John Deere 14PZ Push Mower, Intermittent Start

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[@GuysPlayingWithTools]

"In Like, not Love"... that's so true when it comes to yard equipment. I fall in "like" with 1/2 the stuff I see.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks for the fun Bill

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

“Pendering the Situation!” I love it!! Also “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Suede 1974 brings back memories!!

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks Mr. Mow it all.

[@billkrause4585]

The man does have a good level of used inventory ... A big Plus for a customer. Those items cost a lot when buying new. .

[@BrucesShop]

You know every time i out here in the shop I need something. I can't imaging finding it let alone paying for it.

[@billlink1726]

I've got the 14SZ, self propelled with the Briggs engine. That plastic cover is where the belt is located, with the transmission in the rear. Great mower.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks for the info! That makes a lot of sense.

[@cedarwings82]

I have the 14SZ too, with a Briggs, my Dad bought it new in 1993 and I’ve been using it since 2009. Still starts first pull. Best mower ever.

[@billlink1726]

That's about the same age as mine. The aluminum deck is great. The wheels wobble quite a bit. Thinking the ID of the wheels wore larger, as well as the bolts probably wearing down. Should buy new wheels and hardware I guess. I grease the rear wheels and clean out the rear wheel gears of debris buildup in the teeth.

[@cedarwings82]

@@billlink1726 yeah my wheels don’t wobble much but at least 2 of them are very worn, I should be retreading them or something. They were such great mowers it’s too bad they stopped making them. I guess my replacement would be a Honda but I find the Hondas a bit awkward, I’ve used my Dad’s and it seems like a longer deck.

[@Lovinflyindrones2022]

Great video from BPP. BRUCE PENDER PRODUCTIONS. THANKS 🙏 BRUCEY

[@BrucesShop]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@stevoj8959]

Good diagnostic work there. Everyone assumes a plug will last forever. This one made you fire an extra brain cell. Thanks Bruce. Stevo

[@BrucesShop]

You're welcome! I just kept thinking coil, coil

[@Turningwrenches85]

Great diagnostic narrowing it down to the spark plug being the culprit. When I heard you say changing rpm I thought maybe it's losing power somehow.

[@BrucesShop]

I may have. I never did mow much with it. 100 square feet maybe.

[@nickluzzi8767]

Nice job . You always take a different look at things to find the problem . Thanks

[@BrucesShop]

Glad to help

[@barryewalt5368]

Very good video Bruce, I always learn something from your work.

[@BrucesShop]

Glad to hear it

[@garyclifton2180]

wow lovely looking and now running mower great job Bruce.

[@BrucesShop]

Yes, thanks

[@mr1pearl]

Those easy fixes are my favorite ! Good one sir 👍

[@BrucesShop]

Yes they are!

[@volvoben2]

Always nice to see this series in good shape, and good job. As others have said, the cover is for the self-propel equipment for the 2- and 5-speed transmissions. I have 3 of these; a 14PZ like this because my wife hates self-propelled mowers, a JX75 because I hate non-self-propelled mowers, and a 12SB (the 2 being for the 2-cycle Briggs-branded Zenoah 2-cycle engine) that I can't let go of because I mowed my grandparents' lawn with it throughout my adolescence and it brings me back to 1995 and makes me smile. They mulch awfully well, but the aluminum decks will still rot if left full of wet grass mush.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks a lot. After I made the video I was editing and went DDUUHH That is for the rear drive of another model. Thanks for letting me in on your past. Very interesting.

[@almclean4835]

Lovely looking machine, great job on finding the issue

[@BrucesShop]

Yes, thanks

[@HobbyMotorDK]

Great stuff Bruce - as always. Can't wait to see this plug issue in my shop - so I can do a video on it 🙂

[@BrucesShop]

It will come.

