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Bought a 5 yr old snapper.It was hard to crank when buying,but cranked and cut good.When i got it home it wouldn't crank.I know it's not firing because I took out the plug and touched it on metal and cranked & no spark. it was an old spark plug & when i bought another on it was the same shape ,but it had a brass looking tip --not a silver one. anyway it wouldn't fire either. cleaned the magnita and fly wheel magnets & still want crank--please help. i also changed gas,cleaned carborator,and air filter--stumped?
There can be other culprits besides spark plugs and rusty magnets (I never even heard of that one). You do have to worry that you might be causing problems on your quest to rectify your problem.
When did it crank and when did it not? What do you mean that it cranked hard? You mentioned that you cranked it after you pulled the sparkplug to see if you had spark. I have to wonder if it did not crank when the sparkplug was still in? Is it possible that you flooded the mower or got oil in the cylinder when bringing it home?
Did you buy this from a shop or from a private home? If it would not run after you got it home; you might ask the seller to aid you. Also check your manual on the safety switches, Possibly in moving you disturbed one of the safety switches? You can also try talking with Snapper: No Result. Sometimes these links don't help the home handyman - they only point you in the direction of the nearest service.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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When testing the spark plug, you need to have someone sitting on it. There is a switch under the seat that prevents it from starting when no one is sitting on it. There may also be other safety switches. My Craftsman will not spark if it's not in neutral, with the mow clutch released. If you do that and do find spark, then it's most likely a fuel/air issue. If the choke is sticking closed, it will flood. If the carburetor jets are clogged it won't get fuel. One way to test and often fix that is to pull the spark plug, and use a funnel or turkey baster to put a teaspoonful or so of fuel directly into the top of the piston. Then put the plug back in and see if you get a few chugs.
I hate to state the rather obvious, but does your mower have a fuel shutoff valve in the line from the tank to the carburetor? If so, did you open it? Mine did not, but I added one, so I can shut it off and run it dry when I won't be using it for a month or more.
Five years owning a lawnmower shop and I never replaced one bad coil or bad flywheel (other than cracked flywheels on Tecumseh from hitting rocks). I did replace one bad coil after I got out of business; but these are usually the last things you look at.
The OP's Snapper is only five years old and should not have problems with spark since it has electronic ignition. I am not saying that is impossible; but I would still look for other simpler things to be wrong - then turn my attention on more complicated problems. I worry about people that have not had the experience pulling flywheels and causing more damage that could lead to very expensive repairs.
Five years owning a lawnmower shop and I never replaced one bad coil or bad flywheel (other than cracked flywheels on Tecumseh from hitting rocks). I did replace one bad coil after I got out of business; but these are usually the last things you look at.
The OP's Snapper is only five years old and should not have problems with spark since it has electronic ignition. I am not saying that is impossible; but I would still look for other simpler things to be wrong - then turn my attention on more complicated problems. I worry about people that have not had the experience pulling flywheels and causing more damage that could lead to very expensive repairs.
I kinda doubt the "spark" problem also. It's a tiny spark, and if the plug is not grounded while testing, you will never see it. My guess is a fuel delivery problem. Pick up some starting fluid, remove the air filter, and spray some into the throat of the carb. Crank it over and see what happens. If it pops or runs a short time it's a fuel problem. The electronic fuel solenoid could also be stuck closed or faulty, which screws in directly under the fuel bowl.
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