5 years later and still helping. Mowed about 3/4 acre with a push mower..twice...saw this video next day I was 'tinkering" in the garage and thought "what the hell". Worked like a champ !! Thanks from the future, 3/2024. 😎👍
Worked! Thank you so much for this video! You saved an old man who lives totally on Social Security from having to buy an old used push mower and cutting a ton of grass with a 72 year old body! You saved me!
I Have a 22 year old black murray 14.5 horsepower Briggs And Stratton that has had this problem for 4 years. Your trick fixed the issue in five minutes. This old mower is one of my best friends helping do so much work so fast,I never want to get rid of it. You just gave her a new lease on life.Thank you.
You are a genius, never for a sec did i think the if no air goes in , then no compression will take place .thank you so much. My problem started every so often until it just won't have enough power to crank over. So i maybe 🤞🤞 my cam acr is not broken. I think maybe needs a valve adjustment. Just waiting on the valve feeler to check clearance. But for now i will use it like this 😀
Holy Cow! Been fighting with my mower all spring, was about ready to tear it apart and adjust the compression valve when I found this: IT WORKED! Fired right off. Thank you! Not only for a winning hack, but for being short and to the point with it. (Everyone else would have had a 10-15 minute video with info I didn’t need. Straight to the point. Problem? Solution!)
Its not a compression valve that you adjust. It's a compression release which is on the cam shaft the only way to fix it replace the whole cam shaft. You cannot but it separate. Looks like a little arm
Great tip. After exhaustive analysis of slenoid , battery, starter I finally pulled out the plug and saw that engine would spin fine. That is how I knew it was a compression problem. Did you trick and worked like a charm. Thanks.
Easiest, fastest, fix ever. Been going crazy for 2 summers or more messing with mine. Good mower, and this was only problem. Couldn't afford repairs. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I haven't committed on TH-cam in a few years, but just had to on this one. Worked perfectly!
Same. Replaced battery last year & starter yesterday, before I searched the internet & found there was a compression release mechanism on valve train that breaks. To fix... it's $100 for the part & you need to tear the engine down, then, even if you buy a new Briggs replacement part, it MAY break again in 2 months or 2 years? Gonna abandon ALL Briggs & Stratton engines now. *BTW: ADJUST YOUR VALVES FIRST. That MAY fix it if the compression relief part is NOT broken inside the engine.*
Amazing! THANK YOU so much!!! Out of sheer stubbornness of paying someone hundreds of dollars to diagnose and fix my problem, I spent the last year systematically replacing everything between battery, solenoids, starter, and ignition coil; just finish-re-gapping my values and ...after watching your video my 10-yr old Briggs & Stratton 21 HP lawn tractor engine started right up. All is fine with the world once again thanks to you! God Bless!
Thank you. The compression release on my engine works when it feels like it. This is a quick fix, and I really appreciate it. The engine has 110 hours on it. Oil changed regularly. Briggs and Stratton timed obsolescence, I'm guessing.
I was dubious this would work. Had several other items to fix on my lawn tractor and knew it had a bad compression relief valve. Tried this process after other fixes completed and it worked like a charm. Thank you for this video. The tractor was going to the trash until I tried this. I will now get more use from it.
genius. It works. I already ordered a new camshaft but at least I can start it until the part comes in to make the repair. Thanks so much. The only thing I would caution those trying this is that it is still a higher compression for the starter to turn over the engine and you risk the chance of stripping the plastic clutch on the starter which is basically the gear set on the top of the starter that engages the flywheel. I just picked up a mower advertised as having a blown motor but was a fairly new model at a very low price. Upon inspection, I realized it was the starter that was bad. Easy fix. Paid the man and took it home. I put a starter on it from another mower and only then did I find the bigger issue that the compression release was not working. That's how they ruined the starter. Trying over and over to start it and trashed the clutch gear. I just trashed the starter I put on it and will now have to wait for the starter rebuild kit (two of them) and make the proper repair when the camshaft comes in.
Actually it is not higher compression because there is no air / little air in cylinder to compress in the initial stroke when you have blocked air. When it starts running, compression is fine , even that compression release doesn’t alter compression above certain rpm (300)
Hey Deep. Great video. I have the exact problem. I've been working on my engine for 3 hours now trying to get the valves set. So I went back to TH-cam and I found your video. What a relief. Mine is back running. I will fix mine come summer. Thanks a million.
Got a old cub cadet zt and I've been replacing parts left and right since I got it a yr ago. Bought to buy another starter motor thinking it was just faulty. Would have been my 3rd one this season. This worked perfectly. No money spent.
Could be a broken compression release, but not for everyone in the comments and everyone who viewed this. It is most often that a valve adjustment is needed, as it can appear to be the same problem. I readjusted my valves and it cured the problem.
@@philponder5460 Chickanic has a TH-cam video which shows the entire process in detail. However, it will eventually fail again because it is a defective design.
