I am completely flummoxed on this failure

[docmirror]

LT 1045. I bought the mower as a dead machine. It had a starter on it, but it was frozen from sitting. I got it to crank but I noticed, it's turning the engine the wrong way! I'm serious - the bendix extends and engages the ring on the flywheel. The engine turns, and I'm looking at the cooling fins. They are running so that the air will be sucked up from the engine, and not drawn in through the top screen and blown down on to the engine.

Nat - I ordered a new starter for a Courage 20 engine from Amazon. It fits, it cranks and it is also going backward?!

Yes, I have the red lead to the batt + and the ground to the batt - terminal. The lights come on the panel, they go out when it cranks, but it is still going backward(reverse rotation).

It is a Kohler Courage 20 engine. The shroud says "built exclusively for Cub Cadet" on the top sticker.

Engine family: 6KHXS.5972GB
TYPE APPL e11 *97/68SA*2002/88*0285*01
Disp 597
Model No SV600
Spec No SV600-0009
Serial No 3624910943
Build date 09/06/2006

Has anyone heard of this before? I KNOW it's turning the wrong way. I have good spark, and I have spritzed carb cleaner in it, and it will pop, sputter and backfire through the carb a bit. Telling me - it's cranking the wrong way.

Special Cub only starter? The way the bendix flys up, it will only engage in one direction, and it's grabbing the starter ring perfectly. Just - backward rotation.

GAH!

[ol'George]

Sum ting wong wif yer eyes.
First off the "bendix" would not engage the ring gear if it was turning in the incorrect direction, so that rules out the wrong starter and the Bat-tree having
discharged, and improperly recharged with reverse polarity ( I have seen that also)
And your multimeter would tell you if the bat-tree was reversed polarity.
(again the bendix would not advance into the ring gear)
Have you looked to see if the mower blades would be turning in the correct direction when the engine is turning in the direction it is trying to start?
I'll bet not.
I would bet you are not understanding the flywheel fan.
But I have been wrong once,---- I think.

[Cubcadet_107]

Almost all 4 cycle engines run in a clockwise direction when looking at the front (top in this case). In order to spin the engine clockwise the starter must spin counterclockwise. Just take a look while its spinning over, and see if the flywheel is indeed spinning clockwise. If it is then nothing is wrong

[docmirror]

While I'll be dipped in chocolate, and set on the ant hill. The way the fan blades are aligned, I don't know how this engine will ever get any air blowing down on it.

I did look at the deck blades, and yes - it appears that the engine and deck must turn in a CW direction to operate right. If that is the case, the whole thing is working right, but I cannot get it to fire. I have a new spark plug, and new coil, tested good get nice blue spark, and I've spritzed carb cleaner in it, but it will NOT light off and run. At this point, I'm going to check my compression, cuz fuel and ignition are present.

Curiouser and curiouser. Well, at least I guess my new starter is the right one, and my understanding of aerodynamics of blowers is flawed. Those fan blades seem backward to me. When I think of the arced blades in a pool pump, and also on vented brake disk rotors which draw from the center, and discharge to the edge, this deal is opposite. Zoiks.

[docmirror]

Originally Posted by ol'George

Sum ting wong wif yer eyes.
First off the "bendix" would not engage the ring gear if it was turning in the incorrect direction, so that rules out the wrong starter and the Bat-tree having
discharged, and improperly recharged with reverse polarity ( I have seen that also)
And your multimeter would tell you if the bat-tree was reversed polarity.
(again the bendix would not advance into the ring gear)
Have you looked to see if the mower blades would be turning in the correct direction when the engine is turning in the direction it is trying to start?
I'll bet not.
I would bet you are not understanding the flywheel fan.
But I have been wrong once,---- I think.

I thought possible there were two rotation starters, and I simply got one that operated opposite direction. I'm aware the bendix won't engage in reverse spin.

[ol'George]

Some carb cleaners are not Flammable.
I suggest you dribble some gasoline into the carb throat.
it no joy then look deeper for valve action AT THE CORRECT TIME and spark at THE CORRECT TIME
and insure you have compression.
The ol'finner in da spark plug hole while cranking will give you an eye dear iffin yall have compression if you do not have a compression gauge.
Do not contact the spark plug wire wif yer finner while cranking because yall wish you didn't and prolly soil yer breeches if you do.

[Cubcadet_107]

It's not super common but since you can't get more than a pop or sputter, pull the flywheel bolt and check to see if the flywheel key has sheared. Since the engine is timed by the magnet on the flywheel, shearing the key will advance the timing quite a lot and cause it to only sputter and backfire.

[ol'George]

Most times a "sheared key" is in a vertical engine with the cutting blade attached to the crankshaft directly under the deck as in a hand push mower.
Not so much in other applications unless the flywheel is not torqued to spec or comes loose and works on the key till it shears it.

[DeltaCub]

Pull the valve cover, crank the engine and see if the pushrods are in place and moving the rockers arms correctly.

[docmirror]

When I push the engine around by hand - clockwise, there isn't much resistance. I'm gonna check the flywheel timed right, and also the valve action. I will borrow a comp gauge and see what I get from that too.

I looked up the rotation online for Kohler engines, one of the references said 'clockwise rotation from the SHAFT', which to me meant the driveshaft.