Lawn mower repair is one of those hobbies that almost all home owners engage it from time to time, and no time is more popular than when you’re just rolling the mower out of the garage or shed after a long, cold winter.
If you’re stuck with a mower that won’t start then you’re going to have to do a little mower troubleshooting and maybe even a little bit of minor repair work to get everything running again. The best way to work through almost any problem with a mechanical tool like a lawn mower is to take it step-by-step from simplest solution to the more complex. So let’s begin:
Quick Lawn Mower Fixes
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A good small engine repair book can be worth its weight in gold if you have several mowers or lawn tools to keep running.
Check the gasoline in your mower: This is quickest one to fix. If you properly winterized your lawn mower when you put it away for the season then you probably don’t have much, if any, gasoline in the tank. You’ll want to put some fresh gasoline in, prime the engine and turn it over a few times with the started just to get the fuel moving again.
Check your throttle: Another step that’s easy to forget if you haven’t run your mower in a while is setting your mower’s throttle correctly. For most small engine mowers you need to set your throttle to the “choke” position when you’re first starting a cold engine because it helps move gasoline through the engine and keeps the fuel mix rich. As soon as your engine starts running you can usually move the throttle up to the run position. You’ll also want to double-check your throttle cable to make sure it’s working and isn’t broken or sticking.
Check the oil in your mower: Is there oil in you mower? Your engine could seize up or not turn over or start if there isn’t. Pull the oil dipstick out, wipe it clean and then insert it back into your mower. Wait a second or so and then pull it back out carefully and check the oil levels.
Check your priming bulb: If you lawn mower uses a little gasoline primer bulb then pay close attention when you press it. Normally you should feel a little bit of pressure or at least hear some slight movement when you prime a mower engine. Do you hear anything? Feel anything? If not then there’s a chance the rubber has deteriorated or you have a leak somewhere in your fuel system. That’s going to require some detective work and you may need to think about taking replacing some of the engine’s seals and gaskets. Look for any obviously leaks, drips or even slightly damp areas that might indicate that gas is seeping out of your engine.
Turn your mower blades manually: Another obvious trick when it comes to making sure your mower starts is to try turning the blades manually all the way around once or twice to make sure that nothing is blocking them beneath your mower deck and everything is working mechanically. While you’re under there you might want to think about replacing the mower blade once you get it started. Remove the spark plug before doing this and wear gloves. Speaking of which…
Check the spark plug: You really only need four things to get a mower started initially. They are gasoline, air, oil and a spark. First, is your spark plug connected? If it is then pull it out and look it over. Try cleaning it with a dry, clean rag. Insert it back in and try again. If you’re handy you can get a little spark plug gapping tool and adjust the gap of the spark plug, but I usually just put a whole new one in. Most are relatively inexpensive and it’s one less thing I have to worry about.
Check the battery: If your mower uses a battery to start it, then you’ll definitely want to test it or take it to a gas station to be tested.
Wait a few minutes: If you’ve been trying to start your lawn mower for several minutes then there’s a chance you simply flooded it by pushing a mix of too much gas into the engine. Let it rest and come back a few minutes later.
More Involved Lawn Mower Repairs
If you’re pretty sure your mower is getting a spark and it has oil then you’re going to want to focus on why the gas and air mixture isn’t right.
Replace stale gas with fresh gasoline: If you didn’t winterize your mower then the chances are you left some gas in there. With cold weather turning to warm you often get water condensing and collecting in gas tanks and making it difficult to start small engines. Gasoline is almost like milk that can go “bad” and actually not work very well. Stale gas needs to be siphoned out of your mower’s tank and disposed of properly at a service station or waste facility. The easiest way I’ve found to siphon out the gas of my mower is to use an old turkey baster that I have just for the job. I do not recommend turning your mower over or tilting it on it’s side. You’re just going to get gasoline and oil everywhere. Once you have most of the gas siphoned out of the tank add in fresh gas that you just recently bought from a gas station. If you have an old can of gas sitting around from four months ago then the chances are that gas is also stale and you won’t be doing yourself any favors.
Clean out the fuel system: So you have fresh gas but your mower still isn’t starting. The fuel lines may be “gummed up” (official term) and you’ll want to clean out anything you can. Check for any fuel screens or other filters in your engine. There are usually a few bolts holding the carburetor onto your engine and you can take it off and spray some carburetor cleaner into the carburetor area, into the chock valve and any other spots that are easily accessible. A quick squirt will do it. While you’re at it you can replace the air filter if it’s dirty. You want to make sure nothing is stuck open or closed and everything seems to be moving freely.
Check your starter cord: Is your cord moving smoothly and freely when you’re pulling it? Does it retract just as evenly? If not, then you could have something inside the engine obstructing it from turning, you could have a broken tooth on a flywheel or there could be something out of alignment. Any of these scenarios means you’re going to have to take apart the starter assembly (or at least the cord cover if you can) and look for anything that could be blocking it from turning and retracting.
If you still can’t get your mower to turn over and start on its own at this point then you’re probably going to have to start thinking about taking apart your carburetor and cleaning it or replacing it if needed. Alternatively you could take it to your local small engine repair shop. Lawn mower engines
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