@@philponder5460I just adjusted the 2 valves on my Craftsman LT 2000 with the 19.5 hp Briggs and Stratton Gold engine..waiting 24 hours for the Permatex Black sealer to cure on the valve cover..if the valve adjustment didn't fix it I will do this.
Awesome !!! This is where I am at . I put new starter , solenoid , and battery on !!! I adjusted the valves and verified compression release was broken .. The engine runs perfect ,now I can keep her running .. I will tell all of my friends ...I have a John Deere D100 with a 17.5 hp Briggs ..You saved me a ton of money
Thank you for this information! This workaround never occured to me and works almost every time. Sometimes,I have to "unwind" the engine to get a running start at TDC,but it never fails! This is an awesome workaround. NOT a permanent fix,but something to get you through the yard till one (me)gets the time to do the proper major teardown and fix it right.
@@cadesperry3467 The very first thing to check,before you do anything else is to check the valve lash settings. This will mimic a broken compression release. Even the slightest too loose setting on the valve lash will not allow the compression release to function. I learned this from the Lawnmower Forum.Many people think that when the engine hesitates when hitting TDC,that the compression release is broken. Usually,it is not,it is a too loose setting on the valve clearance. So,check those settings FIRST.
I can confirm this worked for me after several attempts. I put a battery charger on the battery while doing this and squirt a little starter fluid in the air filter tube and then put a wash rag over the tube and it started. Thanks for the quick work around till I can get the camshaft replaced. Date: 3/21/2024
AWESOME! Thank you for this video. My neighbor was having this exact issue and this was his problem! Your video saved him a lot of time, money ,and frustration!
Awesome idea!!... I usually advance the top of crank fan with my palm until the exhaust stroke then start, but it can be hard to do sometimes. This issue typically happens on the single cylinder engines especially the Briggs and Scrap-um.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the time you took to make this video. It saved me a lot of time and money ( throwing parts into the mower that It didn’t need, starter, battery, etc)
Too late for me. I installed a New battery ($40), then new starter ($35) before I knew there was an internal compression release mechanism that breaks. BTW: ADJUST YOUR VALVES FIRST. That MAY fix it if the compression relief part is NOT broken inside the engine.
This works great! I'll do the repair once (replace cam shaft - compression relief mechanism, attached to cam breaks off). But it will likely break again 😢.
Not sure this will help..I have a JD with Briggs engine. Common engine in a few brands. Manual states to "let the engine run at full throttle for a few seconds" before turning off. In other words don't put throttle to idle speed to shut off.
Amazing video! I don’t have this issue right now, but I do have an engine almost identical. I say almost because it has pressure lubrication with an oil filter. However, if I ever do, I will use this method to start it. Once the engine is going, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.
If this does not work for you because the intake tube is configured so it is difficult to "cover"... Yesterday I found a method that worked for me. I turned flywheel by hand using screen-like cover, to the compression stroke... until I could not turn it anymore. Then I turned it backwards 2 full revolutions. I removed air cleaner. I gave it 2 squirts of ether/starting fluid in intake. Stuck rag in intake. Gave it full throttle/choke. Turned key, it STARTED & I pulled rag out simultaneously! Idk how long this will work for me, but it worked!
It works on my Kohler Courage 20hp. This a great hack if you don't want to spend the time or money fixing a piece-of-crap mower, but want to extract more utility out of it. Thanks for the tip!
I wish I saw this video a couple days ago. I just bought a lightly used John Deere x300 for $2200, because no matter what I tried, I couldn't get my Briggs to turn past TDC on the compreasion stroke. I will try this choke method to keep as much air from gerting intonthe cylinder during the intake stroke as I can. Such a forehead-slapping simple solution!
@logmeindangit fwiw, I ultimately replaced the cam in my engine, 30 dollar part, engine runs like new. Pita to do the job, but also a cheap and 'proper' repair I. The end.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, in my case the model number stamped couldn’t be read so I have a few options. After seeing your video I did as you instructed and WORKS really WORKS, thank you so much. I have a 2007 craftsman 21hp ohv 46” cut that I’m using
Great tip! The compression release on these engines is a mechanical part on the camshaft and it fails too often. It's been redesigned a few times but still causes problems.
Now I will return battery,starter and solenoid. When season is over will replace crankshaft or just compressiin release mechanism. Thank you Sir for wonderful tio. It worked.
I have the same problem. Thank you for showing me how to get it started. But I kinda put things off. I ran it like that through the summer and the parts in side the engine somehow busted my block. Lol. I J B Welded that. But l changed my cam. Now. So far so good. Thanks again. I loved the video.
