My lawnmower won't start

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tommy2tone

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Joined
Mar 14, 2013
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177
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Hampton, VA 23666
I use a riding mower for most of the yard. The other day I got my push mower out to get the areas I can't reach. It won't start. It has a new sparkplug (maybe gapped wrong)? The package says it is compatable with my mower. I just removed from the package and put it in.. The gas is fresh because I drained the tank... Maybe the lines or carb are gunked up?
It starts for a little bit if I spray some carb cleaner into the sparkplug hole, then insert the plug. But won't start a second time.. Thinking if I get a new mower I will have this trouble again. How to fix and avoid in the future.
Thanks..
 
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It could be many things but since it runs when you spray something in it that will burn its a problem with the carb. If it has been sitting with gas in the tank for some time you can have a lot water in the float bowl. OR the gas could have turned to gunk and is clogging the carb. Your float could be stuck shut. The alcohol in the gas can turn seals into mush and may need replaced. TO avoid this drain all the gas and run it until its all gone before storing it.
 
I use STA-BIL in all my toys, mean equipt. in the winter fill the tanks up with gas and put sta-bil in tank, start and run for about 5 min. and you won't have any troubles next year,....I also add it to my gas tanks after filling them up, really, great product
 
mredburn said:
TO avoid this drain all the gas and run it until its all gone before storing it.
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Or put gasoline stabilizer in the gas can you fill the mower from. Then you are protected all the time.

I have a riding lawnmower that I fill up with gas + stabilizer at the end of the year, run it for 5 mins. and it always starts in the spring!
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I would also bet on carb problems due to ethanol in the gas. There are a couple of Pure stations here. They sell pure gas, no ethanol. I use it in all my small engines and have had no problems. I have used Seafoam and STA-BIL and still had problems. Pure gas is better if you can get it.
 
Take the carb apart, clean it good, get a can of carb cleaner. Make sure the gas lines are not plugged and change the gas filter if there is one. I think that is the how to fix it.
 
Every fall I run the tank dry on the mower and in the spring run the snowblower dry. Never had an issue with gum-ups.
 
As HamTurns has suggested, check the fuel shutoff valve if your mower has one.

If you haven't cleaned/rebuilt the carb in a long time definitely try that. Many no-start issues are carb related.

These vendors have carb rebuild kits for most engines. Most kits run $6-$15:
Lawn Mower Parts
Lawn Mower Parts

If you are sure it is the carb and don't want the work of rebuilding it, check the price on an entire carb. Many are cheap enough that they will save you money versus taking it to a shop. Carb cleaning/rebuilding isn't too hard.

This YouTube user posts great videos on small engine maintenance:
www.youtube.com/user/donyboy73

If you watch a few of his carb rebuild videos you'll see it is pretty easy. He may even have one for your engine.
 
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One of the "costs" of living in (almost) paradise...Cut grass year round. Soooo, no prob with the mower not starting. Soooo, I hire out the mowing job. Soooo, my lawn guy's mower has no starting problems. Simple. Live in Hawaii:smile::smile:
Steve
 
If it runs on carb cleaner, the problem is with the carb, not the spark plug. Cleaning the carb is a fairly simple job, but be careful to not loose anything. There are some small parts.
 
In addition to the tips already mentioned...

The tiny hole in the main jet in the carb is most likely clogged with varnishy gas.Even if it's run dry,there is still some gas left inside the bowl to turn sticky.Draining the bowl after its run dry is the best preventitive measure.

If you can get a smallest-sized old guitar string,that is he best tool to clear the passage out.The main jet will be either in the bolt that holds the bowl on,or inside the center tube inside the carb.

Ultrasonic tank cleaning is the best,most reliable & safest way to clean out a carb,if you have access to one.

If it's all oxidized with white powdery stuff inside,a new carb is the best fix.Once you get corrosion like that,it will keep reforming,and that white stuff falling off inside into the float bowl can keep plugging the jet up.

On some unit,like GC hondas,the carbs are really cheap,like only $15.00 or so.On those it's cheaper just t change it if you have ruled out fuel delivery to the carb problems.On more expensive units.attempting the cleaning-out route might save you some money.

They tell us at service schools that the best Sta-Bil to get is the marine-grade that they sell.Getting your gas from a "Top Tier" station is the best bet.You can google "Top Tier gas stations" on the web,and that has the listing.

If you run it dry,there will always be a litle left in the bowl.Draining the bowl is the best preventive tip.

I am a full-time small engine tech for over 30 years,I can try to hep with questions if you need any answered.

Take care,
Steve
 
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Lucky Lucky

Hmmmm, I guess I'm just lucky. I have had lawn tractor/riding mowers since 1969 (including now) except for 7 years where I didn't have a real lawn - stored them every winter just taking the battery inside and never had a problem with them starting in the spring. I always had them serviced once a year but they always started just fine. They were mostly Wheel Horse but my current one is Troy Built.
 
Gas used to last a long time, and didn't need additives. My dad still thinks he can leave his motors without winterizing or stabilizing the gas - and he pays for it each time he tries to start them again...

