[RocktimusPryme]

My mower is driving me nuts. It’s a toro zero turn with the 23 HP Toro twin engine.

Long story short a couple months ago it dropped a valve mid mowing. After pulling apart the carb and other things I finally found it had a pushrod guide fail that let all sorts of bad things happen. Didn’t seem like the valve hit the piston or was otherwise damaged. Replaced the part and have been trying to limp it to winter. But now I seem to have new issues and I’m unsure if they are related. It has ran since I fixed it but not 100% right. It would pop once it got hot. The story is longer and more complicated but that’s the gist.

It had a vacuum fuel pump and it’s not sucking fuel. Replaced the pump. No help. So I checked the actual vacuum. It gets no vacuum at all cranking. If I pour some gas in the carb so it runs for a second it will pull about 5 inHg. I don’t know how much it should pull. Once it starts sucking fuel it will stay running but it’s clearly down on power and it pops (I assume lean popping)

So why wouldn’t I be making vacuum? Head gasket? I did a compression test and both cylinders are the same. But I know that’s not the end all for a head gasket, but should at least indicate the valves are sealing and the piston rings are okay. I don’t have a leak down checker. I pulled the carb apart with no kit and may have damaged a gasket or something. Should I throw a carb kit on it and see if that helps?

Local shop told me a head kit is $250. I had been planning on just doing that before spring next year just for peace of mind. But I don’t super want to do that for no reason before Christmas. I just want a Final Cut before it goes down for the year.