A few weeks ago, I was helping a friend with a used 4-stroke riding mower his wife bought. The thing had a bouncing idle and ran poorly.
He changed the oil, plugged filter , and a hose which had disintegrated.
It was better, but not good.

We cleaned the engine and found the carb drain bolt was finger-tight. Not enough to leak, but enough to draw air.

Adjusted the carb for highest smooth idle, reduced idle screw, and the thing ran like a top.

Bullshyte, wait until the plastic cam gear and or belt breaks.;)

They probably save 20 cents by not machining the drain plug hole and providing the plug. With blade clutches and brakes and all the crap they are required to have it's hard to believe there is any chance at all that the engine would start by moving the blade.

mattdavis11: OK, maybe so but as a Landscape Maintenance Contractor for the last 22+ years, I've tried them all and with out a doubt, If you need the best starting, problem free equipment, then spend a little more and go with Honda power. I've tried them all, the "special deals" and always, always, Honda blows away everything else....period.

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

Fouled plug. 12,000 volt magnetos are BARELY able to produce a reliable spark! The average 5.2 liter aviation engine in a Piper Warrior has two magnetos- and it bareley starts....

The Japanese need to do something better-

N!

Here's the follow-up:
-It had been working o.k. the year before.
-The washer was stored in a garage which doesn't go below freezing(this will destory these things if water freezes inside the case).
-I had drained only a very small amount of thick oil from the pump.

-One piece of literature says that the pump oil never needs to be changed.
-One piece of literature says to change the pump oil yearly, or after 50 hours of use.
-The manual had no information on changing the pump oil, only a parts number.
-After calling the hotline about four times, several employees finally said the oil should be 75W-90 weight and took about 5.5oz.

-I went to a fancy local official dealer/distributor specified by the hotline. They didn't have the factory bottle in stock, but another oil they use "in all their washers".
-I filled the pump on level ground and let the excess drain, which accepted about 4.5oz instead of the 5.5oz mentioned by the phone people.
-The pump seized on this.
-That oil was probably a decent product, but I later noticed it had the consistency of thin mineral oil. Not thick 75W-90 gear oil.

-The pump wasen't completely seized at this point.
-To source the factory pump oil, I went to a different official dealer/distributor specified by the hotline. They said they were not an official dealer, but refered me to another shop.
-That shop(not listed from the phone and internet dealer-reference system), carried the factory bottle of oil. This also had the consistency of mineral oil.
-The shop said "save your money and let us test it". They did, but the pump was trashed at this point.
-They found that there was a mounting bolt missing between the engine and pump.

-Ordered a new pump(a different, sealed design) for $150 and installed it.
-The entire washer was bought several years before for $280.
-It has run well since.

Conclusion:
-Since there was a bolt missing and I drained so little oil out, I'm thinking it wasn't assembled right at the factory. The pump had cocked sideways so the crank destroyed the top seal which leaked most of the original pump fluid out. There were no lock-washers, or even any washers.
-I had then added too little oil of a thinner weight(probably), further destroying it.