# Toro Timecutter Z 1844 starting issues.



## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Have a Timecutter Z with a Briggs 18hp Intek series engine in the shop currently that won't crank over. It tries to, but it seems as though there is too much compression. I have already adjusted the rocker arms to bring them back into spec, and I thought that fixed the issue. After I did that, it cranked over fine and started right up. "Great!" I thought. I tried starting it about 5-6 times to be sure it was working, then buttoned everything back up. Made an appointment Friday to deliver the unit, and when I went to load it, it was doing the same thing again, cranking until it hit compression, then stopping and very slowly working past the compression only to stop when it hit it the next time around. I tried jumping it, thinking I may have left the key on or deadened the battery by starting it so many times the day before, but it made absolutely no difference. I tried bypassing the solenoid and jumping directly to the starter, but that made no difference either.

One thing I noticed, and didn't think much of at the time was when I had it running the day before with the engine shroud off (customer had removed it before I picked it up), the starter would very slowly and very jerkily spin backwards once the engine was started and running. When it was shut off it didn't do it. I could stop it with one finger, and it seemed to be jumping between magnetic poles as it would jump a certain distance each time then pause and then jump, then pause, then jump, etc. So, what should I try now? Could the starter be damaged from them cranking it for over a year with the valves out of adjustment and the deco valve not working properly? Is there some other wiring issue I haven't found yet? Are Briggs & Stratton Intek engines just a steaming pile of crap? 

This thing has really pissed me off because it was working flawlessly the day before, then acts exactly the same as before when I go to load it. I got to be the ******* that called the customer back and had to tell them that its broken again and my "fix" was bogus. Makes me feel about an inch tall because I take great pride in my repair work, and when something like this happens I take it personally. Any ideas?


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## BelarusBulldog (Feb 19, 2011)

This thing has really pissed me off because it was working flawlessly the day before, then acts exactly the same as before when I go to load it. I got to be the ******* that called the customer back and had to tell them that its broken again and my "fix" was bogus. Makes me feel about an inch tall because I take great pride in my repair work, and when something like this happens I take it personally. Any ideas? 
From a customer point of view, I would be impressed with your honesty in calling and telling me what went wrong and not just delivering back a faulty machine. I have had this happen to me personally, and would rather wait to have it fixed so not a re-ocuring problem. The first thing that came to mind was hydro lock from fuel leaking into cylinders? You said the engine worked fine after you did the adjustment, so do you have another starter you could try? You said you by-passed all the wirering, so it's not that.  Let us know what you find, Thanks. Bye


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## Country Boy (Mar 18, 2010)

Should probably provide some closure to this. Finally figured out the issue. Someone (not the current owner) had done some work on the unit in the past and had moved the ground wire for the rectifier/regulator to the positive terminal on the starter motor. Every time you started the unit, it would dump current through that wire, and while it was running, it was trying to ground through that wire. I moved the wire to a starter mounting bolt and it started right up. Not sure how I missed that wire the first go-round, but it was mounted in such a way that it was out of sight until I went to try swapping out the starter.


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