My grandfather had this one. I loved it. Never failed to start. Then it started making an odd screeching noise, but it just kept going! But he gave it to my uncle who sold it
On the serial number decal GX14SBX012692 is the serial number, JD812 is the production number for your machine. You have rescued a very early 14SB that looks to be in really good shape physically and for the most part mechanically. Most of the noise you are hearing is the Blade Brake Clutch whining because the bearing has gone bad. That is probably the most expensive part on the machine at this point of its existence because I just replaced the BBC on mine for a grand total of $170 for the new BBC without labor cost. But that was the original BBC and it was 22 years old. So I think it's worth it but that is up to you. The only way to replace the drive belt is to take the BBC off so if you can find a new bbc or even a decent used one that noise will stop.
Did a little more digging into the production code and have an exact year and month for your machine. I have 1992 14SB and 14SE models. My 14SB is JD201, which means January of 1992 and the 14SE is JD212, which means December of 1992. So yours with JD812 means it was made in December of 1988. Hope that helps in narrowing down parts if needed. I know a decent amount about them so if you need anything else let me know.
I have access to copies of the original manufacturing and troubleshooting booklet manuals that were finalized when production of the Silver Deck Mowers ended in 1997 and the Green Deck Mowers (JX75 etc.) began shortly thereafter. These tell you how to decipher the production code. However, they still don't explain why some 14SB's like mine have FC150V-CS00 engine model rated at 5hp and then others that are also the FC150V-CS00 are rated at 4.5hp when my engine's serial number also has a lower number compared to others. It's confusing to say the least. Still working on that. I also have to give credit to a friend on My Lawnmower forum as between the two of us we have done some work to figure these things out to share with other fellow 14SB owners. For a time the 2 mower series overlapped so as to prevent dealers from experiencing shortages in sales of new units that's why late 14SB's look nearly identical to the early JX75'S minus the color and the horsepower rating.
I'm the same way when I get a good mower , have a Troy-Built that's got a great Honda motor on it . Apparently they hit something with it and bent the blade - they bought a new blade and it still had some vibration and they stuck it back in the building and forgot about it for years . I bough it for a little of nothing and was prepared to put anew crank in it . Found out it was a blade adapter with several cracks on the top side where you couldn't hardly see them without a light . New blade holder and balanced the blade better and wow a great little mower . .........
looks like that bad boy was awfully expensive when it was new. they're workhorses that's for sure. the company that did my neighbors yard had one and it really rocked.
I just got a free one 14SB. Really good shape but needs a coil, it's on order. I found an interesting fact that the wheels front and rear are the same. The gear drive on the rear wheels can be unbolted and swapped with the front as they don't have the lugs wearout like the drive wheels
Asked Zippo Varga about the ignition system, there is a sealed unit that is inline on the kill side of coil with a to ground wire coming out of it. Not sure what the sealed unit does. Haven't heard back yet. You have any info? I thought it might be something that increments the ground out so there isn't a spike when engine is turned off at high rpm to prolong life of coil.
The deck seems to be in good shape. I'd paint the top of the motor and the handle bars or polish them. If anything, the painting helps with those really stubborn people that get stuck on a low number and won't move. Lol.
I have a 14sb and it's a 2 stroke. Did they make that model in 2 stroke and 4 stroke? I think you may have a 14pz. After looking around, it looks like they had several other models 14st, 14pt. I'm not current on my john deere hand mowers so not sure what exactly you have there. My 14sb is one sweet ride though. They apparently even made a 14se and 14sz as well. Another Edit: ok I have a 12sb - 2 stands for 2 stroke. 1 = 21" cut; s = self-propelled and b = blade brake clutch. So you have a 14sb as well with 4 = 4 stroke and the rest the same.
Just picked one of these up for 25$. It starts but sounds like yours. How can you determine it needs a carb rebuild opposed to something else or a good cleaning?
