Lawn Mower Starts

Ahhh…the odour of fresh-cut grass. There's really nothing similar it. Still, information technology's pretty frustrating to exist all ready to tackle those tall green blades just to have your mower fire up and then sputter out. If your lawn mower starts and then dies, you lot want a quick reply about what's to blame, and what to do to prepare information technology. I'll share the 4 most common causes to this mower problem and what y'all demand to do to address each.

When your mower starts then dies information technology tin can experience like you're alone, but this problem is more common than you might call back, and the set up tin can be an piece of cake ane.

Let'southward take a look at the four most common reasons behind that false start and how to ready them.

Causes for Lawn Mower Starting then Dying

If your lawn mower starts, runs briefly, and then dies these are the four most mutual reasons that's happening:

• Dirty carburetor / clogged carburetor basin
• Old gasoline that has gone bad
• Muddy or lacking spark plugs
• Likewise much oil in your resevoir

Below I'll get into each potential problem, why it tin can result in a mower that starts then dies, and what you should do to fix it.

Dingy Carburetor or Clogged Carburetor Bowl

When your backyard mower starts and then dies, your carburetor is most likely involved somehow.

Call back about it. If you live in a northern region, your mower sits all wintertime … waiting months without any action.

And, if you live in a more temperate zone, your mower works hard twelvemonth-around.

In both cases, your carburetor is going to need a little TLC.

What's so of import almost the carburetor?

Your engine needs a steady flow of gasoline to run correctly. The carburetor is responsible for mixing gas with simply the right amount of oxygen to create combustion.

This combustion supplies a continuous rotation of the crankshaft that is necessary to run the mower'due south engine.

If your carburetor is dirty or the carburetor bowl is clogged, the process higher up is compromised, and your engine may start up, but it will not run properly and may die soon later on you pull the cord.

How exercise I fix it?

Your dirty carburetor needs a adept blowout with an aerosol tin can of carburetor cleaner. This will toll you lot less than $10 and will last for a season or two. I employ the WD-40 Specialist Fast Acting Carb/Throttle Body Parts Cleaner (Amazon link). This cleaner uses a solvent formula to breakdown carbon contaminants, leaving your carburetor clean and glue-free. I give my mower a shot of that every time a mow, right earlier pulling the string, and recommend that you do the same.

The only drawback to this particular cleaner is it does not take a harbinger for targeted spraying. If you need a more precise awarding, Gumout makes a cleaner (Amazon link) that will practise the play a trick on with its jet spray applicator.

You can purchase either production locally, or online.

Now for the process.

Unscrew the carburetor bowl and give it a once over with the cleaner. Be sure to clean the spiral and hole with the carburetor cleaner equally well. This is where the directional spraying harbinger is particularly handy. When reattaching the bowl, don't over-tighten the screw. This could strip the threads enough to distort the seal.

What I Practise

For carb maintenance, give a low-cal spray near the air intake pigsty for your mower's engine just before you start it up. This is typically just backside the air filter. Remove the filter, give the pigsty a spray, and then replace the filter.

When you first the mower, it'll exist pulled into the engine and make clean deposits in your carb.

Onetime Gasoline in Your Mower

You know your mower tin't run without gasoline, but the quality of the gas is every bit important.

If the gas in your mower has been sitting inactive for a while, evaporation has most probable created a damaging residue.

This residue leaves particles that clog your mower'south internal parts.

The terminate consequence is restricted gas flow, which means your mower can start and die shortly thereafter. Sometimes, your mower won't start at all.

How exercise I fix it?

If your mower tank is less than half full of old gas, you might attempt adding new gas to dilute the impurities. If the old gas is more than half of a tank, it would exist best to siphon it out and make full the tank with fresh gasoline.

In both cases, calculation a stabilizer such equally Sta-bil Fuel Arrangement Stabilizer (Amazon link) is a smart idea. Stabilizers preclude the bottleneck residue for upwardly to two years, and at effectually $ten a bottle, they are an inexpensive additive that can continue your mower running like a champ.

E'er read the directions to know the proper fuel to stabilizer ratio for your mower.

What I Do

I used to mix Sta-bil into my fuel, only now I but pay a little extra for iv-cycle TruFuel – an ethanol free gas production that can sit for years without going bad.

It'southward more expensive than regular gas mixed with Sta-bil, simply a couple of larger cans will get my Honda self-propelled mower (this one from Abode Depot if yous're curious) through the mowing flavor up here in New England, and I like the peace of mind that comes with knowing my mower and snow blower e'er start on the beginning pull, and I don't have to worry about bad gas giving me bug when I'k gear up to mow or need to articulate the driveway.

You can buy it online, or locally at Home Depot or some local hardware stores.

Muddied or Defective Spark Plugs

Spark plugs supply the "spark" that ignites the air/fuel mixture in your engine.

