Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - b&s 17hp stalls on load

craftsmen rider b&s 17hp (311707-0132-e-1) had blk smoke from exhaust, i took breather at carb off (it was loose) cleaned and resealed to crank case.ok for a while then (15 mins) heavy copious white smoke from exhaust.drained & refilled oil to proper level, there was no gas in oil.now it will start & idle (smokes a little white) but under any load(either by engaging blades or moving forward or back) stalls immediately.now when i pulled the plug it had some crusty mat'l on it.the piston is moving, but i have no way of cking compression. is this a hd gasket? any way to ck? can anyone suggest a repair manual(library) or online instruction if its a hd gasket. thanks in advance for any help:wall:

Try letting off the clutch with the tranny in neutral. Does it still die? If so, it's the seat switch causing the problem. The smoke is another problem...could be blown head gasket, if it still is smoking excessively. I'd get a new plug too.

cheese thanks for the quick response! there was a prob with the switch, it now will run under load with the mower on .now the bad, it will not move forward.theres smoke & back firing thru the carb.now the question, is hd gasket gone (i'm thinkin yeah) bad enough i can't move or do i also have a tranny prob? it's an auto trans.
have to run now, back this aftn. thank you, harry

Ok, before worrying about the engine, find out if the tranny is good. First, check the relief valve at the back of the mower. Is it in the "roll" position? If so, correct it and try again. If it still doesn't move, check the tranny belt to be sure it is on and tight.

cheese,i've got a couple things goin on & in the midst of it you're right i left it in roll.the tranny's good.
the battery is not holding charge.i think the seat switch is malfunctioning.i can start it with the seat up so i think it's drawing juice all the time. mean time while running it's puffin a lot of white smoke.think i'm still in for hd gasket.gonna put a new plug in an try to get 1 more cut in(not that big a yard & i'm in FL so its gettin high). what do you think? thanks harry

Go for it if you're confident you won't let the oil get too low. Double check the oil again and make sure it isn't too high and/or gassy smelling...just to be sure. If not, go for the head gasket. It's a common problem on that engine.

The seat switch shouldn't affect cranking. The engine won't crank if the clutch isn't depressed and the blades aren't disengaged...but it doesn't matter if you're on the seat or not. Now it will shut off if you release the clutch or turn on the blades and you are not on the seat. If it operates differently than this, there is a problem.

cheese, no gas in oil & it's not high.i don't get to far an huge white sm billows from exhaust also a lot of backfire thru the carb.will take 5 w/days to get hd & other gaskets.please what torque on hd bolts? will keep ya posted.thanks, harry.

220 inch lbs on the head bolts.

so I replaced hd gasket & tidyed up in there, now it won't start.battery is good. powered starter direct when it turns to compression it hangs up there & quits.is starter bad or did i not adjust the valves right?(compression seems tough by hand).
to adjust valves i removed plug, brought piston to tdc then turned 1/4 turn on flywheel and set exhaust valve at .006 & intake at .004.
help i'm stumped, thanks, harry

Double check the valve settings...sounds like they're too loose still.

cheese was my procedure for the valve adj correct?......with plug removed i got piston hd closest to the base of the plug then moved drive pulley 1/4 turn and adjusted exhaust & intake valves to.006 & .004 respectively(per owners manual) bear with me please i'm a novice. thanks harry

The piston is at tdc twice, you have to find the correct
one. Rotate the flywheel by hand, watch the valves while
holding a pencil in the plug hole. At one revolution, when the
piston is coming to the top, one of the valves is closing,
and as you come to the top, the one is closing, and the
other one is starting to open... You want the other one..

Rotate the flywheel around again, and find that tdc, and keep
it right there, that will be good enough.

Fish

fish, thanks for the info, finally i'm back in the saddle.you were right on about the tdc, when i found it i went a tad clockwise on the flywheel & reset the valves......an away it went.you can watch the grass grow down here(fla) this time of year so i sure appreciate you guys help.
thankyou harry

Glad you got it, and thanks for the update!