Do you have trouble starting your
lawnmower up in the spring? Before deciding to take your lawnmower in for
repair, try these few simple suggestions. After completing them most of the
time your lawnmower will fire up and run like a champ.
Pull and clean the Spark Plug
Most of the time simply cleaning the
spark plug will solve your lawnmower woes. To do this, disconnect the wire
attached to the end of the spark plug. Then using a wrench or a Ratchet/Socket,
remove the spark plug. If the spark plug is black or wet looking, you have
probably found your problem on why the lawnmower is not starting.
Using fine grit sandpaper, sand the
top of the spark plug down to bare metal. Make sure you sand all around the
edges of the piece of metal (tab) that sits just above the electrode. Make sure
that there is a gap between the metal tab and the electrode. If you still have
the lawnmower manual and a feeler gauge you can adjust the gap to the
specifications. However, if there is a small gap it is probably sufficient for
the spark plug to operate correctly.
Make sure the spark plug is free of
dust and dry. Then screw it back into the cylinder and connect back the wire to
the end of the spark plug. Then try starting the lawn mower.
Check for Oil
Make sure there is oil in the
lawnmower and that it is at the proper level.
Check for Fuel
Make sure there is gas in the lawn
mower. If you have old gas in the lawnmower and did not put in a fuel
stabilizer at the end of the season, replace the gas. If you had drained the
gas tank at the end of the previous season, then fill the tank at least half
full with new gas.
Check the Fuel Line
Like many of us, at the end of the
previous lawn mowing season we turn off the fuel line switch. Make sure it is
in the on position. If you have done all of the above and the engine will not
fire, then check to see if the fuel is getting to the carburetor. Temporarily
disconnect the fuel hose from the carburetor and see if gas pours out. If so
reconnect the hose. If not, then check the fuel line. It may be gummed up or
the fuel filter is clogged.
Make sure the Air Filter is clean.
If it is dirty and oily then replace it. If it just dirty shake it and knock
out some of the dust. This may solve your problem; however I would still
recommend replacing it.
Clean the Carburetor
First turn off the fuel line.
Disassembling and cleaning the carburetor is not as bad as you may think.
Usually there is a nut on the underside of the carburetor. Remove this and pull
the bottom portion of the carburetor off. Clean the inside of this lower
portion of the carburetor and then make sure the float valve moves up and down
freely. The float valve is a plastic object about 1.5” in diameter that hangs
down when you remove the lower portion of the carburetor.
Reconnect the lower portion of the
carburetor and turn on the fuel line again.
Try restarting the lawnmower. If it
still does not work after performing all of these procedures, then take it to a
repair shop. However, from personal experience these procedures usually solve
the problem.
Finally, make sure you sharpen the
blade. This will ensure you minimize the torque on the engine while cutting the
grass. Not to mention, your lawn will get a more even cut.
About The Author
Over the past 20+ years Mark Donovan
has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have
included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to
existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. For more home improvement
information visit http://www.homeadditionplus.com and http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com.
