Got me an Lawnmover (Again)

wel folks.. I have lost intrest in my first project, its up and running and parked for the winter in storrage..
So today i got on the interwebs and found an 12.5Hp'ered MTD for sale, and it was cheap.  I asked the seller if i could hear it run, but it did not start. and he have had starting issues with it all along.
The hood is not secured and the starter did not work as intended. Lookin a bit closer on the problem I cold see many of the pastic theeth was gone on the flywheel and the gear and circlip is missing from the starter motor.









I did not get any info on how old this thing is. But it has been used this year, so thats a plus.
So what i have found out that is not working / Missing is headlamps, they are gone as in not present / fitted. The wiring is there but thats it.
front axle is flappin about and the steering has over a ton of play. as you can see on the first pic, the belt is not fitted correctly for the deck    
The seat is a bit tired. The hood needs some attention to get sorted out. The tires does not hold air.
This is what i have discovered so far. These pics has been taken just after i pakred the trailer @ home, got some pics and shoed it in my "Garage".

Now im lookin to make this an offroader, a bit like mule II, even my wife told me Mule II looked awesome and I should get one, with working lights'n'winch'n'all that ruff stuff.
The first thing she said when I got this home was to replace those nasty tires. God I love here..

Ill be lookin for that thingy with the plastic theeth on the flywheel and the bits for the starter. And the carb needs some attention too i guess. and some bigger AT tires that i can put on.
Need some pointers / links for these bits. I hope I have the time to do some strippin work tomorrow and pictures too.. And I need to sit down, like i do now and bet a bit friendly with youtube and see if i can add some videos, I havent figured that part out yet.

Mr.P

Thon engine is 28ci (458.8377939404cc to be exact) and she was built on 11th July 1996, meaning the mower is around 96 aswell.
I'm sure you could get that starter gear on ebay, but make sure you're gettin the right one. I think theres two different ones for them engines.

Thanx MatthewD for the reply, I had a feelin that I had seen somewhere here that there might be 2 different ones. but im not sure what part numers are for the starter gear and the flywheel gear? So i need to find and order the correct parts. if anyone know what i need please advice to those part numers.

I think ill go in the garage and see what other numbers on it i can find. Heck, I have no idea what type of transaxle it is. it has F N R and a lever displaying slow to fast.. and a separate lever with choke, but that one is stuck.

Mr.P

Got 30mins work done on the strip down. I started from the back and removed the seat and the back fenders :



After removin the battery tray and the rear fender stuff, this is what greets me :



Looking at that BIG pully, i can clearly imagine that its movin slow even at full speed. What size is this? 8in or 10in??
Looking at that nut holding the pully secure to the input shaft, If i remove this, can I just lift of this pully? I do expect that I have to put up a fight to get it off.



Spagetti wiring.. Yello wire is the kill engine circuit i imagine, Orange wire might come from the ign switch to power the solenoid to the starter. Red wire is to the ign switch or from the charging.
Am I correct thingin this?



Some of the wiring spliced. looks proffesionaly done.. there is a switch that these wires connects to. i guess a 2 pole switch with one NO and other NC. I can see when I engage and disengage the mover deck blades this switch is pressed in. so a safety switch with a simple and or logic.

Got a pic of the rear tires, secured with a bolt :



What awesome grabbing tyre size can i put on this rim?

Engine pully :



What can I do with this? I have no idea what size this pully is.

This must be the clutch thingy :



might this be some sort of variomatic, found on scooters?



Looking at the starter motor, I havent done anything to it yet, but I do see some bits are missing from it, perhaps some of you gurus know what im missing and what part numers i need?






and a bad shot of the dashboard :



Im planing to do a foot throttle with this one if it is a variomatic cluch thingy....

The mover deck is removed, and to my supprise it has this red kevelar V belt.. might come in handy if I can pully swap it..

Im not sure what size the input shaft / output shaft of the engine and the transaxle is. If there's anyone who can recomend sizes to put on this i'd be happy..
Im an novice with welding machine, but Im not afraid to try. i only have 2 settings on mine, 45Ah or 90Ah, and variable wire feed speed. I use a 0.8mm thick welding wire Flux wire / Welder is what i have.

Any recomandation on what to exact order and where and who can ship to Norway.. or any of you Norwegian mudders on here can point me to a shop that sells this stuff?? I have tried to measure the lenght of a belt with the rope, but they said the could not help me. they need part numbers.. I wish we had Homedepo or tractor supply here..

On another note.. I have seen you guys on youtube.. what cameras are you guys using? Im thinkin of buying a GoPro cam..


