Craftsman 18 hp hard to turn over?

[300UGUY]

Is your engine an OHV engine which has easily adjustable valve or the old L head engine which does not?

This one must be the old one, the valve is in the block. I took the plugs out, it doesn't seem to be a compression problem. It didn't turn over very well. I have a new starter and solenoid, and I am using a battery charger to turn it over. It should be really spinning. I am debating what to do next - junk it, pay somebody to rebuild the motor, or ??

 

[rsewill]

This one must be the old one, the valve is in the block. I took the plugs out, it doesn't seem to be a compression problem. It didn't turn over very well. I have a new starter and solenoid, and I am using a battery charger to turn it over. It should be really spinning. I am debating what to do next - junk it, pay somebody to rebuild the motor, or ??

Like Dana Warner said, jump start it from a vehicle. Try it without plugs. Don't burn out your starter.

 

[Dana Warner]

I'm sure others will disagree with me but battery chargers are not designed to be used in place of a battery. If you want to test the operation of your starter you should be jumping the starter from a good battery. Even a bad battery can cause you to have starter symptoms. I would suggest you remove your bad battery from the circuit and jump directly from a good battery. The battery charger is ok to be used as a boost on a weak battery but should not be used in place of a battery.