adsm08 3,261 #1 Posted August 3, 2019 So I went to try and mow tonight. The 855 would only crank half a turn. Rocked it back and forth with the belt until it stopped turning in either direction, Then I went and pulled the spark plug to look. It turns over fine with no spark plug, but the piston doesn't move. I wanted to get the engine rebuilt before winter hit in full, but I was hoping to wait until mowing season was over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JAinVA 4,637 #2 Posted August 3, 2019 If it's a Kohler you cant see the piston with the plug out.I'm not saying you don't have a serious internal issue but you aren't going to see the piston move.With the plug out turn the engine over by hand with your finger over the plug hole.If no air movement is detected then you will be digging in further.Luck,JAinVA 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,406 #3 Posted August 3, 2019 Twist up some toilet tissue or paper towel then screw it into the spark plug hole. on the compression stroke you'll hear a loud pop as the paper plug is blown free from the hole. On L head engines the spark plug is positioned over the valves. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 23,281 #4 Posted August 4, 2019 It's not a big deal to pull the head and take a look. You don't want to do more damage. If you are going to re-build it in the fall, you have a good chance that you can use the same head gasket and torque it back down for a month if you find nothing wrong. The gasket is only about $18 and you can get it in 2 days from E-Bay. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
