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Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

My tiller just died for no reason and now the pull cord won't pull to start it. It's stuck, like it's locked or something. I was going to take it in to get it fixed, but anybody have any idea what would be causing it?

Thanks!

Matt

5/14/2009 8:33:31 PM

Oklahoma State Record Holder

Seized bearing? How is the oil?

5/14/2009 8:34:46 PM

Winston Salem NC

pull the spark plug and see if it will turn. also if you take the belt or chain off then you will be concentrating on just the motor and not any driveline issues.

5/14/2009 9:00:32 PM

Williamsburg,KY

Mine did the same thing one year, it was the transmission, then the cord broke. All now fixed. Or perhaps fuel line problem, like some junk in the fuel line. Clean the carb is you can. YOu can find all kinds of manuals on the internet depending on what make your tiller is. Once I got the problem figured out the people at the manufacturer actually walked me thru how to fix it.

5/14/2009 9:12:23 PM

anytown U.S,A,

Was it knocking before it quit?

5/14/2009 9:49:46 PM

Falls City, NE

Matt what kind of tiller do you have? Try taking the cord cover off and making sure the cord didn't just get stuck between the pulley and housing with the cover off try and turn the motor over.

5/14/2009 10:32:40 PM

Long Island,New York

Might be the nut behind the handle too.

5/15/2009 6:20:02 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

matt: did you hit something with it when it died?

5/15/2009 8:03:15 AM

Along with the other suggestions, make sure it isn't in gear or that some other safety interlock hasn't been activated that will not allow the cord to be pulled. This wouldn't explain why it just died on you, but worth checking.

5/15/2009 11:10:42 AM

Rudolph

Ok, Me and my father had that happen to are tiller earlyer this year, the problem with are's was, the pisten shaft shaterd, And luckly it did'nt blow up the engine, So we were able to fix it, now that was with are's, and if your saying it would not start at all, then the pull cord got stuck, thats your problem, most likely a peace of the pisten shaft got caught in the pull cord gears, when you tryed to start it back up, and thats why the pull cord wont work, hope this helps.

5/15/2009 7:21:23 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

I'm still trying to figure out what Glenn meant by the "nut behind the handle"?????;-)

5/15/2009 7:52:06 PM

[email protected]

In a previous life I ran a commercial power equipment shop.

First pull the plug wire off.
Can you turn it over by hand?
Did it (does it) have oil in the crankcase? What color is it?
Are you sure it's in neutral? Is the clutch stuck?
Remove the recoil - now does it turn?
Now pull the plug out. Any sign of debris? It should now turn freely.
Tillers are like show blowers. We only pay attention to them when they don't run. As such the simple yet critical items are sometimes overlooked. Despite low hours, I found a surprising number of broken connecting rods over the years.

5/15/2009 11:26:54 PM

[email protected]

What brand tiller? Engine?

5/15/2009 11:29:09 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

JMatt...sorry for yer pain, hope it is fixable...but this IS funny!!! "The nut behind the handle"!!! G strikes again!!! LOL Peace, Wayne

5/16/2009 2:17:20 AM

Sequim, WA

I resent the implication.

5/17/2009 1:05:51 AM

Bloomington, IN

lol!

5/17/2009 5:14:44 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

New name for Glen...."The LI Implication"??? Peace, Wayne

5/19/2009 1:12:47 AM