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fanfare123

Repair or junk a John Deere 14 SB mower?

fanfare123
12 years ago

Posted by james/seattle WA on Thu, Jun 9, 11 at 2:52

I first posted this as a "followup" on another thread started some years back (with some recent responses). Not sure if that is "correct" so thought I'd start my own new post. Thanks to anyone with advice!

I have a well-used John Deere 14SB silver deck walk-behind mower. It's been a good mower but perhaps not maintained so well (my neighbor gave it to me when he had trouble starting it). A couple of cables rusted/corroded/froze up from outdoor storage and after some work with some WD-40 I got the drive gear working again, except now it's constantly in drive and you have to fight it to pull it backwards, turn corners, etc. I can live with that for my home mowing, but the latest: hard-starting (I got the manual and tried some choke/throttle adjustments and cleaned the air filter). NOW the problem is that when I try to engage the blade the motor dies. Just by my description (not actually seeing the machine)the local lawn mower repair shop said the motor is prob. dead, that even just a cable replacement wouldn't be worth the price (they quoted $60-80 just for a cable and said you can NOT retrofit anything else to work). If I could just "get it to mow" I'd be happy. Any suggestions?

Comments (6)

  • roadbike
    12 years ago

    I would look for another shop and this time take the machine in. You got the mower for free, so if you spent $200 and got fully functioning mower in return then you would be ahead of buying a box store mower. However, if you do rehab the mower be sure to store it inside.

  • ewalk
    12 years ago

    Before you toss the unit or spend excessive money why not do a simple compression test . There are a multitude of issues as simple as decarbonizing the engine , to rehoning and rings to reboring and oversize piston & rings to valve relapping or replacement . If the unit is Genuine John Deere than as RB has suggesteed it may well worth a rebuild indeed , since a comparable replacement would be well more of an investment . Is the Chassis and Wheels etc other than the cable in fair to good condition ?

  • dpadilla3_socal_rr_com
    12 years ago

    I have a few year old John Deer 14Z 21 inch walk behind mover and have had it in storage for a few years, I did drain the gasoline however, not the oil. Where is your local Southern Cal repair shop. The web site has everything except repair locations.

  • ronwilhelm_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    I have had 2 of the 14 sb walk behinds for over 20 years. A few suggestions. Greese the rear wheel axil,zerks are on each side. Check the fuel jet on top of the carborator. The best way to clean it is to remove the little brass jet and spray carb cleaner through the jet. It has 2 hole in it. Make sure they are both clean. Spray Carb cleaner inside the carborator. Put in a new spark plug. Is the air filter clean/new? Let me know

  • roadbike
    12 years ago

    What you don't know is how much other damage there is. I would not put much in an estimate of damage or cost to repair from a repairman who hasn't even seen the machine. Take in to another reputable shop and ask what it will cost to get it right. Then just compare the cost of repair vs replacement. Remember that the mower may have other corrosion damage from being stored outside.

  • RandySellet
    11 years ago

    By all means save this Mower with the Kawasaki engine!
    I've just saved ours, and when I got to looking into engine wearout, I was shocked to see that the valve adjustments held steady for 15 years, and are within .0005 of what the spec is! That is unbelievable, even cars don't hold tolerances that well as they undergo a lot of wear and tear.
    Your problem is probably the same exact same one that I had. It throws you for a loop for sure.
    MOST LIKELY it is your carburetor MAIN JET, that you need to actually unscrew and clean with nylon Fishing Line. Yes! My Jet actually looked great, with my eyesight, it had a very round opening and didn't look like any junk was blocking it. BUT ... there was uniform build-up of gasoline residues, that I was able to rough-out, but using fishing line and just running it through the jet maybe 10 times, and when I saw the opening getting larger, I knew I was onto something! The Fishing Line won't damage the soft brass jet, so don't worry about enlarging the opening too much. But once you get this back in, and your Carb back on, you will be amazed! As you throttle-up and then Engage the Blade Clutch, the Engine will pull strongly and NOT Stall-Out !!!
    Oh - There is NO replacement or rebuilt carburetor available, so treat it well, you can probably re-use the same gaskets, and maybe a little bit of gasket sealer -Automotive type is fine.
    Good Luck !