THANK YOU!!! My John Deere LR135 wasn't starting. I changed the solenoid, then the starter motor, no joy, did some research, adjusted the valve clearances... and on the way I took a detour by stripping the thread on the spark plug hole. 🤦♂️ Took the head off, recut the thread, put the head back on, adjusted the valve clearances again, no start. 😭 Watched your video... "aha!" I thought, simples! Tried it, made no difference. Took the battery off to recharge it. Was about to kick the American piece of s**t goodnight and noticed the plug lead wasn't on. 🤦♂️ Charged the battery overnight and refitted it. No yellow light. Started looking around, found a fuse holder wasn't holding the fuse tightly (also my fault 🤦♂️) Put my hand over the air intake, turned the key and the old girl started up first time, that suck on your hand from the vacuum is like a kiss from the machine saying thank you 😂 Anyway I owe you a beer, cheers! 🍻
OMG! OMG! OMG! A TH-cam hack that actually works. I have wasted years of my life reading utter rubbish that supposedly fix things- none of which ever work. This, however, is brilliant! Of course it doesnt fix the issue - but it's a workaround. OK this design flaw may leave shards of metal around etc etc but in the meantime my lawn is mowed. Suddenly I am going to have to take posts with spelling errors seriously....Thank yuo!!!!!!!!
That trick worked great on my Intek 19 HP. It was easy to get to the air cleaner. Used a plastic oil jug lid. I had to get the timing right. I turned the engine backward until I came up against the compression stroke. I can deal with that. Didnt like putting a battery charger on and putting it on boost. I have s 21.5 twin Intek that seems to have the same problem. It barely goes thru the compression stroke but starts.
AWESOME video, thank you. I may design a remote air filter tube kit that will allow the operator to block off the intake without removing anything. If I come up with a good design I'll post a video of it and share it here too
Beats what I've been doing... a second battery in series. 24 V kicks it over, but the starter starts smoking after three seconds, so you can't crank it for more than that. Thanks for posting.
I found that just turning the flywheel backwards until it stops, ( grab the screen and turn counter clockwise), it will put the piston in a no compression position and when you crank over there is enough momentum to let it continue to crank.
It is indeed brilliant tip, no air, nothing to compress. I performed all maintenance, including replacing a 4 year old OE battery on 4 year old craftsman, nothing would budge it. I knew it was compression problem so I checked , rechecked valve gap many times, tried to move it past compression tdc and start it numerous times , no way . I am still puzzled why manufacturers use such an antiquated design.
This got my mower going again!! Thanks for making this video. Smart..don't know why I didn't think of this workaround. Briggs & Stratton should fix this weakness of the OHV engines. Shameful. Also should filx head gasket problems with engine. I won't be buying any single cylinder B&S engines anytime soon after this my experiences with the one on my Husqvarna Craftsman branded riding mower. Mower is great but the B&S engine is a stinker.
Well done very clever .worked for me also now that I know what was causing problem,, but will order a camshaft at under $100 NZ and replace over the next few weeks,THANKS regards Lyn
The solution he proposes will start the engine, but if the compression value has broken you could do more damage if the pieces get into the engine. This happened when my son kept running his with a broken compression value.
Thanks for the video. Seemed to easy to work but it does. You saved me out of a jam in the middle of mega- leaf season with no mower, not to mention all the time I was wasting to try and start the motor.
Unfortunately, this trick did not work with my 20hp Briggs Intek. What did work was to place my rubber-gloved hand on the top of the intake fan and rotate the fan CCW until about 180 degrees before the compression stroke. You will know when you get there by how easy the fan is to turn for a brief duration. Keep turning CCW until you just feel resistance. Stop turning. Now hit the start and the engine should revolve just enough during this non-compression cycle to get enough inertia to overcome the compression stroke. The best thing about this technique is there is no need to remove the air filter cover and air filter. A word of caution: often when the compression release mechanism grenades (usually leaves about 6-7 shards of metal) it can severely damage internal components such as the cam lobes, governor, camshaft timing gear, and even the piston skirt. A sure sign of major damage is reduced compression or what looks like silver paint in your oil. Not good. Ask me how I know.
adjusted the valves tip from another video and it didn't work. Looked for the bump test for cam shaft and passed. I watched this video earlier, went out tried it and it didn't start, came back to youtube and watch a different valve adjusting video with 1 open and 1 closed valve and adjust to .004 on both, opening 1 at a time. then closed her up and did Deep Adventures method off cutting off the air and it started right up TY!!!!! I been at this for 3 weeks, oil change, new spark plug, no metal in oil, new starter and I was losing my mind my it wouldn't turn on. Now it re-starts when I turned it off twice like nothing has ever happened.
hello...you are amazing make video....i have same problem hard to crank..but now is running good again after follow your trick..save money..godbless...
One thing to note, the best thing I've found to use to block the intake is a smooth rubber ball about the size of a tennis ball. Perfectly blocks air from being taken in!
I have the same problem. This was so easy to do it was worth trying but unfortunately didn't work for me. Maybe if my battery and starter was new it could get over the compression hump. I have a new camshaft to install...but obviously wanted to try this first.
Sometimes you have to bump it (the starter) multiple times before the intake side will begin building a vacuum) and the seal over the intake has to make contact all around too. Weak vs new Battery and starter doesn't make much difference because the compression as you get nearer to TDC increases exponentially. If yours ever goes bad again, it might be worth trying this again. It's a bit of an art to get the intake vacuum to take hold.
