To my knowledge there aren't any safety switches that engage an engine brake, but w/ big brother always trying to keep us safe, who knows anymore.

See if you can turn the engine by hand either direction. If not then remove the spark plug and see if it will turn by hand. If it still wont then there's a major problem w/ the piston and or rod. But first also check to see if starter bendix, the little starter gear, is bound against the flywheel. Also could be a bad connection between the batt and starter.

Mike

mia2ofus,

Thank you for your response. Here is where I am at the moment. I removed the blower housing and at first glance it appeared that the flywheel magnet was hitting one of the two ignition modules, so I loosened both ignition modules and moved them out of the way, but I still could not turn the engine either direction (with NO spark plugs). So far I have verified that the PTO, the belts and the flywheel magnet have nothing to do with the apparently seized motor. No problem with the starter. Battery is fully charged. How would I check the pistons and/or rods?

Current Status:

Pull the flywheel. The magnets that charge the stator on the inside come loose on these often.

Thank you tomplum. I plan to pull the flywheel on Monday.

Tomplum,

I've pulled the flywheel and checked the stator. Everything looks good. The stator is firmly attached to the engine and there are no broken pieces.

Question: Could a bent push rod lock the engine? Could you suggest a next step in checking the engine?

Thanks