PIcked up a 3165 this weekend.

Morkai · Jul 6, 2014

New edition to my Cub family... I came across a deal on an old 3165 project and couldn't pass it up. It had a stater failure and sat up for a couple years. It was supposedly mowing and working fine before the starter failure and the kid working on it for the owner couldn't get the starter off and he just parked it. It ended up in the hands of a repair guy that's now retiring and wanted to get rid of it for $350. The engine turns, oil looks good, hydro fluid is clean. It's mostly just dirty and a little rust etc from sitting under a shelter for years. It had just had a new gas tank, clean as a new one on the inside. If the hour meter is right it's just over 500hrs.

I guess my first task is to get the starter replaced try to get it to fire up. If the engine cranks and runs good and the hydros are good, I'm going to be a happy camper.

Jack Vines · Jul 9, 2014

Before you buy a new starter, test the old one. I came across a "starter failure" which was really a wiring and switch failure. Much less expensive fix.

jack vines

scoutcub · Jul 11, 2014

great deal for a 3000 series! Which deck?

Morkai · Jul 11, 2014

The guy had another starter, so all I have to do is swap them. The problem is the top starter bolt. B&S makes a special 1/4" drive universal socket to get at it. Looks like I'm going to have to engineer my own. (I'm not paying $40-50) It's the 54" deck.

Also noticed it has a 51-4 battery, is that the standard in the older machines?

Morkai · Jul 11, 2014

Well, good news and bad news...

I got the starter off, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. The bad news is the lower bolt hole is broken out on the back side of the block.

Morkai · Jul 30, 2014

Well, the starter mount is FUBAR, but I managed to get it started. After hooking the fuel pump up the right way and cleaning the carb and bypassing the fuel solenoid. Runs pretty good. Everything seems to work, even the low fuel light.