Introduction: Lawn Tractor Repair and Racer

I wanted to build something that was interesting to me, something that would be somewhat of a challenge to make. I didn't want to just slap a simple project together in 20 minutes and have everything done. Tinkering with engines and vehicles in my free time is a fun hobby of mine and making a racing lawn mower is something I thought would be cool to do. The engine in the mower was bad so I replaced it with a never used kawasaki FH641v twin lawn mower engine that was given to me by my school. The lawn mower I used was found junked in a field.

Step 1: Removing the Old Engine

To remove the old engine you need a ratchet, a couple different sized sockets, an extension, wrenches, a flathead and a phillips screwdriver, and if you prefer an impact wrench. Now you can get started breaking things down.

Step 2: Disconnecting the Wiring

Start by disconnecting the battery cable located underneath the seat. After the battery is disconnected then you want to start undoing the wiring. This step is pretty simple just look and see how the wires are connected (usually by a plug or spliced together). Now that the wiring is removed disconnect the throttle and choke cables that are attached to the engine (usually located on the side). Next disconnect the fuel line attached to the fuel tank and the engine.

Step 3: Unbolting

Now that all the wiring is out of the way start unbolting the deck of the lawn mower. First undo the main drive belt off of a pulley located underneath the engine that runs the blades, when you do this go ahead and start unbolting the deck. There's going to be a threaded bar that holds the deck up that is bolted onto the front I would start with that. When you get that done unbolt the brackets around the deck that are attached to the frame. After the brackets are unattached you almost be done with the deck. The last step in removing the deck is removing the PTO cable. You do this by undoing two bolts holding the cable to the frame on either side of the mower. When you get done with this it's best to remove the muffler guard on the front of the mower then you can unbolt the muffler from the engine and remove it.

Step 4: Removing the Engine

To remove the engine start by unbolting the front pulley located underneath of the engine and remove the transmission belt from the top of the pulley and slide the pulley off the crankshaft. When the belt and pulley are off the engine start to unbolt the screws that mount the engine to the frame. There are 4 bolts that hold the engine in place. When the removal of the bolts are done you can now lift the engine off the frame and replace it with a new engine.

Step 5: Bolt New Engine to Frame

Grab your new engine and set it onto the frame and bolt it down. After the engine is in rewire it. After rewiring the engine just follow the steps back to putting everything back together. I did not put the deck back onto the frame as I am making this mower a racing mower. I also did not put the exhaust back on. I had to find a longer throttle cable because the engine I replaced it with was out of a zero turn and the throttle was located on the front. The engine I put in this mower had been sitting for 5-10 years so the components and oil had settled making things stick. When First starting the engine I had to take off the air filter and put gas in the carburetor to make it fire. the engine kept dying because it couldn't suck in fuel. I figured out the solenoid was stuck and wouldn't let in fuel so I took off the fuel line and blew into it unclogging the port. After everything is together you can take the pulley in the front and flip it to make it bigger. When you do this take the pulley on the back and make it smaller. You will have to fit different belts to the pulleys after you swap them. Swapping the pulleys will make the lawn mower faster than it was before you changed them.

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