P220G Locked up

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 5:35 pm

My son and I just acquired a 1990 520H Wheel Horse with a mere 93 hours on it. It sat out in the weather with just a cookie sheet over the hood for the past 5 years. The previous owner attempted to change the spark plugs and used the wrong plug. We installed the correct plugs, changed the fuel filter, filled it up with new gas and a little sea foam, installed a new battery and commenced to firing it up. After some minor malfunctions involving the starter and key switch, believe it or not the thing started. It ran for about a minute and shut down. It started back up after choking it and ran for another minute or so. This time it would not turn over and is acting like it is locked up. We checked the oil before the initial start up and found that it had what looked like an adequate amount. When it shut down the final time, we checked the oil and found it barely touching the dipstick. We filled the oil back up and removed the plugs and squirted pb blaster in each cylinder. When you bump the ignition switch you can see the flywheel bump but it still will not turn over. Does anyone have any suggestions that do not include replacing the engine? Because the rear plug had been left out for so long, I have a bad feeling that what we saw on the dipstick on the initial inspection was watered down oil and that when it ran for the brief period it did, that water boiled off and left no lubrication in the engine at all. The engine never did make any noises to indicate a lack of oil ie. knocking, pinging, or metal to metal squealing. I'm hoping this can be solved without a major overhaul.\r\n\r\nThanks for any help.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:15 pm

You will all be happy to know the beast is no longer locked up. Apparently soaking the cylinders in PB Blaster for 2 weeks freed it up. It is now running like the day it rolled off the assembly line. However, the belt that drives the mower deck broke so we're in search of a replacement. Any suggestions? Looking forward to some snow this winter so we can test out the blade attachment. Man, what a tank!