Mr.P

You could go with 22x11x8 or 22x12x8 rear tires. The tractor has a vari-drive, similar to the scooter setup, but it is manually controlled with the speed control lever, instead of vari-ing with rpm like the scooter. The rear pulley looks like a 9 inch and you can take off the nut and pull the pulley off. MTD's have splines, so a regular pulley with a key slot won't work very well, but you could try a 3 inch pulley 5/8 inch bore (about 16-17 mm I think) The engine pulley is 3.5 inch 1inch bore but you could put a 5 inch pulley with a 1 inch bore on it.

Does anyone else think that Reds mower used to like exactly like this one?

Your starter is missing the bendix, spring, cap, and the clip on top. If you can, get a metal bendix, they last so much longer and seem to work a lot better for some reason.

Here's the Idtag found under the seat :



I tested this live chat @ mdtparts, and.. wel. what can I say?? The reply was : This is not an American model, so I cant help you with any part numbers.

So tried to manualy enter the idTag numer on that site, well. it didnt find it.. so now im stuck. Is there anyone who can spend a few mins finding me a link to the correct parts for this engine please?

Mr.P

Go to M&D Mower and look up briggs parts diagrams. Match your model number to the diagram to find the right part numbers.

engine parts:
https://www.partstree.com/parts/briggs-and-stratton/engines-vertical-engine-with-electric-starter/289707-0154-01-briggs-stratton-engine-electric-starter/

tractor parts:
...It's a french export model.

Here's a list of all the manuals:
http://manuals.mtdproducts.com/mtd/Public.do

you will need to put in the 134I number in the top line, and the number with the "J" in it in the bottom line

But These were basically everywhere, and didn't change much.  

the transaxle part number will be under the trans pulley on the casing.  Also the pulley part number will be stamped on the underside of the pulley.  


There are at least 2 different FNR trans used.  One has a keyed shaft, the other is splined, and has a a special collar and 6-point center that the pulley seats onto.


I have a '91 MTD with a very similar setup.  My stock front pulley is the 3.5/5.5 double, looks the same as yours, the rear was an 8.25".  A replacement rear is a pain to find (if you have the splined input) unless you weld one on,  I have a 6.3" OEM coming but it was backordered everywhere and I am still waiting going on 3 weeks.  I switched the front to a 4.5", but it can definitely handle more.


That info will at least get you started, I don't know what sources you have in Norway to source parts.

Thanx for the info guys.. I wanted to tackle the flywheel gear that is in horrible shape, allmost no teeth left on it and its made of nylon. So i grabed my puller and a ratchet. It did not want to come out.. I had this feeling that if i did try to hard and the flywheel came flying out, I would not know the outcome of it, so i stopped. I did not want to risk my health/life, A good bit of Wd40 and let it soak for a while and started again. on with the puller, but insted of the ratched i used a 500nm of knocking torque drill, that i use to remove tire bols of my cars. this went wel. the flywheel came out with a poppin sound, This scared me quite a bit this sound. the key that goes between the engine shaft and the flywheel is gone. no idea where that went.
I do have another briggs horizontal shaft engine from an old Gibbson snow blower, this has pull start, but i can see the flywheel has this gear ring on it that might fit. I wanted to try to get it of the motor, but I chickend out I felt there where too much tention on the puller, So I do not dare to go futher.. perhaps a crowbar might do the trick. Or is there another safe way to remove this buggers? Wel. it looks like i have to head out and see if i can find a place where I can buy a starter gear repair kit for a humane prizes. Looking closer at the fly wheel There is 4 rivets that hold the ring gear.. perhaps I can just drillem out get a new ring gear and use Nuts¨n¨Bolts to secure it to the flywheel, and a new key thingy for the shaft. And if im lucky, I might find a place that sells tires that might fit the rims..

Mr.P

Been out "shoppin" and got some goodies.
Looking at the flywheel gear :



This has done its job and ready for the bin,I got a new metal/alu replacement version:



So i have to replace this nylon ring with this metal ring. Should not be too complicated.

Found the carb.. underneath loads of old gras¨N¨*****.. Walbro :



After a good round with break cleaner it looks much better.. The idle arm had gunked up so it had to sit higher at idle than default..

The coil/magnet looks ok



I had a closer look at the 2 wires comming from the chargin coils Black and Red :



The red wire comming from the engine has a smal "lump" on it with heatshrink.. Might I find a single simple Diode there perhaps to convert to DC voltage? and the black one is connected up to a blue wire.. Lights me thinks..

And I went bananas and got me these :








I ordered the repair kit for the starter, Ill pick it up next weekend so I can rebuild the starter..