Nope, all these single cylinder compression releases on the camshaft eventually fail. The tiny shaft is too small to indefinably resist the force on it, and it eventually snaps.
You can also try to spin top of motor by hand till it gets hard to turn and as soon as it gets easier to turn stop....try to start it and the added early momentum for starter let's it spin and start.
All is great BUT what about the broken pieces left inside the engine? It has the potential to break the piston or other moving parts inside the crank case Best to fix it right
Yes broken parts in your engine can be a problem. I happened to change the oil just before I started trouble shooting. I always have the tractor canted towards the drain hole. When the oil is completely drained I remove the dipstick holder?tube and look in the bottom of the engine through the dipstick hole. This time I saw a spring and other metal parts down there. I used a magnet to fish them out. After watching this video and another I’m going to start it and run it 🤷
This is the only way I can start mine. It is an OHV but has no compression release (from the factory on this model) but even with the valves adjust okay, it it super hard to crank. This is a bit of a pain if you are doing heavy mowing that causes the engine to stop frequently (like from tall grass stopping the blades) but at least it works.
Seems that Everytime I open one up to replace the camshaft, the compression release parts have just been laying in the sump. I don't recall ever seeing one that has caused any damage. Although it is definitely a possibility that those parts could fall the wrong way and cause problems.
hi! Good idea thanks for video. I m having same issue, my lawn mower is only 3 years old! But also what do you think about modifying the choke leaver ? The choke blocks air but there is a small relieve hole. What if you simply tape that relief hole, when choke is on, air is completely blocked?
An even easier solution is to just spin the flywheel with your palm counter clockwise until you can't. Will fire right up. Keep in mind that you still have broken parts in the engine which can cause even further issues. Replace camshaft and idle down before turning off.
I came up with another way. I tightened up on the exhaust vale adjustment just to the point where I could turn the engine over on the top of the compression stroke. You have to be careful not to over do it. Tweak it just to the point where the engine turns past the compression stroke by hand with some effort. I put the valve cover back on and I have run it that way for 7 years now. I noticed no horsepower loss and it starts and runs fine. But I like your way better.
@brdman Cool. Another way is to take the air filter off and use something to cover the air intake while you turn it over. As soon as it fires remove it. With blocking the air intake the compression is reduced. Problem solved.
@brdman I watched a video on it....it's not as time consuming as it sounds. Anyway....when this Briggs finally stops working I'll never buy another machine with one until they make that part bullet proof.
Ha ha ha total genius! I jus saw someone take whole engine out & replace/order the new gear with compression release!!! I understand now why u wouldn’t let jus anybody repair! A poor repair would lead to a damaged engine for sure!
That is well and good but if the compression release valve is broken off the parts that are broken and in the sump can cause other damage to the engine.
5 years later and still helping. Mowed about 3/4 acre with a push mower..twice...saw this video next day I was 'tinkering" in the garage and thought "what the hell". Worked like a champ !!
Thanks from the future, 3/2024.
😎👍
💯% agree!
Worked! Thank you so much for this video! You saved an old man who lives totally on Social Security from having to buy an old used push mower and cutting a ton of grass with a 72 year old body! You saved me!
I'm working on one for a bloke in his 70s in a similar situation.
This has just saved 2 old men from push mowing their yard!!!!
I Have a 22 year old black murray 14.5 horsepower Briggs And Stratton that has had this problem for 4 years.
Your trick fixed the issue in five minutes.
This old mower is one of my best friends helping do so much work so fast,I never want to get rid of it.
You just gave her a new lease on life.Thank you.
You are a genius, never for a sec did i think the if no air goes in , then no compression will take place .thank you so much. My problem started every so often until it just won't have enough power to crank over. So i maybe 🤞🤞 my cam acr is not broken. I think maybe needs a valve adjustment. Just waiting on the valve feeler to check clearance. But for now i will use it like this 😀
Holy Cow! Been fighting with my mower all spring, was about ready to tear it apart and adjust the compression valve when I found this: IT WORKED! Fired right off. Thank you! Not only for a winning hack, but for being short and to the point with it. (Everyone else would have had a 10-15 minute video with info I didn’t need. Straight to the point. Problem? Solution!)
Its not a compression valve that you adjust. It's a compression release which is on the cam shaft the only way to fix it replace the whole cam shaft. You cannot but it separate. Looks like a little arm
Great tip. After exhaustive analysis of slenoid , battery, starter I finally pulled out the plug and saw that engine would spin fine. That is how I knew it was a compression problem. Did you trick and worked like a charm. Thanks.
Easiest, fastest, fix ever. Been going crazy for 2 summers or more messing with mine. Good mower, and this was only problem. Couldn't afford repairs. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I haven't committed on TH-cam in a few years, but just had to on this one. Worked perfectly!
Same. Replaced battery last year & starter yesterday, before I searched the internet & found there was a compression release mechanism on valve train that breaks. To fix... it's $100 for the part & you need to tear the engine down, then, even if you buy a new Briggs replacement part, it MAY break again in 2 months or 2 years? Gonna abandon ALL Briggs & Stratton engines now.