typically its a fuel related issue, the carbs gum up with varnish over time its fairly normal in most cases but can be exacerbated by leaving old fuel in the mower while its in storage for winter or etc. You can however check the gap on the plug and make sure the air filter is clean of any large debris
If it doesn't start. Check for spark, if there is spark then put a little fuel into the cylinder then put the plug in. If it starts and runs, then great, if it starts and then dies , it's not getting fuel. These JD mowers have a fuel shut off switch us on the top above gas tank. Make sure fuel is getting through. If it us then pull the fuel line off the carb, us that letting fuel out? If yes the move to carb, take It off and tear it down as there are lots of places for crap to plug it up. If there isn't spark then put on a known good working spark plug. If no spark then final verify with a screw driver inserted into the cap and hold it close to a ground to see if it will spark. If no spark then start investigation of the kill switch. The wire from the coil goes to a sealed unit that allows the grounding of the coil to incrementally achieve ground rather than a sharp spike created by a direct path to ground. Remove wire from coil now without cover on roll it by hand to see if you are getting spark. Spin it with an impact if ya have one. No spark? Check gap between coil and the magnets on the flywheel by using a standard business card for thickness gage. If good then you need a coil. If you have multimeter you can verify the coil to be bad as there are plenty of RUclips vids on how to check that.
Looks like a keeper!! Runs like a Deere. Looking it up, There is a NOS bag on eBay right now. But it is 89 bucks. Not sure if you would want to spend that kind of cash on a keeper mower though. Thanks for the video!
Yep. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don't. BTW Had a good curb hunt last night. I should be uploading a video of my finds by Sunday hopefully.
@@magicone9327 I actually use my Ridgid 1/2" hammer drill. I used to use my ridgid impact driver. The drill has a lot more power. But it will cause the nut to come off the shaft. It has done it several times. It could be that once the engine starts it turns faster than the drill and if you don't immediately get the drill off, the engine will spin the nut loose.
rrnabors1 good idea! I am having trouble figuring out why the nut comes off when rotating it to the right for starting. Definitely would come off going to the left.
I had one of these John Deere self propelled mowers with a Kawasaki engine a few years back. It would not run right until I installed the air filter. I guess it had to have the right draw for air to fuel ratio to be right.
Needing to have the air filter on to make it run is a good indication that it's not getting enough fuel. Did you try and start with it in choke position without air filter?
Just got my 14SB with Kawasaki FC150V engine running. It wasn't the coil, it was the spark igniter control module. I had ordered a coil as it seemed to ohm out of spec. It showed up and wasn't even close to a fitment. The seller on EBay was great about it, refunded money and said keep it as it costs more to return. I had subsequently found some really good technical info on a PDF file under a toro which also uses the same engine. The drawings included an electrical schematic of the spark igniter and indicated how it functioned. Anyway I ordered one, it showed up, put it on, primed thru the intake, pulled it twice and it ran pretty good for a freebie that hadn't ran for two years. Here is the link to the PDF file www.toro.com/getpub/18258
I wish I had one of those old commercial John Deere push mowers. Would work great with my Honda HRR216VYA for my business. Can't go wrong with a Kawasaki push mower engine!
Lucien Dube This is an older model, gray used to be the color, but later models John Deere colors are green and yellow, yes! The color is gray, but well, clear and big engraved: JOHN DEERE!
My grandfather had this one. I loved it. Never failed to start. Then it started making an odd screeching noise, but it just kept going! But he gave it to my uncle who sold it
On the serial number decal GX14SBX012692 is the serial number, JD812 is the production number for your machine. You have rescued a very early 14SB that looks to be in really good shape physically and for the most part mechanically. Most of the noise you are hearing is the Blade Brake Clutch whining because the bearing has gone bad. That is probably the most expensive part on the machine at this point of its existence because I just replaced the BBC on mine for a grand total of $170 for the new BBC without labor cost. But that was the original BBC and it was 22 years old. So I think it's worth it but that is up to you. The only way to replace the drive belt is to take the BBC off so if you can find a new bbc or even a decent used one that noise will stop.
thx for the info man I probably will replace it
Did a little more digging into the production code and have an exact year and month for your machine. I have 1992 14SB and 14SE models. My 14SB is JD201, which means January of 1992 and the 14SE is JD212, which means December of 1992. So yours with JD812 means it was made in December of 1988. Hope that helps in narrowing down parts if needed. I know a decent amount about them so if you need anything else let me know.
Thanks for the info man how can you decipher the codes on these?
I mean where do you get that info from
I have access to copies of the original manufacturing and troubleshooting booklet manuals that were finalized when production of the Silver Deck Mowers ended in 1997 and the Green Deck Mowers (JX75 etc.) began shortly thereafter. These tell you how to decipher the production code. However, they still don't explain why some 14SB's like mine have FC150V-CS00 engine model rated at 5hp and then others that are also the FC150V-CS00 are rated at 4.5hp when my engine's serial number also has a lower number compared to others. It's confusing to say the least. Still working on that. I also have to give credit to a friend on My Lawnmower forum as between the two of us we have done some work to figure these things out to share with other fellow 14SB owners.