[@ebfromwyoming4118]

Great job sir have a great safe weekend sir

[@BrucesShop]

Same to you

[@clifforddeschaine6346]

Bruce...I can' t believe you guys have that many lawn mowers to fix ??? My mom is from New Brunswick ,Canada and my dad was from Fort Kent Maine USA and we lived in Connecticut in the Northeast ...and we never had lawn mowers need fixing like you guys 😂😂But please keep making your videos ,I enjoy you and Taryll and Mustie and a few more..you guys taught me alot ty..btw im only 56 years old and retired don' t hate I worked as a mason !!God bless ...EH !!!😂😂😂

[@BrucesShop]

My wife tracks them sown on local buy and sell sites.

[@henrymurawskibigdogrepair]

Another job well done Bruce nice work

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks 👍 You are always so polite Hank.

[@stu7544]

I had to check in to get my regular Pender fix. I always appreciate your step by step diagnostics and explanations about why you are doing something. Thanks again for the videos Bruce. They have pointed me in the right direction for my troubleshooting issues many times. Keep up the great work. All the best from Calgary.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks Stu. It means a lot.

[@berardia4]

That back door is for the self propell and belt if it came with one.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks as i was putting the video together I thought would the drive go in here??

[@blairfright9622]

Great Job Bruce as always . Those plugs are definitely not what they use to be . I've had several fail on repairs to mowers that I've done . Cheers brother !

[@BrucesShop]

Very true Thanks for joining in!!!

[@knighthawk86855]

My wife says thank you for the "hooked on a feeling" now she's had it running through her mind all day..... LMAO

[@BrucesShop]

Oh that could be bad. LOL A song worming through her mind.

[@knighthawk86855]

@@BrucesShop that's ok, I sang another song, and then that song, Im driving her batty.... LMAO

[@bigbadmower5283]

Nice job Bruce!!!

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks! This is a different mower.

[@garyruark9506]

Nice mower. Good going Bruce. You always use diagnostics to figure it out. You don't guess.

[@BrucesShop]

Great point. Thank you very much.

[@ogatkinson6274]

Great video, I still have my own JD 14PZ, purchased in 1994. Still runs good and mulches well. Love the aluminum case.

[@BrucesShop]

Good to hear. What a nice design eh!!!

[@ogatkinson6274]

@@BrucesShop Very nice.

[@haneyoakie14]

My experience with those JD models is there is much to like, but the plastic wheels are a weakness. As they get old, the plastic gets brittle and just cracks around the hub bolts. A good approach would be the Guys Playing With Tools way, as Bill’s trademark is to buy new wheels for his flips and other repairs.

[@BrucesShop]

I thought of drilling out the axle hole and put in a 1/2 inch bushing in the wheel hub.

[@tommyhanlon8012]

Very good Mr B. Had the same problem only yesterday with a brand name plug too. Intermittent can be tricky to diagnose & could lead to chasing you tail when it's actually the simplest solution. 😏 D0oohhhh!

[@BrucesShop]

Right. If I had changed the plug right away I would still wonder.

[@MrKroc100]

Well done Bruce. This is my old mower that you picked up in Lacombe Alberta. It did me well. It was becoming increasingly frustrating when it wouldn’t start when warm. Although I am capable of spark plug oil and air filter changes, my concern was it may have been a bit more complicated and beyond my skill set. I did change out the primer bulb a few years ago as the original was cracked. We bought it in around 1996 or so from the John Deere dealer in Red Deer, Alberta. This past spring I wasn’t able to find a name brand spark plug in Lacombe and picked up the laser plug at either The Home Hardware store or Peavy Mart in Lacombe. I have a Husqvarna snow blower and a Champion pressure washer. Will pay attention to the spark plugs and try to go with better quality ones and stay away from the Laser brand. LOL regarding the grass behind the one shield. Damn I missed that. It would generally get a good hose off a few times a year but should have removed the shield. Glad you were able to pick it up and hopefully it goes to a good home. Although it has an aluminum deck I was finding it more and more difficult to push it with my artificial right hip and a left hip that likely will need to be done in a few years. I bought a push Ryobi electric dual blade 40V unit which is actually very light. I looked at the self propelled ones but they are actually quite a bit more heavy. As I mentioned to you the throttle cable system had busted and I was using it without this and just adjusted the throttle directly in the engine. Thanks again and hope you are able to get it to a new home.

