Simplicity Prestige questions and help needed

Dpregs

Well-Known Member
Member
Hey guys and gals,
I bit the bullet and decided to tear into my Simplicity Prestige this week. Since I have received it there have been problems that I knew I would need to correct. Well, this year I couldn't ignore them anymore. Well there is a list of things to do, I am prioritizing a few before I get too deep.

1. She backfires every time you turn her off, so I ordered a carb kit and new air filter and should be getting to those next week when they come in.
2. It looks like she is leaking from one of the valve covers, so I ordered a valve seal and I am going to replace that.
3. Pulled the plugs and they were dry and in good shape, but for 4 bucks I replaced them and corrected the gap
4. New oil and filter. First question: I used Rotella T1 30 in my tractors before, but the new packaging doesn't say gas engine rated? So I picked up straight 30 to use per the manual. BUT, I also picked up a few others. SO...do I go Castrol HD30, Penzoil Sae30, or a 10w-30 oil?
5. I need to change the main belt, but it doesn't describe it in the owners manual. It looks like I need to tear down a few pulleys to get it off, am I wrong?
6. I am going to change the transmission fluid after everything else is done. I am first going to power wash the hydro unit to get all dirt off so nothing falls in. But, what oil is good to use? It states that you should use 10w-30. I have 5 qts of Penzoil High Mileage 10w-30, should I use that?
7. Now for the BIGGEST issue, the parking brake won't engage. When I parked it last year it worked fine, this year it won't engage. I tried turning the spring as mentioned in the manual, but I can't get it to engage for the life of me. Below is a little video showing it in action, sorry if it is hard to see, not easy to film on your back under the tractor
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Also, as I was pulling myself out from underneath I noticed a crack in one of the levers, see pic. The lever is part of the parking brake pedal, so I wonder if that is my issue.

There are other things to tackle, but I figured I should start with the most pressing and go from there. Thank you for all your help and any advice/guidance you can offer!

Simplicity 1694017
Kohler Command CV23S 75553

 

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Either 30 or 10w30 should work in there. For cold weather use you might like a thinner oil.
 
Looks to me like you went the wrong way with the spring on the brake rod. I would back the nut out and try it again.
Let the engine idle for a couple of minutes before you turn the key off to eliminate the backfire. I had a mower the would do the same thing if I didn't let the exhaust cool down first.
If your running it a lot in hot weather my preference would be the straight 30w.
 
Tried backing the nut off and no change. I think the problem is with the crack in the linkage. I might have to take it all off and have it welded back together.

I am hoping that a carb clean and rebuild will take care of the backfiring. I usually do let it go idle for a few before turning off, but same results.

Oil changed, used the Castrol HD30. We will see how she chooches. I changed the filter too, and that sucker was HEAVY even after draining oil out of it. Makes me think it has been a while.
 
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