*BTW: ADJUST YOUR VALVES FIRST. That MAY fix it if the compression relief part is NOT broken inside the engine.*
Amazing! THANK YOU so much!!! Out of sheer stubbornness of paying someone hundreds of dollars to diagnose and fix my problem, I spent the last year systematically replacing everything between battery, solenoids, starter, and ignition coil; just finish-re-gapping my values and ...after watching your video my 10-yr old Briggs & Stratton 21 HP lawn tractor engine started right up. All is fine with the world once again thanks to you! God Bless!
Thank you. The compression release on my engine works when it feels like it. This is a quick fix, and I really appreciate it.
The engine has 110 hours on it. Oil changed regularly. Briggs and Stratton timed obsolescence, I'm guessing.
I was dubious this would work. Had several other items to fix on my lawn tractor and knew it had a bad compression relief valve. Tried this process after other fixes completed and it worked like a charm. Thank you for this video. The tractor was going to the trash until I tried this. I will now get more use from it.
Hey man you are a lifesaver I was about to get rid of my mower I covered the hole with a glove fired right up thanks!
genius. It works. I already ordered a new camshaft but at least I can start it until the part comes in to make the repair. Thanks so much. The only thing I would caution those trying this is that it is still a higher compression for the starter to turn over the engine and you risk the chance of stripping the plastic clutch on the starter which is basically the gear set on the top of the starter that engages the flywheel.
I just picked up a mower advertised as having a blown motor but was a fairly new model at a very low price. Upon inspection, I realized it was the starter that was bad. Easy fix. Paid the man and took it home. I put a starter on it from another mower and only then did I find the bigger issue that the compression release was not working. That's how they ruined the starter. Trying over and over to start it and trashed the clutch gear. I just trashed the starter I put on it and will now have to wait for the starter rebuild kit (two of them) and make the proper repair when the camshaft comes in.
Actually it is not higher compression because there is no air / little air in cylinder to compress in the initial stroke when you have blocked air. When it starts running, compression is fine , even that compression release doesn’t alter compression above certain rpm (300)
Mate!!!!! This just sorted my 3 week ordeal out... I was quoting a replacement engine until now!
Hey Deep.
Great video. I have the exact problem. I've been working on my engine for 3 hours now trying to get the valves set. So I went back to TH-cam and I found your video. What a relief. Mine is back running. I will fix mine come summer. Thanks a million.
Got a old cub cadet zt and I've been replacing parts left and right since I got it a yr ago. Bought to buy another starter motor thinking it was just faulty. Would have been my 3rd one this season. This worked perfectly. No money spent.
You are the best!!!! I adjusted valves 5 times to no avail....your solution woked in 1 minute...
Best advice ever. I have same issue , saw your video went out side had my mower running in 2 min. Thank you..
Could be a broken compression release, but not for everyone in the comments and everyone who viewed this. It is most often that a valve adjustment is needed, as it can appear to be the same problem. I readjusted my valves and it cured the problem.
It helped me. I kept adjusting valves thing didn't get tight or wrong gap. I still wish someone would show how to replace the part
@@philponder5460 Chickanic has a TH-cam video which shows the entire process in detail. However, it will eventually fail again because it is a defective design.
@@philponder5460I just adjusted the 2 valves on my Craftsman LT 2000 with the 19.5 hp Briggs and Stratton Gold engine..waiting 24 hours for the Permatex Black sealer to cure on the valve cover..if the valve adjustment didn't fix it I will do this.
Awesome !!! This is where I am at . I put new starter , solenoid , and battery on !!! I adjusted the valves and verified compression release was broken .. The engine runs perfect ,now I can keep her running .. I will tell all of my friends ...I have a John Deere D100 with a 17.5 hp Briggs ..You saved me a ton of money
Thank you for this information! This workaround never occured to me and works almost every time. Sometimes,I have to "unwind" the engine to get a running start at TDC,but it never fails! This is an awesome workaround. NOT a permanent fix,but something to get you through the yard till one (me)gets the time to do the proper major teardown and fix it right.
I have to unwind my engine as well. Do u think this would be bad for my engine cuz I’m worried, thank you.
@@cadesperry3467 The very first thing to check,before you do anything else is to check the valve lash settings. This will mimic a broken compression release.
Even the slightest too loose setting on the valve lash will not allow the compression release to function.
I learned this from the Lawnmower Forum.Many people think that when the engine hesitates when hitting TDC,that the compression release is broken. Usually,it is not,it is a too loose setting on the valve clearance. So,check those settings FIRST.
@@samanthao1240 Agree. Adjusting the valves FIRST, MAY fix it if the compression relief part is NOT broken inside the engine.
Thank you very much. I had almost given up finding a work around. You are “The Man” in my book.
Great tip! Helped me prove it was the compression release problem to the owner, thank you!
I can confirm this worked for me after several attempts. I put a battery charger on the battery while doing this and squirt a little starter fluid in the air filter tube and then put a wash rag over the tube and it started. Thanks for the quick work around till I can get the camshaft replaced.