[@BrucesShop]

What a great comment. Thanks for looking after the mower. It is a cream puff as i said in the video.

[@waynestefinashen239]

Excellent video Bruce and great tip on heating the spark plug then cooling and checking resistance in both conditions to confirm the intermittent problem. By the way only tighten the head bolts when the engine has not been run and cold then we mark each head of the bolt with a paint marker that matches the deck colour so if we get it back we know we have tightened them and we check again then remark the bolt. Your are also correct that B&S do not make them like that anymore and additionally being so old it was likely purchased at a dealership, BIG difference on what you buy today from a dealership or a big box store with the big box not carrying the exact same quality JD equipment. Always check the model numbers and call a dealer to confirm you would be getting the same JD they will likely give you the information on the differences between theirs and the big box stores. Additionally the dealer is like family when there is an issue with your mower try dealing with the big box stores sometime it is a nightmare like THEY DO NOT EVEN TELL YOU THE MOWER HAS NO OIL IN IT AND THERE IS NO OIL IN THE BOX. We have had at least 10 customers this year call with seized engines because they did not put oil into the engine. We have helped half of them get free replacement mowers and do not want to get into company names that would not help the others out.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks Wayne.

[@nicksnarski5973]

The Briggs flatheads are best imho,Quantum Classic etc.Thumbs up!

[@BrucesShop]

The are.

[@kenhilson786]

my neighbour had a none starting almost new snowblower and it was just a bad plug. I have a briggs on a poulan blower. pull start works great when cold. hard to start warm except with electric start. pretty sure I switch plugs (did coil and carb) but maybe will try another new ngk plug.

[@BrucesShop]

Did you remove the plug adaptor. The are a 90 degree thing. If it has one. They go bad too.

[@donmayberryjrsOPE]

Hello Bruce. She cleaned up nicely! Great job! I wonder who manufactured that mower for John Deere? Sure would make a sweet lightweight trimming mower.....that no one seems to use nowadays.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks Don

[@db130]

The silver-decked 14PZ/14SB/14SE John Deere mowers were actually manufactured by John Deere. Even the slightly rounder but similarly shaped green JX75 mowers that came after the silver decks were still made by John Deere.

[@dfields9511]

I have a brigs that has something similar, it will not restart when hot, head bolts are ok, coil is fine, plug is fine, I actually changed it to a good used one i had. I was thinking it could be a head gasket or valves. it also feels like when it is hot it looses compression.

[@BrucesShop]

Right just ended up being a plug that went partially open when hot.

[@gillgetter3004]

Had a brand new Oregon chainsaw I bought after a storm a few years ago, had same plug. Would not run!!! Put new plug in and been running for years now

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks for sharing

[@jcondon1]

Very interesting plug issue. Did you ever figure out what the plastic cover was for?

[@BrucesShop]

am now sure it is for a rear drive unit that would be a different model if used.

[@HobbyMotorDK]

Small Engine Mechanic Dictionary: Stiff-a-roo: A little tighter than expected

[@BrucesShop]

Right a new entry to the book.

[@kauaiphotography]

Aloha Bruce! Once I started watching this video, I was holding my breath for you to diagnose the problem as I have the same issue with my mower. It has the same B&S Quantum engine and it will start on the first pull 99% of the time, but once I run it, I have a hard time starting it up again. It started maybe a few years after I bought it and the mower is now 19 years old! My dealer said it was probably a leak in the head gasket, but I never bothered to replace the head gasket as it starts up perfectly when cold and I didn't want to make it worst. I have changed/checked/cleaned the spark plug many, many, many times and I am sure that is not the problem! With your help and few other KZbinrs, I have been able to maintain this mower, so it's a bit frustrating to have this issue. Would love to hear your thoughts. Mahalo from Kauai, Hawaii. Thomas

[@BrucesShop]

Usually when a mower does't start after it is hot i change the coil. For some reason on this one in knew it wasn't the coil. here is a video changing the coil.

[@kauaiphotography]

@@BrucesShop Thanks Bruce for the suggestion. I heard you say that once or twice in the video. May try to swap it out if I can get a replacement at a decent price! Mahalo!

