Briggs 6.75 on Craftsman 22' deck knocks & smokes in tall grass

14 years ago

I bought this used last summer & almost immediately it began knocking, only when hitting a high patch or other type of load. If there are 10 knocks there are 10 puffs of blue smoke out the exhaust. It also smells like it's burning oil the whole time it's running. I've only used it once this season right after changing the oil (again) so I didn't see a noticeable drop in the oil level but I know it's burning some. I just wonder if it may be a broken ring or something more expensive than the mower is worth. I'm on a tight budget right now & can't afford a new one so any advice would be appreciated.

On another note, I have to use the primer bulb 7-10 times EVERY time I start it unless it's been shut off less than a minute or so. Any ideas? Thanks so much.

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Comment (1)

rustyj14
14 years ago
Maybe you should use a weed wacker on the high grass first, then trim it out with the mower. It sounds like you are over-loading the capacity of the engine by loading it up with that tall, thick grass. Or, the only other thing would be to buy one of those machines that are advertised to mow high weeds, grass, and anything else.
Your "poor mower" is suffering by you using it in that tall thick stuff--give it a break-buy a good weed-wacker!