I inherited an older snapper riding mower, It has not been run in about 3 yrs. I have replaced the plug, cleaned the gas tank, changed the oil, and replaced the battery. It will turn over all day long, can smell gas and cranks harder when you put on full choke, but nothing. I have noticed the neg cable on the battery that grounds will heat up and smoke a little when craking. any ideas?

billy, July 2009

The cables shouldn't heat up at all really - unless you have been cranking for ages...it shows that one of the connections has a resistance due to dirt or rust. Anyway - did you check that the plug is actually sparking? Take it out, lay it on a metal part of the engine, and crank away, looking for a tiny blue spark. If there is a spark, try a spoonful of fuel down the plug hole, and see if the engine fires that way.

John, July 2009