have a Woodruff key at the end of the crank where the flywheel (pull cord) attaches. The purpose of the Woodruff key is for it to sheer off when the mower blade strikes an unmovable object. It’s possible that you only partially sheered the Woodruff key and the timing is off just enough to produce the knock you are hearing. I would at least check that before I started tearing the engine apart. Plenty of YouTube videos showing you how to replace the Woodruff key.

pwd72s · 10-31-2022, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rot 911

Your mower, like most mowers, should have a Woodruff key at the end of the crank where the flywheel (pull cord) attaches. The purpose of the Woodruff key is for it to sheer off when the mower blade strikes an unmovable object. It’s possible that you only partially sheered the Woodruff key and the timing is off just enough to produce the knock you are hearing. I would at least check that before I started tearing the engine apart. Plenty of YouTube videos showing you how to replace the Woodruff key.

Bingo! New blade, new woodruff key and you'll be fine...my thought as well. In an earlier life, I worked on mowers. 95% of the time, that's all that was needed.

HobieMarty · 10-31-2022, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Bingo! New blade, new woodruff key and you'll be fine...my thought as well. In an earlier life, I worked on mowers. 95% of the time, that's all that was needed.

Good idea, thanks I will check that first. I hope that is all that it is.

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pwd72s · 10-31-2022, 02:11 PM

Keep us posted...I'm hoping to see a pic of the top of a flywheel with a soft key out of whack by about 1/3...the notch not lined up squarely.

HobieMarty · 10-31-2022, 02:40 PM

Will do.

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asphaltgambler · 10-31-2022, 02:48 PM

If the flywheel key is sheared, even just a bit, it wouldn't have started the second time.

Scott Douglas · Scott Douglas's Garage

Having played around with lawn mower engines for close to 60 years now, I agree with asphaltgambler.
I'd take the plug out, take the blade off and pull on the starter rope to see how it sounds spinning.
If it still 'clunks', it probably bent the rod, IMO.

The wood druff key times the magneto for ignition purposes for those not familiar with these engines.

Crowbob · 10-31-2022, 04:37 PM

Moral of the story?

Don’t touch dad’s stuff!

pwd72s · 10-31-2022, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

If the flywheel key is sheared, even just a bit, it wouldn't have started the second time.

Not my experience...partial shear, still spark...just not at the right time. But the blade bent like that? Well, check the cheap stuff first...

HobieMarty · 04-04-2023, 06:40 AM

Finally got around to having a look at the Toro again. I have the cover and recoil off the engine and well, I can see that the flywheel slot and the crankshaft slot are off a bit so, it is off with the flywheel next, stay tuned.

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HobieMarty · 04-04-2023, 07:36 AM

Okay, I got the flywheel off of the engine and found that the key was not sheared but it was not the correct key and had definitely slipped from its home in that slot. Here are some pictures showing the key that I removed and take a look at what the correct key looks like. The correct key is tapered.

Also you can see that rhe engine had been leaking oil from the breather vent which is indicative of the timing being not quite right.

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HobieMarty · 04-04-2023, 07:53 AM

Maybe y'all can see this. This is the slot in the flywheel and you can see that it is tapered. So, someone in this mower's history replaced the key with an incorrect part. I'll fix it properly and hopefully will have good results.

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Scott Douglas · Scott Douglas's Garage

The reason it looks tapered is because that hole is not a straight hole, it's tapered too. ie bigger at one end than the other.

HobieMarty · 04-04-2023, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

The reason it looks tapered is because that hole is not a straight hole, it's tapered too. ie bigger at one end than the other.

Right, and the key that goes in there is also tapered. The one I removed was straight and not tapered.

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stevej37 · 04-04-2023, 10:20 AM

The way that blade is bent....it must have been a big jolt when it happened.

HobieMarty · 04-04-2023, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

The way that blade is bent....it must have been a big jolt when it happened.

It was, it stopped dead cold, I couldn't believe the blade bent like it did.

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Superman · 04-04-2023, 10:52 AM

I am surprised it ran with the flywheel and crankshaft misaligned. Even a millimeter. When the crank suddenly stops, it is common for the key to be damaged and for the crank and flywheel to be just slightly out of alignment. These engines are VERY persnickety about ignition timing.