The choke does not work from the console. its stuck. but the linkage it self work good. So an issue with the knob it self i guess..

Im planin on doin foot throttle on this one. Any recommandation on how to do this?

Got loads of new springs in dif. lenght and strenght.. might come in handy..

as rstolz mentioned I would like to pulley swap it. I havent got to this point yet, but I see these are for sale on Ebay in all sizes. But I do like to plan a bit ahead.


Looks like the lawnmover is callin @me.. Gota do more work on it..

Mr.P

REmoved the Engie today to be able to clean it and the frame. had a look at the transaxle :





Is this the standard old boring version? How do you lock it?

Regarding pulley swap this ting.. This has a wider belt than I have come accross before.. So I need to know the with of the belt that I have and order new pulleys accordingly. My source will be Ebay. looking at a seller "redsheller" He provides pulleys. can I use these that he has for sale?



Mr.P

Yes, that lump is a diode.

Redsheller is good people, ive purchased from him before. The belts this use are 5/8".

Cheers Doug.. I have ordered a 5" with 1" 1/4 Keyway for the engine pully.. and a Brake disc for the trans. Im planing on use the disc and weld on a pulley for the trans.

I Have no Idea if the engine will ever start. Waiting for the repair kit for the starter. I ripped out all the electrical wiring. I had a quick look at the ign switch. and it looks badly rusted. But im not worried about the electrical part of this yet.

A friend of mine poped in to say hello and I showed him what I was up to.. He has a smal Garret turbo and an alternator for me if I wanted it.. for free

So I grabed it with both of my hands and put it in the "might use this later" bin. But a Turbo on a 12,5Hp brigs engine?? I do not know where to start making that happen. All i know is that i need some sort of oil pump and an oil cooler atleast..

So for now, I'm goin to install the engine back in after I have cleaned the chassis and got the repair kit done, to see if it runs and how good it runs..

Me and my friend looked at the front end. The front axle does pivit so a bit flex is allready there.. Perhaps Ill try and find 2 smal suspension stuff and add it, But that comes after the engine runs and drives.

Then Ill go the pulley swapin on the engine firts to see what I gain in speed and how it handles.. I might need to add some support for the chassis.

Then I need to make a new console, add a foot throttle. I have a plan on using a Gear pedal from an Aprilia RS50.. This might fit perfectly.
then ill add some gauges. Then I have to figgure out where to but a smal car battery, and somehow put a pulley on top of the flywheel and add a alternator. perhaps.. I do not know yet,..

Mr.P

parrafin23 wrote:

Cheers Doug.. I have ordered a 5" with 1" 1/4 Keyway for the engine pully.. and a Brake disc for the trans. Im planing on use the disc and weld on a pulley for the trans.

I Have no Idea if the engine will ever start. Waiting for the repair kit for the starter. I ripped out all the electrical wiring. I had a quick look at the ign switch. and it looks badly rusted. But im not worried about the electrical part of this yet.

A friend of mine poped in to say hello and I showed him what I was up to.. He has a smal Garret turbo and an alternator for me if I wanted it.. for free  

So I grabed it with both of my hands and put it in the "might use this later" bin. But a Turbo on a 12,5Hp brigs engine?? I do not know where to start making that happen. All i know is that i need some sort of oil pump and an oil cooler atleast..

So for now, I'm goin to install the engine back in after I have cleaned the chassis and got the repair kit done, to see if it runs and how good it runs..

Me and my friend looked at the front end. The front axle does pivit so a bit flex is allready there.. Perhaps Ill try and find 2 smal suspension stuff and add it, But that comes after the engine runs and drives.

Then Ill go the pulley swapin on the engine firts to see what I gain in speed and how it handles.. I might need to add some support for the chassis.

Then I need to make a new console, add a foot throttle. I have a plan on using a  Gear pedal from an Aprilia RS50.. This might fit perfectly.
then ill add some gauges. Then I have to figgure out where to but a smal car battery, and somehow put a pulley on top of the flywheel and add a alternator. perhaps.. I do not know yet,..

Mr.P

as long as the engine turns over and you have compression, it'll run fine. might need carb work and whatnot, but that goes for just about everything...

foot throttle setup is pretty easy. a simple bracket welded out of scrap metal, spring tension for pedal return, and you're off.

The only thing stopping me from doing it is that I got a really good scolding when I was thinking of putting it on the left... my brake is on the right, and I need to figure out how to move that to the left so I can keep the foot throttle in the right location.

You could go full ATV and use a thumb throttle w/handlebars too. Steering linkage will need some work in that case, but it is an option.

