My 48 in Craftsman Riding mower with a Kohler 25 hp engine locked up

Russ in the Ozarks

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Mar 1, 2016, 5:44:05 PM3/1/16

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48" craftsman Riding mower.
I have a 48 ' Craftsman Riding mower. I have had the mower for 4
years with app 450 hrs on the 25 hp Courage engine. The last cut I did
with it , I slowed it down to back up and the engine died! Locked up ! It
was a hot day and I had about 2 or 3 hrs of running time on it that day.
That's usual for my cutting my large lawn. Towed it back to my garage
and still locked up. Had about 25 hrs running time on the oil and it was
still full. I pulled the engine and dropped the crankcase bottom off and
it looks perfect inside but the crank is locked up. The rods still move on
their journals and the cylinders look fine for what I can see. I`m
guessing the upper main is where the lock up is. I have not yet pulled the
heads off and the pistons out. If in fact I can get the crank out , is it
possible to recon the the upper main journal and recon the block opening
for the crank journal? Hate to junk this engine ,but what caused the
failure. Has anyone run into this problem. I did have a Sears tech look at
it and he said he has had a few that did lock up , and said the customer
used a breaker bar and a socket to try to break the seize up on it and it
worked and ran! I tried but no success. Should I look at something else on
it. The crank will not budge either way but there is slack in the rods
so I`m pretty convinced the crank is seized. All info much appreciated.
Russ

--

Oren

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Mar 1, 2016, 6:03:46 PM3/1/16

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On Tue, 01 Mar 2016 22:44:01 +0000, Russ in the Ozarks
<caedfaa9ed1216d60e...@example.com> wrote:

> I have a 48 ' Craftsman Riding mower

That's yuuuuge.

Wonder is a piston ring broke and wedged in the cylinder wall?

Arnie Goetchius

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Mar 1, 2016, 7:47:32 PM3/1/16

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Can we assume that removing the spark plug did not change anything ie: engine is
still locked with the spark plug removed?

Micky

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Mar 1, 2016, 9:37:45 PM3/1/16

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On Tue, 01 Mar 2016 22:44:01 +0000, Russ in the Ozarks
<caedfaa9ed1216d60e...@example.com> wrote:

>48" craftsman Riding mower.
> I have a 48 ' Craftsman Riding mower. I have had the mower for 4

What make engine. How many HP.

>years with app 450 hrs on the 25 hp Courage engine. The last cut I did
>with it , I slowed it down to back up and the engine died! Locked up ! It
>was a hot day and I had about 2 or 3 hrs of running time on it that day.
>That's usual for my cutting my large lawn. Towed it back to my garage
>and still locked up. Had about 25 hrs running time on the oil and it was
>still full. I pulled the engine and dropped the crankcase bottom off and
>it looks perfect inside but the crank is locked up. The rods still move on
>their journals and the cylinders look fine for what I can see. I`m
>guessing the upper main is where the lock up is. I have not yet pulled the
>heads off and the pistons out. If in fact I can get the crank out , is it
>possible to recon the the upper main journal and recon the block opening
>for the crank journal?

I'm sure whatever's broken can be fixed, but I'd take the head off
and see if you can find what is broken.

<Hate to junk this engine ,but what caused the
>failure. Has anyone run into this problem. I did have a Sears tech look at
>it and he said he has had a few that did lock up , and said the customer
>used a breaker bar and a socket to try to break the seize up on it and it
>worked and ran! I tried but no success. Should I look at something else on
>it. The crank will not budge either way but there is slack in the rods
>so I`m pretty convinced the crank is seized.

Five lines up you thought the upper main is where the lockup is.

Oren

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Mar 1, 2016, 9:48:43 PM3/1/16

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On Tue, 1 Mar 2016 19:47:36 -0500, Arnie Goetchius
<arnie.g...@invalid.domain> wrote:

>Can we assume that removing the spark plug did not change anything ie: engine is
>still locked with the spark plug removed?

Can we assume the wrong plug size didn't crack the top of the piston?

Arnie Goetchius

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Mar 1, 2016, 9:54:20 PM3/1/16

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I just wanted to see if he tested for Fuel vapor lock

trader_4

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Mar 2, 2016, 8:03:16 AM3/2/16

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Hydro lock can cause an engine to not be able to turn over, but
not vapor lock. Vapor lock is when the fuel in the fuel system
gets too hot and turns to vapor so it can't be properly pumped,
injected, etc. It won't prevent an engine from turning over,
only from starting/running. He also said that he pulled the engine
already and has it partially disassembled.

If it were me, I might consider calling up a small engine shop,
asking them what it would cost for a diagnosis, etc. Depends
on how comfortable one is doing that kind of repair, if you have
all the necessary tools, time, etc.

Terry Coombs

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Mar 2, 2016, 8:12:40 AM3/2/16

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Russ in the Ozarks wrote:

Russ , depending on where in the Ozarks you are , I may be able to help you
. If you're anywhere near Stone County Arkansas , email me . My reply-to is
good and I have a small machine shop .

--
Snag

Micky

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Mar 3, 2016, 10:55:53 PM3/3/16

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On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 07:13:11 -0600, "Terry Coombs" <snag...@msn.com>
wrote:

>
>Russ , depending on where in the Ozarks you are , I may be able to help you
>. If you're anywhere near Stone County Arkansas , email me . My reply-to is
>good and I have a small machine shop .
>
>--
> Snag

I don't show a Reply-to header for you. What do you think that means?

Using Agent v.6, eternal-september.

Paint...@unlisted.moo

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Mar 4, 2016, 3:55:52 AM3/4/16

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On Tue, 01 Mar 2016 22:44:01 +0000, Russ in the Ozarks
<caedfaa9ed1216d60e...@example.com> wrote:

Years ago, I had a rider mower become very hard to turn, I could barely
move it with the pull rope, and the electric starter would not budge it.
It had a smaller Briggs engine. I think it was a 12HP. Anyhow, I took
off the top and found the generator assembly which (I cant remember if
it was under or on top of the flywheel), but it had come apart and was
wedged against either the crankshaft or the flywheel. It's been years,
so I cant quite recall all the details, but once I removed that
generator, the engine spun fine. So the problem was not inside the
engine at all. Pull off the cover and check to make sure nothing is
jammed on top or under the flywheel. It might not be indide the engine
at all.

Arnie Goetchius

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Mar 4, 2016, 7:02:35 AM3/4/16

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I meant to say "hydro lock" as that is what happened on my lawn tractor. Adding
a $5 dollar gas cutoff valve and using the valve to turn off the engine has
solved my problem.