Date: 3/21/2024
Intake restriction worked! Finally, real info!!!👏👏👏 thanks!!!
Genius idea! Works every time. Used magnet to get the broken pieces out the engine and continue moving. Thanks
AWESOME! Thank you for this video. My neighbor was having this exact issue and this was his problem! Your video saved him a lot of time, money ,and frustration!
Awesome idea!!... I usually advance the top of crank fan with my palm until the exhaust stroke then start, but it can be hard to do sometimes. This issue typically happens on the single cylinder engines especially the Briggs and Scrap-um.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the time you took to make this video. It saved me a lot of time and money ( throwing parts into the mower that It didn’t need, starter, battery, etc)
Too late for me. I installed a New battery ($40), then new starter ($35) before I knew there was an internal compression release mechanism that breaks.
BTW: ADJUST YOUR VALVES FIRST. That MAY fix it if the compression relief part is NOT broken inside the engine.
That's the easiest workaround I've seen yet. I can't wait for the rain to stop and try it.
I was ready to throw in the towel then I found your video. You're a lifesaver!
Tried this today on my 20hp Husqvarna YTH2042 and it worked great.
Thanks!
I have the same exact model. Can't wait to try it!
Thank you! My
This works great! I'll do the repair once (replace cam shaft - compression relief mechanism, attached to cam breaks off). But it will likely break again 😢.
Not sure this will help..I have a JD with Briggs engine. Common engine in a few brands. Manual states to "let the engine run at full throttle for a few seconds" before turning off. In other words don't put throttle to idle speed to shut off.
Their out to be a law suit on Briggs for this problem !
Amazing video! I don’t have this issue right now, but I do have an engine almost identical. I say almost because it has pressure lubrication with an oil filter. However, if I ever do, I will use this method to start it. Once the engine is going, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.
If this does not work for you because the intake tube is configured so it is difficult to "cover"... Yesterday I found a method that worked for me. I turned flywheel by hand using screen-like cover, to the compression stroke... until I could not turn it anymore. Then I turned it backwards 2 full revolutions. I removed air cleaner. I gave it 2 squirts of ether/starting fluid in intake. Stuck rag in intake. Gave it full throttle/choke. Turned key, it STARTED & I pulled rag out simultaneously!
Idk how long this will work for me, but it worked!
It works on my Kohler Courage 20hp. This a great hack if you don't want to spend the time or money fixing a piece-of-crap mower, but want to extract more utility out of it. Thanks for the tip!
Brilliant!!!! Just saved me dropping $2k+ on a new mower for the moment!!! Thanks for this, simply awesome solution!!!🎉🎉🎉
I wish I saw this video a couple days ago. I just bought a lightly used John Deere x300 for $2200, because no matter what I tried, I couldn't get my Briggs to turn past TDC on the compreasion stroke. I will try this choke method to keep as much air from gerting intonthe cylinder during the intake stroke as I can. Such a forehead-slapping simple solution!
@logmeindangit fwiw, I ultimately replaced the cam in my engine, 30 dollar part, engine runs like new. Pita to do the job, but also a cheap and 'proper' repair I. The end.
YES! adjusted valves three different settings per three different people! This was the problem!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, in my case the model number stamped couldn’t be read so I have a few options. After seeing your video I did as you instructed and WORKS really WORKS, thank you so much. I have a 2007 craftsman 21hp ohv 46” cut that I’m using
This works! My Troy bilt has a Briggs, I paid over $200 about 15 months ago and it's going bad again. This does work.
thank you man...it worked..stuffed a rag in intake..then motor would turn over...video helped..thank u
Great tip! The compression release on these engines is a mechanical part on the camshaft and it fails too often. It's been redesigned a few times but still causes problems.
Now I will return battery,starter and solenoid. When season is over will replace crankshaft or just compressiin release mechanism. Thank you Sir for wonderful tio. It worked.
The compression part is on the Camshaft..replace the cam.
wow neat trick. I did this job on a two year old mower the other day. When this part fails again I will try this. Thank You!!
I have the same problem. Thank you for showing me how to get it started. But I kinda put things off. I ran it like that through the summer and the parts in side the engine somehow busted my block. Lol. I J B Welded that. But l changed my cam. Now. So far so good. Thanks again. I loved the video.
It worked exactly like that in my case. Thanks! Now I need to fix the valve to restore it to a normal working condition.
THANK YOU!!!
