OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Greenfield Ride On Mower Frames Greenfield starting problem

Hi Everyone, first time to post. My 20 y.o. Greenie runs like a charm but has sporadic starting problem. Starter motor struggles to restart engine after use-battery, starter, engine all in good working order. Seems that mower is trying to move whilst trying to start. Hydro drive works fine, is totally disengaging when required.
Suspecting clutch issue in drive pulleys. Any suggestions? All pulleys & belts in good order. Starts okay from cold, will eventually restart when cold, but is sporadic problem.
13hp B&S,E3, 32"
Thanks.

Hi Fitzy333,

Welcome to the forum!

It does seem like something is dragging. Have you tried turning the engine over by hand with the sparkplug out?

Hi There, yes, engine turns over fine. My knowledge of mowers is scant but I'm getting better. When the engine cranks, the drive belt from the pulley spins the main drive pulleys. This is supposed to happen, right? I can freely move the mower back & forth whilst cranking, so I'm wondering if the clutches inside the main drive pulleys are dragging? The cork was replaced before I purchased mower. I notice a toothed adjustment bar. Is it possible the adjustment is too tight? Since forward & backward drive works perfectly, I would think not.

Yes the belt is driven at all times. The toothed bar with the pulley auto tensions using a spring so shouldn't be over tight. It seems as though a drive disc is dragging on the cork.

Can you try moving the forward/reverse pedal a small amount to each side of the neutral position when cranking? The pedal may not be sitting in neutral and causing a clutch to drag slightly.

Is the toothed adjustment bar you mention the belt tensioner under the seat, if so that has spring tension on it to keep the belt adjustment right. Are you sure when starting the clutch plates are spinning freely. I assume you have pulled the seat of to see what is happening when the problem happens. If you can rock it back and forth the plates are free so this is not the starting problem. Some motors have hot start issues and often it is the starter motor or the battery. You might have to test the battery to see what volts it is dropping to when you use the starter motor. Another check is to remove the spark plug when the problem happens and try spinning the motor over and see if it spins freely, if so the problem is not in the clutches or belts

I have the same problem with my E2000, I find that if I jiggle the forward/reverse pedal whilst starting, it will usually find the true neutral position and fire up.

On the occasions that does not work, I will hook up the battery booster and it will start straight away, so it could also be a battery on the way out??.

Yes Buckets, I have to wiggle the pedal on my Anniversary 88 as well as it doesn't sit in neutral properly. Batteries can still have a surface charge but when the starter engages it then doesn't have the 'grunt' to turn the motor past compression. Hence the reason for using battery load testers to see if the battery is ok.

G'day all,

As a first stop, Lubricate,lubricate, lubricate (as chanted Gregorian style in medieval cathedral)!

Lubricate the entire linkage mechanism from pedal to the fork that shifts the clutch assembly. Then carefully spray some dryglide (preferable) or even WD40 between the clutch plates and around the fork bearing. The idea is to aid the sliding of the plates on the square shaft. It must be done with some care as the lubricant can't end up on the clutch faces. A wet lubricant is not as ideal as a silicone dry type lubricant but any lube is better than none.

The centreing relys on the return springs behind the clutch plates (not visible when assembled) and they can have a hard time doing their job if everything is stiff and rusty - especially on the 'mecano' models with the flat plate style linkage with multiple pivot points and direction changes.

Might not be the problem but it's the place to start, me thinks

Cheers,

Thanks Everyone. Bloody mower fired up straight away after I trickle charged the 'newish' battery. FYI drive pedal is adjusted correctly,everything is always well lubed, motor turns freely by hand, mower will rock back & forward whilst cranking no problem. It looks like battery or starter priblem, which would explain why it doesn't always happen. It's 20 years old so I expect some dramas! I will pull starter apart and inspect when I come home in a coupla weeks time. Thanks for all replies-much appreciated.

I would be checking the battery first before pulling the starter to bits. There is also the chance it isn't charging the battery either