Gas is different now - cut with ethanol, which is hydroscopic, so it loves water! Water and engines don't mix! :)

If an engine doesn't start - it needs spark, or it needs gas.
 
I justed dropped off my 3 year Still commercial string trimmer to where I bought it. It was hard to start and ran with no power. They put marine grade Stabil in their fuel and it started right up. They said it is because the ethanol in the gas becoming a problem with 2 cycle engines.
 
Yea, my engine even has a label on it not to use fuel with more than 10% ethanol ... so of course the State has increased or will be increasing the ethanol content to 15%. I am not a big fan of ethanol - I don't even believe it works out saving anything for the environment and (in the USA) it takes food crops to make it. Which I'm not overly fond of either... someone somewhere could be eating that food and it would be doing a lot more good than it's doing in my gas tank.
 
You act like this is a problem. Dead lawn mower means more time in the shop "working on it" The most complicated part of this would be explaining how working on the mower caused you to be covered in saw dust.
 
My riding mower always started. In addition, it also took care of fertilization, tree trimming, and rosebush pruning.

SAM300.jpg


Queen's Farceur Sam, registered Belgian Stallion and family pet.
 
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Nope, Belgian Heavy Draft. Clydesdales usually have black manes and tails and are a darker brown. Also tend to be taller, leggier, and lighter.

Don't want to hijack the post. I'll make a new post in Casual Conversations

Sharon

Smitty37 said:
Hmmm that looks like a Clydesdale....
sbwertz said:
My riding mower always started. In addition, it also took care of fertilization, tree trimming, and rosebush pruning.

SAM300.jpg


Queen's Farceur Sam, registered Belgian Stallion and family pet.
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I spent the day working on my motorcycle, which suffers greatly from the ethanol gas gumming issues. I use Sta-bil in it and it runs fine most of the year, but after 3 months of down time in the winter, the carbs are junk and it gets torn down, cleaned and re-sync'd. Normally, this would happen in March, but I blew my back out and am just now becoming comfortable enough to try and ride again.

Point of the story? Its the carb. Clean it out (disassemble, not spray down the throat) and it and it will run fine again.

Sandy.
 
Sandy H. said:
I spent the day working on my motorcycle, which suffers greatly from the ethanol gas gumming issues. I use Sta-bil in it and it runs fine most of the year, but after 3 months of down time in the winter, the carbs are junk and it gets torn down, cleaned and re-sync'd. Normally, this would happen in March, but I blew my back out and am just now becoming comfortable enough to try and ride again.

Point of the story? Its the carb. Clean it out (disassemble, not spray down the throat) and it and it will run fine again.

Sandy.
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Would this work? Does it get added right in thefuel tank? Buy Gumout Complete Fuel System Cleaner (6 oz.) 800001365 at Advance Auto Parts
 
Hmmm, here for an average (1/4 to 1/3 acre in this development) lawn to "hire it out" runs $35/$45 a pop. This year so far we have been mowing every 5 to 6 days starting in mid-March - that's about 25 mowings so far $875 to $1000 and we'll have at least another 20 befor the end of the year. Riding mower pays for itself in one to two seasons...even including having it serviced every year for a couple of hundred bucks.
firewhatfire said:
Hire it out.
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Smitty37 said:
Hmmmm, I guess I'm just lucky. I have had lawn tractor/riding mowers since 1969 (including now) except for 7 years where I didn't have a real lawn - stored them every winter just taking the battery inside and never had a problem with them starting in the spring. I always had them serviced once a year but they always started just fine. They were mostly Wheel Horse but my current one is Troy Built.
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image-2116490350.jpg

Nothing cuts as nice as a good Wheel Horse ... or 2

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
navycop said:
Would this work? Does it get added right in thefuel tank? Buy Gumout Complete Fuel System Cleaner (6 oz.) 800001365 at Advance Auto Parts
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I doubt it. I imagine there is a port clogged somewhere and the cleaner has to get to it and flow through it to clean things out. It might make something run better if it is running a little rough, but if it is clogged, the best way is to disassemble it and blow out all of the passages, in my opinion. There are soak kits you can buy, but for most lawnmower carburators, an air compressor and a can of spray carb cleaner would probably work. Be sure to look for (and find) all of the o-rings before hitting it with compressed air.

Sandy.
 
I always had Wheel Horse (I Work Horse) from 1970 to 1000 when I moved to where I had no lawn. The last was a Toro Wheel Horse 20 Hp with a 52 inch mower. They were great machines and I got a lot of years use out of all of them. Used each one I had for about 8-9 years and usually traded to get a little more horse power. They held their value real well.
jaeger said:
Smitty37 said:
Hmmmm, I guess I'm just lucky. I have had lawn tractor/riding mowers since 1969 (including now) except for 7 years where I didn't have a real lawn - stored them every winter just taking the battery inside and never had a problem with them starting in the spring. I always had them serviced once a year but they always started just fine. They were mostly Wheel Horse but my current one is Troy Built.
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View attachment 98431

Nothing cuts as nice as a good Wheel Horse ... or 2

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
Click to expand...
 
Carb cleaner in the carb,injector cleaner in the gas, good to go! the aluminium carb is very porous and varnishes over very easily.
 
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