2003 craftsman LT 1000 wont start sounds like loose rod

[jerry punch]

hey guys, been reading some of the post on the 18 hp craftsman riders, heres what happened to me.
I was having a hard time starting my rider,and was told the valves needed adjusted, so i took it to a repair shop, they adjusted the valves and replaced the starter, after paying them 250.00 I started it and noticed white smoke, which i never had before, this stopped after the first mow, however I was only able to mow 2 more times with this mower, and then it just made a sound and died, I took it back to the repair shop and they said it had a loose rod and would cost 800.00 to repair, (yea I was pretty ticked off) anyway I have the mower back home and was wondering how hard it would be for me to repair? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[cheese]

Holy cow... you can get a brand new engine for a little over half their price to fix. You should be able to fix this yourself, if the engine didn't get damaged beyond repair. Does it have compression?

[jerry punch]

Hey,
Ya I`m sure it does, there is no damage to the block. I removed the spark plug, and turned the top while watching the piston move in and out, it`s just when you attempt to start, there is a loud clanking sound.

[printer-man]

could be the wrist pin snapped.
either way you have to pull the jug (cylinder) and see what
it needs. if you put in a new pin and rod and bearings (if the crank shaft is still good) you may want to hone the cylinder and put on new rings. ( all 3)
that would get rid of the smoke.

[jerry punch]

well actually the smoking kinda subsided, it was the white smoke, it was just enough to let me know the engine wasn`t like it was before I took it into the shop, I don`t know if I should just put an ad in the paper for the best offer or find someone on the side to repair it, I am not going to be able to fix it on my own ( I have never done any repair that envolved before).
I guess I was hoping it would be something fairly easy to fix.

[cheese]

Check the engine mounting bolts, they sound like a bad rod when they are loose enough to allow the engine to move slightly when cranking. Also check the PTO pulley bolt for the same reason. I doubt you'd hear a "loose rod" during cranking. I don't think that's your problem.

[jerry punch]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will check, It definetly makes a rattle when trying to start. It would be great if it was something simple, and not a major engine problem! but, would that cause the engine not to start as well?

[cheese]

No, that wouldn't cause it to not start. You said the piston moves in and out... Does it go all the way down the cylinder and back all the way to the top of the cylinder when turning the engine? If so, the rod is at least still connected to the piston and crankshaft.