You have the brake on the right side?? must be British then.. lol

The axle that links the pedal on yours.. does that go cross over to the other side of the mover? if so just cut¨N¨weld a new "Arm" and you are allmost done.. But you have checked that this is not an option i guess.

I was hoping i could find tyres that fits the rims that's on it now, but goin the ATV route might be a valid option, but then i need to add new splines or get atv rims and cut the old rims and weld it to the atv tires.. perhaps I have more options when it comes to tyre sizes if I got the atv route..

Got a mail saying that the pulley and the brake disc is in the mail from USA. Thats goin to take a month or 2 before it lands on my door step..

I have to find out what belt size I need when I swap the pulleys and where to buy it from. cause here in Norway they all scream @you for part numbers..

Mr.P

it's my older oppy with the brake on the right, definitely American tractor, no idea why they set it up that way...

I need to take another look, but I thought there was something in the way stopping me from doing exactly as you suggest. Maybe there isn't and I just moved on to something else.

The front axle does flex. I would like to make it so it can flex a bit more, perhaps trim some of the metal perhaps. I can grab the front end and i can move it back wards and forwards a a bit.. I dont like that movment.. I can see there is 2 bolds goin threw the hole assembly. front plate with a hole that the axle pivits on and a back plate. too much movement here. to cure this.. Tighten the nuts??

Mr.P

Goin the route and upgrading to Bronze flanged bearings... I have asked 8 companies around my town if they have this, but they do not.
So I have to turn to Ebay for this. The Nylon bearings are Inner Diameter: 0.632 in. Outer Diameter: 0.813 in.
Height: 0.9 in. Nice tip btw FearlessFront. But the shiping cost are greater than the actual product I need.

It will get new tyres all around. waiting to hear from my local tire shop for prizes. and Im still waitin for the starter repair kit.
I fiddled with the front suspention stuff, Right side is done, but the left side gives me bit of problems. The exaust pipe does come in the way, and the steering rod is not clearing the damper. So Ill have to get my grinder and try again!!

Mr.P

4 new tires arived today @ tyre shop. went out to take of all 4 wheels.. Right wheel would not come of easy.. I used 3 hours to get it of by heating and pounding on the rim from the inside. Finaly it gave in and let go from the axle. but then the tyre shop was closed. I headed home and to the garage to see if I could fiddle with anything else. found out that the axle on the right side did not like the beating and the bearing inside is shot or blown to bits. So i have to take out the transaxle and see if I can mend the damage.

FearlessFront mentioned something, to use a ball bearing inside if capable.. looks like Im goin to investigate this and se if it can be done, but new bearings is needed. And while I have the transaxle open, why not just try and lock it. What method should I use for this FNR transaxle?

Ps to my self I need to get the camera working..

Mr.P

I opened the trans and found one bearing and one oil seal busted :




The oil seal and the bearing had been chewed @for a looong time just by looking at the state it is in :




I had a closer look at the case and found out where all the metal spoon had gone from the bearing :





It looks like some of that metal spoon has found its way into the grease on the ballgear :




I ordered Oil seal : 721-0179 from Ebay and the metal bearing.. I opted for oilfilled ones from Simply Bearings Ltd.

Now for regreasing it.. can I use ball bearing grease??

Mr.P

I would put 90 weight gear oil in it. The grease gets slung away from the gears and does little good. Just my $0.02

Or if you want thicker stuff you could try STP oil treatment. Not sure how much it would be to fill a bigger trans but I used one bottle in my peerless 700. Probably not super expensive. Everything is expensive anyway no matter what you get.

Tell me about expensive.. I just need some smal parts, and the shipment is more expensive than the actual parts. My choke cable broke and I need a new one. $57.50 for a new one here in Norway. This was for a Ariens snow blower.. I asked him if he dared mention that prize again!..

anyways..

While im waiting for the parts for the trans, im fiddelin with the exaust, I had to bend and cut the original exaust pipe to clear the suspenstion "tower" Welded in a tube, but I cant figgure out how i want the exaust to be. I dont want the exaust to blow in my face, and I dont like to have it under the machine cause of ground clearance. Up front where it originaly was fited, im planing on a winch.. Perhaps extend the frame a bit and see what I can come up with.. Im a bit fan of the silence stuff, so I might visit a breaker and find a scooter silencer like I did on my mini racer.
Im not sure yet.. Why does everything have to cost so "#"¤"#"% much!!!!

Wel. its time for me to try to awaken kiddo from hees sleep and get him to kindergartden so I can get to work..

Mr.P