I Have a MTD Mower with a 3.5hp Tecumseh, Model: LEV80 . I picked this mower up at a garage sale, it looks very new and i bought it "Not Running". I take it apart and find the camshaft is broke in 2 (Exhaust valve wasent opening). So i ordered a new shaft and installed it just as the old one came out (Timing dots together) and it wont fire. I even took it apart again to double check the timing marks and it was still ok. Put everything back together (with new gaskets ofcourse) and she still wont fire. My Spark is very good so no problem there. I have gas, but i dont think the plug is as soaked as it should be.. what puzzels me is that my timing marks are ok and it just wont fire...

Please help :confused: :confused: :confused:

Andrew

have you tried starting fluid and or gas down the carb? even then if it won't fire, make sure the coil is gapped right, plug is gapped right, and make sure the flywheel key isn't sheared, that must be flat on all sides of the key, a little indention still is bad. your valves do open and close fine don't they?

yes everything is good both valves open fully when called upon :). I forgot to add one thing.. after you pull it 3 times or so... the next time you might only get the re-coil cord out 1/2 way.. then it locks up tight (hurts believe me) so i dont know...

may be if it has a compression release, that got messed up, wierd how it could have snapped the cam...... also make sure the valves are set right. but they could have gotten damaged

yeah it weird. i hope you can understand what iam trying to say in my post....

where is the compression release?

some rely on valve and cam timing to work, and some are a spring operated compression release that knocks the exhaust valve open some while turning it over to have easier pulling. when it hits like that, could be the compression stroke....

I dont want to sink a lot of money into it...

well...........since you have gotten the broken stuff situated with. i'd stick in there as long as it doesn't add more to the tab. like what i do, if it gets to be more then what its worth, stop there. a cheap 20 or 21 or 22 incher with a b&s on a murray or bolens mtd's these days go for cheap. i just never liked tecumseh anyway, they were picky as hell to get running right. hey, you may luck up and find a free one that needs a carb rebuild in someones back yard, or sometimes a junkyard will have some good ones where people threw em out on account of sometimes, just because it wouldn't start right.