My John Deere LR135 wasn't starting. I changed the solenoid, then the starter motor, no joy, did some research, adjusted the valve clearances... and on the way I took a detour by stripping the thread on the spark plug hole. 🤦♂️ Took the head off, recut the thread, put the head back on, adjusted the valve clearances again, no start. 😭
Watched your video... "aha!" I thought, simples! Tried it, made no difference. Took the battery off to recharge it. Was about to kick the American piece of s**t goodnight and noticed the plug lead wasn't on. 🤦♂️
Charged the battery overnight and refitted it. No yellow light. Started looking around, found a fuse holder wasn't holding the fuse tightly (also my fault 🤦♂️)
Put my hand over the air intake, turned the key and the old girl started up first time, that suck on your hand from the vacuum is like a kiss from the machine saying thank you 😂
Anyway I owe you a beer, cheers! 🍻
OMG! OMG! OMG! A TH-cam hack that actually works. I have wasted years of my life reading utter rubbish that supposedly fix things- none of which ever work. This, however, is brilliant! Of course it doesnt fix the issue - but it's a workaround. OK this design flaw may leave shards of metal around etc etc but in the meantime my lawn is mowed. Suddenly I am going to have to take posts with spelling errors seriously....Thank yuo!!!!!!!!
I have the same issue with my 16HP Vanguard ... your method works!!! Thanks!!!
Dude thank you so much I’ve been working on mine for 2 weeks and this fixed it well for now anyway 😅
That trick worked great on my Intek 19 HP. It was easy to get to the air cleaner. Used a plastic oil jug lid. I had to get the timing right. I turned the engine backward until I came up against the compression stroke. I can deal with that. Didnt like putting a battery charger on and putting it on boost. I have s 21.5 twin Intek that seems to have the same problem. It barely goes thru the compression stroke but starts.
AWESOME video, thank you. I may design a remote air filter tube kit that will allow the operator to block off the intake without removing anything. If I come up with a good design I'll post a video of it and share it here too
Thanks!. Saved me the hassle of repairs or switching the motor out
I appreciate very much the time and effort you put into sharing this video. I put your information to the test, and it works. Thanks
Beats what I've been doing... a second battery in series. 24 V kicks it over, but the starter starts smoking after three seconds, so you can't crank it for more than that. Thanks for posting.
I went through the same process. I watched your video and tried it and works like a charm. Thanks.
I found that just turning the flywheel backwards until it stops, ( grab the screen and turn counter clockwise), it will put the piston in a no compression position and when you crank over there is enough momentum to let it continue to crank.
Thank you my friend! Saved me over $300
It is indeed brilliant tip, no air, nothing to compress. I performed all maintenance, including replacing a 4 year old OE battery on 4 year old craftsman, nothing would budge it. I knew it was compression problem so I checked , rechecked valve gap many times, tried to move it past compression tdc and start it numerous times , no way .
I am still puzzled why manufacturers use such an antiquated design.
This got my mower going again!! Thanks for making this video. Smart..don't know why I didn't think of this workaround. Briggs & Stratton should fix this weakness of the OHV engines. Shameful. Also should filx head gasket problems with engine. I won't be buying any single cylinder B&S engines anytime soon after this my experiences with the one on my Husqvarna Craftsman branded riding mower. Mower is great but the B&S engine is a stinker.
YOU!!! Are a genius. You just saved me $200.00!! Thank You.
Well done very clever .worked for me also now that I know what was causing problem,, but will order a camshaft at under $100 NZ and replace over the next few weeks,THANKS regards Lyn
The solution he proposes will start the engine, but if the compression value has broken you could do more damage if the pieces get into the engine. This happened when my son kept running his with a broken compression value.
Thanks for the video. Seemed to easy to work but it does. You saved me out of a jam in the middle of mega- leaf season with no mower, not to mention all the time I was wasting to try and start the motor.
Unfortunately, this trick did not work with my 20hp Briggs Intek. What did work was to place my rubber-gloved hand on the top of the intake fan and rotate the fan CCW until about 180 degrees before the compression stroke. You will know when you get there by how easy the fan is to turn for a brief duration. Keep turning CCW until you just feel resistance. Stop turning. Now hit the start and the engine should revolve just enough during this non-compression cycle to get enough inertia to overcome the compression stroke. The best thing about this technique is there is no need to remove the air filter cover and air filter. A word of caution: often when the compression release mechanism grenades (usually leaves about 6-7 shards of metal) it can severely damage internal components such as the cam lobes, governor, camshaft timing gear, and even the piston skirt. A sure sign of major damage is reduced compression or what looks like silver paint in your oil. Not good. Ask me how I know.
That's how I start mine
WOW just seen your Video, and WORK, %100 Thumbs UP. THANK YOU
adjusted the valves tip from another video and it didn't work. Looked for the bump test for cam shaft and passed. I watched this video earlier, went out tried it and it didn't start, came back to youtube and watch a different valve adjusting video with 1 open and 1 closed valve and adjust to .004 on both, opening 1 at a time. then closed her up and did Deep Adventures method off cutting off the air and it started right up TY!!!!! I been at this for 3 weeks, oil change, new spark plug, no metal in oil, new starter and I was losing my mind my it wouldn't turn on. Now it re-starts when I turned it off twice like nothing has ever happened.
hello...you are amazing make video....i have same problem hard to crank..but now is running good again after follow your trick..save money..godbless...
One thing to note, the best thing I've found to use to block the intake is a smooth rubber ball about the size of a tennis ball. Perfectly blocks air from being taken in!
