John Deere 185 Problems

Check your John Deere 185's gas tank. Fill up the tank if it is out of gas.

Add a splash of new gas to the tank if there is old gas that has been left in the tank since the previous season. Start your John Deere 185 and let it run until all of the gas is used up. Fill the tank with fresh gas then start up the mower.

Pop the engine hood in the front of the mower and check the spark plug. Ensure that the black plug wire is connected to the back of the spark plug. If it is not, reconnect it.

Check the spark plug's end. It may either appear worn, have brown corrosion, or the white insulator ring may appear blistered. All of these symptoms require plug replacement. Disconnect the plug wire from the old spark plug and connect it to the new spark plug.

Follow the plug wire to the back of the Briggs & Stratton engine assembly. The plug wire leads to the magnetic coil and the flywheel. The magnetic coil sits in front of the circular flywheel, and the incremental divide between the two is the air gap. Measure this gap and ensure the width of the space is no greater than 0.015-inch and no less than 0.010-inch.

Use a socket wrench to loosen the magnetic coil's bolts in order to reposition it in relation to the flywheel, thus increasing or decreasing the size of the air gap. Remeasure the air gap to ensure it's properly spaced then re-tighten the coil's bolts.

Close the hood on your John Deere 185 mower.