For a time the 2 mower series overlapped so as to prevent dealers from experiencing shortages in sales of new units that's why late 14SB's look nearly identical to the early JX75'S minus the color and the horsepower rating.
I'm the same way when I get a good mower , have a Troy-Built that's got a great Honda motor on it . Apparently they hit something with it and bent the blade - they bought a new blade and it still had some vibration and they stuck it back in the building and forgot about it for years . I bough it for a little of nothing and was prepared to put anew crank in it . Found out it was a blade adapter with several cracks on the top side where you couldn't hardly see them without a light . New blade holder and balanced the blade better and wow a great little mower . .........
I bent the crank shaft on my 14SB and the local mower shop straightened it for $25.
looks like that bad boy was awfully expensive when it was new. they're workhorses that's for sure. the company that did my neighbors yard had one and it really rocked.
$700
Do you have a updated video of this mower restored now?
No I don’t
I just got a free one 14SB. Really good shape but needs a coil, it's on order. I found an interesting fact that the wheels front and rear are the same. The gear drive on the rear wheels can be unbolted and swapped with the front as they don't have the lugs wearout like the drive wheels
That’s very interesting 🤔
Asked Zippo Varga about the ignition system, there is a sealed unit that is inline on the kill side of coil with a to ground wire coming out of it. Not sure what the sealed unit does. Haven't heard back yet. You have any info? I thought it might be something that increments the ground out so there isn't a spike when engine is turned off at high rpm to prolong life of coil.
Great sound regardless!
I miss my old 14Sb.... =(
You've probably been asked this before but where do ya get those gloves from?
the black ones? Harbor freight
The deck seems to be in good shape. I'd paint the top of the motor and the handle bars or polish them. If anything, the painting helps with those really stubborn people that get stuck on a low number and won't move. Lol.
You can get a new carb. for $15 . . . mine surged like that and I couldn't get it to not surge without a new carb.
I have a 14sb and it's a 2 stroke. Did they make that model in 2 stroke and 4 stroke? I think you may have a 14pz. After looking around, it looks like they had several other models 14st, 14pt. I'm not current on my john deere hand mowers so not sure what exactly you have there. My 14sb is one sweet ride though. They apparently even made a 14se and 14sz as well. Another Edit: ok I have a 12sb - 2 stands for 2 stroke. 1 = 21" cut; s = self-propelled and b = blade brake clutch. So you have a 14sb as well with 4 = 4 stroke and the rest the same.
wow I did not know they made 2 stroke ones, I doubt we ever got any of those in cali though thanks to CARB rules
Just picked one of these up for 25$. It starts but sounds like yours. How can you determine it needs a carb rebuild opposed to something else or a good cleaning?
typically its a fuel related issue, the carbs gum up with varnish over time its fairly normal in most cases but can be exacerbated by leaving old fuel in the mower while its in storage for winter or etc. You can however check the gap on the plug and make sure the air filter is clean of any large debris
generally if you clean it and it doesnt fix it completely it needs to be rebuilt, sometimes just a new needle seat will fix it as well
Hank's Small Engine Repair thanks! You're the man!
If it doesn't start. Check for spark, if there is spark then put a little fuel into the cylinder then put the plug in. If it starts and runs, then great, if it starts and then dies , it's not getting fuel. These JD mowers have a fuel shut off switch us on the top above gas tank. Make sure fuel is getting through. If it us then pull the fuel line off the carb, us that letting fuel out? If yes the move to carb, take It off and tear it down as there are lots of places for crap to plug it up.
If there isn't spark then put on a known good working spark plug. If no spark then final verify with a screw driver inserted into the cap and hold it close to a ground to see if it will spark. If no spark then start investigation of the kill switch. The wire from the coil goes to a sealed unit that allows the grounding of the coil to incrementally achieve ground rather than a sharp spike created by a direct path to ground. Remove wire from coil now without cover on roll it by hand to see if you are getting spark. Spin it with an impact if ya have one. No spark? Check gap between coil and the magnets on the flywheel by using a standard business card for thickness gage. If good then you need a coil. If you have multimeter you can verify the coil to be bad as there are plenty of RUclips vids on how to check that.