[@db130]

A customer gave me a nearly identical 14PZ for me to fix up earlier this week! The old gas had gummed up in the carb and then leaked out and melted the blue material around the air filter.

[@BrucesShop]

Wow. Did you fix it?

[@db130]

@@BrucesShop Mine must be slightly older than yours, because it has a carburetor that has a cable-operated choke. I was able to fix it by removing the the choke butterfly parts from the old carb and adding them to a spare carb from a pressure washer.

[@not2fast4u2c]

That looks like a well built mower deck is it aluminium ?

[@BrucesShop]

I think so

[@jp8jeta414]

John Deere built some good quality mowers, blowers and diggin' machines. take care eh !

[@BrucesShop]

You got that right!

[@robertmailhos8159]

Nothing runs like a john Deere even if it is not John Deere green that deck is cast aluminum I believe

[@AnthemBassMan]

Yep, cast aluminum. I used to have a John Deere 14SB that was self propelled. Even with the aluminum deck, that sucker weighed around 110 pounds dry weight!

[@robertmailhos8159]

@@AnthemBassMan thanks for letting me know about that machine

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks

[@robertmailhos8159]

@@BrucesShop your welcome young man 👍😎

[@haneyoakie14]

Bruce’s is not John Deere Green. It’s a Red Deere.

[@andyklove]

I own one of those,

[@BrucesShop]

That is fun. Does it have a Briggs engine?

[@andyklove]

@@BrucesShop Yes it does, and it's a push.

[@mjg263]

Wow, best engine / deck combo ever! What did you put in there, RJ19LM? Thanks for the vid!

[@BrucesShop]

NGKB2LM

[@familyman7826]

U can not do a compression test on a four stroke as they have cam decompression system

[@BrucesShop]

I mentioned i the video that but if they are really bad it shows. This one went to 80 lbs surprised me.

[@SuspectBeatle65]

Do you happen to know the name of the grey they use? I think it’s silver jubilee. Can anyone confirm?

[@BrucesShop]

I honestly don't know.

[@stevemueller3705]

My first guess is that the choke isn’t working.

[@BrucesShop]

There is no choke. Straight primer only.

[@haneyoakie14]

So it got torched by the laser plug.

[@BrucesShop]

Good one.

[@haneyoakie14]

My guess anytime it won’t start hot is coil.

[@BrucesShop]

Me too. Briggs and Honda seem to do that

[@themowerman]

Bad plug.. yeah we have them over here too.. cheap and nasty plugs.

[@BrucesShop]

It was a Laser. Do you have Lasers Spark Plugs over there?

[@themowerman]

@@BrucesShop yeah we do.. they are a shocking plug

[@themowerman]

@@BrucesShop been trying to face time you I need your help

[@danielashbaugh9462]

I WOULD HAVE SWORN IT WAS A WEAK COIL.

[@BrucesShop]

Me too. Something was telling me it wasn't That is my first attempt (usually)

[@skyemac8]

Two plugs were defective.

[@BrucesShop]

Sorry I guess if i tried another that was bad i took it out of my hoard.

[@MazichMusic]

I understand you wanted to prove the plug was bad, but with the price of quality brand plugs at around $5 or less, it doesn't seem worth the time and trouble. Other small engine Tubers are even more resistant to changing out the plug when there's running issues.

[@BrucesShop]

I knew someone would mention it isn't worth the time. To me this is my hobby and I chase every trouble until the machine is either running or in the scrap pile. I have not had any NGK plugs go bad . Yes they carbon up but I clean them well.

[@haneyoakie14]

@@BrucesShop the precise understanding of the problem has value far above the cost of a spark plug. Your work shows that 1.) explanation of the intermittent problem. 2.) replication of the problem under lab conditions 3.) the beauty of the curious mind 4.) it is fun to play with fire in a meaningful, purposeful way. Lead on Bruce!

[@aliasfred]

Smoke indicates to me that it is running too rich, spark plug proves it.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks

[@skyemac8]

Quantum engines last forever.

[@BrucesShop]

The best