have a 18 hp craftsman engine # 422707. 2 months ago i had my tractor "looked at" by a guy who works on small engines to get it cranking.. before i could turn the key and it would spin but not crank. over and over.. so i was told that my carb was cleaned and adjusted and a starter componet was replaced to eliminate the winding noise. now i notice that when i try to start it doesnt fully want to turn over. I replaced the battery and i'm having the same prblm!! is there anything that i can check and try to eliminate myself or call up sears for a repair visit ?
any help would be appreciated

well, the "craftsman engine" , what brand, briggs and stratton, what? ok that starter component, sounds like the starter gear, does it spin and catch, or does i spin, then stops, and the starter keeps going making a noise? also, does the battery you have, its fully charged right? most of em don't come fully charged, and for a big engine, i would not use less then 200 cranking amps, it could be catching, but the battery doesn't have the juice to keep it going when the compression stroke comes up. if its under warranty, hey get sears to fix it, simplest way to rid it of the problem.

This could be anything from a failing battery to a bad ground but I would check the valve clearance. The late model OHV engines have this problem often. A little to much clearance and the compression release will not work and the engine will hang on the compression stroke.

Mike

here's an update. the battery is new and fully charged.. i turned the key and it barely spun.. i took 1 spark plug out and then cranked.. it spun and spun around, any ideas to that. also my 2nd spark plug is hard as heck to unscrew. any tips to get that loose.. they're brand new plugs. thks

yep, it does sound like what mikemerritt said... since by taking the plug out, there was little compression to keep it from turning. the other plug can come out, you'll need a good spark plug wrench, and or a socket to go on a ratchet

have a 18 hp craftsman engine # 422707. 2 months ago i had my tractor "looked at" by a guy who works on small engines to get it cranking.. before i could turn the key and it would spin but not crank. over and over.. so i was told that my carb was cleaned and adjusted and a starter componet was replaced to eliminate the winding noise. now i notice that when i try to start it doesnt fully want to turn over. I replaced the battery and i'm having the same prblm!! is there anything that i can check and try to eliminate myself or call up sears for a repair visit ?
any help would be appreciated


sounds to me like the starter is toast ,,, a common problem when cranked and held on start position with a low battery , might sound stupid but smell the bottom of the starter i bet it smells burned ,,, something else you might check first is the belt that runs your blades make sure the belt is loose alot of times on the mowers that are made to where the front of the deck is hooked to the front axle the front axle will get some play in it and let the deck go too far back and let the belt get tight so you might check the deck belt first