Hey, good idea, I'll try it. I havent looked closely at the choke valve but will now after your advice
And Briggs and Stratton is known for this.
thank you! started immediately after watching this!!!
Geniuses are born everyday, what a great idea.
Dude; holy shit!! That is absolutely brilliant! Thank you !
I have the same problem. This was so easy to do it was worth trying but unfortunately didn't work for me. Maybe if my battery and starter was new it could get over the compression hump. I have a new camshaft to install...but obviously wanted to try this first.
Sometimes you have to bump it (the starter) multiple times before the intake side will begin building a vacuum) and the seal over the intake has to make contact all around too.
Weak vs new Battery and starter doesn't make much difference because the compression as you get nearer to TDC increases exponentially.
If yours ever goes bad again, it might be worth trying this again. It's a bit of an art to get the intake vacuum to take hold.
Did you try adjusting your valves. Valve gap is normally why the compression relief does not work on a Briggs
Nope, all these single cylinder compression releases on the camshaft eventually fail. The tiny shaft is too small to indefinably resist the force on it, and it eventually snaps.
You can also try to spin top of motor by hand till it gets hard to turn and as soon as it gets easier to turn stop....try to start it and the added early momentum for starter let's it spin and start.
IT WORKS!!!!! SAVED ME FROM BUYING A NEW MOWER!!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!
All is great BUT what about the broken pieces left inside the engine? It has the potential to break the piston or other moving parts inside the crank case Best to fix it right
So what only bought them over for a hundred bucks if I get two cuts out of it I'm up a hundred bucks
Yes broken parts in your engine can be a problem. I happened to change the oil just before I started trouble shooting. I always have the tractor canted towards the drain hole. When the oil is completely drained I remove the dipstick holder?tube and look in the bottom of the engine through the dipstick hole. This time I saw a spring and other metal parts down there. I used a magnet to fish them out. After watching this video and another I’m going to start it and run it 🤷
…just spent two hours mowing everything worked well. 🤞
So in effect this trick would indicate if a broken compression relief valve is the slow crank issue.
What a simple great solution- Thank you for sharing..
I suggest if you decide to keep using the engine to change the oil and use a magnet to attempt to retrieve any metal pieces out the drain hole.
Absolutely brilliant!
A Mr Fix-it friend of mine experience in small engine repair calls Briggs n Stratton engine BRIGGS N SCRAP’EM. Now I know why.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This trick just saved me!
This is the only way I can start mine.
It is an OHV but has no compression release (from the factory on this model)
but even with the valves adjust okay, it it super hard to crank.
This is a bit of a pain if you are doing heavy mowing that causes the engine to stop frequently (like from tall grass stopping the blades) but at least it works.
Thanks, knock wood using this workaround I'll get one more mowing season out of my old Craftsman.
Wonderful I was about to tear what was left of my hair out trying to get this thing to start consistently
So what happens to the broken pieces floating around in the engine?
Seems that Everytime I open one up to replace the camshaft, the compression release parts have just been laying in the sump. I don't recall ever seeing one that has caused any damage.
Although it is definitely a possibility that those parts could fall the wrong way and cause problems.
hi! Good idea thanks for video. I
m having same issue, my lawn mower is only 3 years old! But also what do you think about modifying the choke leaver ? The choke blocks air but there is a small relieve hole. What if you simply tape that relief hole, when choke is on, air is completely blocked?
LOL Tape? Try welding it, tape will never hold and will just get sucked inside the engine
It still sucks lot of air,
An even easier solution is to just spin the flywheel with your palm counter clockwise until you can't. Will fire right up. Keep in mind that you still have broken parts in the engine which can cause even further issues. Replace camshaft and idle down before turning off.
Great video , Question can you do the same thing by using the carb choke?
No, choke alone doesn't cut off enough air into the cylinder.
What a awesome idea! Thanks for the great shortcut! 👍🏻😃
I came up with another way. I tightened up on the exhaust vale adjustment just to the point where I could turn the engine over on the top of the compression stroke. You have to be careful not to over do it. Tweak it just to the point where the engine turns past the compression stroke by hand with some effort. I put the valve cover back on and I have run it that way for 7 years now. I noticed no horsepower loss and it starts and runs fine.
But I like your way better.
@brdman Cool. Another way is to take the air filter off and use something to cover the air intake while you turn it over. As soon as it fires remove it. With blocking the air intake the compression is reduced. Problem solved.
@brdman I watched a video on it....it's not as time consuming as it sounds.
Anyway....when this Briggs finally stops working I'll never buy another machine with one until they make that part bullet proof.
Omg thanks so much your a genius in my book!!!
Ha ha ha total genius! I jus saw someone take whole engine out & replace/order the new gear with compression release!!!
I understand now why u wouldn’t let jus anybody repair!
A poor repair would lead to a damaged engine for sure!
Wow! Replaced the Camshaft once. Only lasted 3 years. Don't want to do it again.
Great tip! Got me up and running.
That is well and good but if the compression release valve is broken off the parts that are broken and in the sump can cause other damage to the engine.