I just bought a John Deere 14SE. The muffler was full of gas. Any idea why it would do that?
+Josh Matthiesen needle and seat in the carb probably need to be replaced
Hank's Small Engine Repair ok. Thanks. I think it will need a new carb. Seen a crack in the pice the float bowl pin goes in.
Usually from tipping the mower on its side with the carb facing down, the turning the blade.
I just picked up one of these for $20. Recoil is shot though. Might try to find a replacement on eBay.
Looks like a keeper!! Runs like a Deere. Looking it up, There is a NOS bag on eBay right now. But it is 89 bucks. Not sure if you would want to spend that kind of cash on a keeper mower though. Thanks for the video!
parts are all over the map price wise for these it seems. glad you enjoyed!
Yep. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don't. BTW Had a good curb hunt last night. I should be uploading a video of my finds by Sunday hopefully.
For starting while testing without the recoil I use my Impact to make her spin.
Me too . . . but it can cause the nut to spin off and it go flying.
rrnabors1 the nut is right hand thread. Righty tightly! Might not be good on the nut to impact with too much impact or might break something.
@@magicone9327 I actually use my Ridgid 1/2" hammer drill. I used to use my ridgid impact driver. The drill has a lot more power. But it will cause the nut to come off the shaft. It has done it several times. It could be that once the engine starts it turns faster than the drill and if you don't immediately get the drill off, the engine will spin the nut loose.
rrnabors1 good idea! I am having trouble figuring out why the nut comes off when rotating it to the right for starting. Definitely would come off going to the left.
rrnabors1 the lawnmower you are having the nut come off from does it pull to start clockwise or counterclockwise?
Never seen a silver John Deere before. Must be a special series of mowers.
C Zellner just the older ones from the Late 70's thru mid nineties
Nice old John Deere, definitely worth putting the money into in my opinion.
I think so too
I had one of these John Deere self propelled mowers with a Kawasaki engine a few years back. It would not run right until I installed the air filter. I guess it had to have the right draw for air to fuel ratio to be right.
I Getting Fule Have Kick Ass Compression Appears Too Have Some Spark I Saw A Arc Butt It Will Not Kick over
It's a jhon deere 14SB
Needing to have the air filter on to make it run is a good indication that it's not getting enough fuel. Did you try and start with it in choke position without air filter?
Just got my 14SB with Kawasaki FC150V engine running. It wasn't the coil, it was the spark igniter control module. I had ordered a coil as it seemed to ohm out of spec. It showed up and wasn't even close to a fitment. The seller on EBay was great about it, refunded money and said keep it as it costs more to return. I had subsequently found some really good technical info on a PDF file under a toro which also uses the same engine. The drawings included an electrical schematic of the spark igniter and indicated how it functioned. Anyway I ordered one, it showed up, put it on, primed thru the intake, pulled it twice and it ran pretty good for a freebie that hadn't ran for two years. Here is the link to the PDF file www.toro.com/getpub/18258
Thanks for posting the link. I may just get my old SB14 running yet.
You can find it a part list it's actually a 14sb.
I wish I had one of those old commercial John Deere push mowers. Would work great with my Honda HRR216VYA for my business. Can't go wrong with a Kawasaki push mower engine!
On aliexpress you can buy carb for under 10$ :) Works fine, tested :D
If I remember correctly that's a Kawasaki fc150v
yup
Cool older mower - nice carb come back and for sure a keeper.
I agree
Those are great mowers other than their clutches, my great grandfather had one and it had a lot of clutch problems. But those motors are beasts!
Why is a JD gray?!!???? That's completely unacceptable!!!!!
thats the color it was painted from the factory
Hank's Small Engine Repair lol I think the painters were intoxicated. You should still paint it green.
it would look cool green and yellow
Lucien Dube This is an older model, gray used to be the color, but later models John Deere colors are green and yellow, yes!
The color is gray, but well, clear and big engraved: JOHN DEERE!
hanks small engine repair that's a nice machine it sounds like itself surging very bad
+Ed James needs a carb rebuild
Hank's Small Engine Repair I'm gonna fix the jc penny its making me mad seeing it sit there
I know the feeling lol
Hank's Small Engine Repair that video I made I watch it she's a bad ass bitch
I thought john deeres were green and yellow
most are some older ones werent
#GX10000 grass bag.
+Wayne Essar thx man
I call it the ol john deere 14sum-bitch