Lawnmower trouble!

mad m

As its the year again to cut the auld grass went out as usual but no joy out of lawnmower,it sort of starts but only for a second then dies.Its a petrol one.So any ideas appreciated.

Could it be a spark plug maybe?Oil change?

Havent a clue about it really.

lomb

very easy to repair. its not the oil. first i would remove the spark plug and replace it. turn the mower on its side and remove any crud on the deck obstructing the blade. see if it starts if not to the next step. could b old fuel in the tank so drain it out, and refill it.

change the oil as it needs it anyway use car engine oil 5w synthetic as its much better than the cheap sh!t lawnmower oil, inspect the air filter and replace if dirty if its the paper type or wash it if its the sponge type and re oil it. if its still difficult to start, remove the cylinder head( 4 screws) and scrape out the crud in there, there will be a lot of crap on the piston crown and head. next bolt it back in a staggered sequence. good as new now will start first time. my lawnmower has been running sweetly for the last 14 years and we have a big lawn (aluminium deck so no rust)

rooferPete

Hi,

If anyone is stuck for a lawnmower engine I have Briggs and Stratton I think 3.5 HP.

The mower was power driven and gradually the gears and wheels gave up but the engine is sweet.

So I have a mower that is too good to dump but too big to push around the lawn, I would like someone to get use out it.

mad m

@Iomb

Thanks alot for the info Iomb its a great help.Ive already drained it of oil.So ill give the old spark plug a go and refill it with engine oil like you suggested.When you say the filter i think its a sponge which is in a plastic casing over the exhaust i think? what type of oil would i re-oil it with,same stuff im refilling mower with?.

@Rooferpete

Yours has gears ,pity id take it off you but wouldnt know where to start to fix it..

lomb

hi, thje filter should be from recollection on the opposite side to the exaust though i could be wrong. do u have a picture of the motor and il point to where it is.

BigCon

As mentioned already, make sure you drain the old petrol (it will be crystallised after sitting idle over the winter) and put new petrol in.
Take out the spark plug and throw in a little petrol in there (maybe a tablespoon full).
Should start then no problems...

kadman

BigCon wrote:

Take out the spark plug and throw in a little petrol in there (maybe a tablespoon full).
Should start then no problems...

I agree Bigcon, always seems to do the trick with reluctant starters

kadman

rooferPete

Hi Madm,

The gears are not a problem, took em out and threw em over me shoulder

The mower was working the gears are run off the blade shaft on a pully gizmo, I think that may have caused the wheels to start breaking.

The only real value it has is the engine unless someone wants to spend about €120-00 for a new set of wheels.

mad m

lomb wrote:

hi, thje filter should be from recollection on the opposite side to the exaust though i could be wrong. do u have a picture of the motor and il point to where it is.

Its this one but this one is alot newer than mine but seems to have same setup on motor.

here

As you can see on the right handside you see a sort of cage and direct behind it i took off a plastic cover to find inside a sponge which sat on top of a hole.

lomb

well if its a sponge then yes you wash it with warm soappy water and then leave it dry then u put about a teaspoon of motor oil on it and squeeze it to wet the whole sponge

mad m

Thanks again Iomb for help and to others ill give it a go and let you know how i got on....

Much appreciated.

lomb

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/lv_household_tips/article/0,2041,DIY_14119_2769181,00.html

no probs

mad m

Well what can i say,changed oil to engine oil and put some petrol on spark plug and hey presto it started up first time...What would i do without boards.

thanks to all

Swaneck

Before doing ANY work on a lawnmower ALWAYS take the black plastic cap off the spark plug. This prevents any accidental ignition.

PS Remember to put it back before trying to start the machine again or you will look very silly