This small explosion makes your engine produce power.

The spark plugs are an essential component of your mower'south ignition system. If they are dingy or faulty, they will not spark, and your mower will not start, or may first and then quickly die.

How do I fix it?

Your mower'south spark plug(due south) are like shooting fish in a barrel to find. In most walk-backside mowers they're covered with a blackness cable and right in the front of your mower.

You lot'll need a socket wrench of the right size to remove your plug (check your manual to observe the correct size for your mower/spark plug).

If your spark plugs are not too heavily coated with build-upward, you can try cleaning them. You should never clean a spark plug with a shot-diggings cleaner. A wire castor and appropriate cleaner will do the play tricks if the plug is just dirty.

Yet, if your mower's spark plug looks filthy or appears to have a dark carbon residual, you might exist better off replacing.

This is an easy job and information technology'due south inexpensive – a new spark plug with be $8-9 and your size is probably available locally.

What I Practice

Spark plugs should be replaced every year or two for problem-costless mowing, and I exercise mine annually as part of my spring mower maintenance.

I get a new air filter and change the oil in my mower at the same time. This runs me about $xx total, takes me about xv minutes, and keeps my mower in perfect working condition.

Replacing Your Spark Plug

Removing your spark plug is an like shooting fish in a barrel job anyone tin do. Simply unhook the spark plug wire and remove the quondam plug with a spark plug socket.

Replacing a spark plug can be a bit more challenging for a first-timer, only I still consider information technology an like shooting fish in a barrel job.

Use a spark plug judge to measure the gap between the two electrodes at the tip of your spark plug. Cheque for the specifications for your model to know the recommended size of the gap.

If necessary, use a spark plug gauge to adjust the gap past gently bending the curved electrode. When the gap is correct, the gauge will drag a scrap as y'all pull it through the gap.

Now you can install the new plug and attach the spark plug pb. Exist careful not to over-tighten on installation.

If you accept never done this before, at that place are several videos online that tin be of slap-up assistance, only my advice is that every bit soon as it starts to feel snug, give it no more than than another quarter plough to foreclose damage.

Too Much Oil in the Mower's Reservoir

If your carburetor is clean and the spark plugs are firing, the problem might be also much oil.

I believe it's human nature to want to over-fill up a lawn mower's oil reservoir, specially if you lot're not especially handy. Y'all experience and so accomplished that nosotros're doing the job yourself that you go overboard and over-fill the tank.

It happens, and it's not the end of the world (or your mower).

White fume coming out of the engine is a tell-tale sign that excessive oil is the culprit.

If a lot of smoke is coming out, your mower might be running, just not for long. In this instance, the excess oil volition eventually drown out the engine and cause it to die.

How practice I fix it?

This is actually an easy gear up. If you accept too much oil, you just need to bleed some. Yous tin use a siphon, or (if you have a walk-behind mower) yous can tip your mower and drain the oil from the hole where y'all add together information technology.

What I Do

I'm guilty of overfilling the oil tank sometimes too, so I've learned to go slow when I add together oil. I check, and check once again with the dipstick and gradually bring the level upwardly to the proper place.

If you have overfilled your oil tank, I suggest that you use a dipstick to measure the amount of oil in the reservoir earlier removing it, and then once more afterwards to make certain y'all go the right level.

Non enough oil is another (and more serious) problem, and you would not want to inadvertently trade ane upshot for another.

After draining some oil and checking to see if you take an adequate amount, start the mower again.

If the mower fires and stays running without the billowing puffs of white smoke, you take corrected your problem.

Lawn Mower Starts Then Dies: When it's Time to Telephone call a Professional

If you take tested all of the methods I've shared for fixing your lawn mower that starts and then dies, hopefully your problem is solved.

Merely if not, it might be time to throw in the shop towel and call a professional.

The post-obit are other issues that could be keeping your mower from running properly.

More than Serious Reasons Your Backyard Mower Starts And then Dies

1. Worn out carburetor:  If your carburetor is more than muddy, it might be fourth dimension to replace it.
2. Faulty choke: Unless you are extremely handy, identifying this trouble and restoring the delicate rest necessary to get your engine purring like a kitten is another result for the experts.
3. Gas tank or gas line blockage: Anytime your gasoline is not getting to the engine, your mower will non run properly. A blockage of any kind that prevents the abiding catamenia of gas is a trouble that might take a trained center to place and set up.

The boilerplate weekend warrior with express knowledge on the thing volition probably experience more comfy hiring someone with the experience and the tools to get the job washed right.

I recommend that you start by checking your mower's warranty. If it's covered, a repair may not price yous annihilation. Some companies volition send someone right to your abode, or come to pick upwardly your mower to salvage you lot time.

If your mower isn't covered by warranty, discover a local small-engine repair store that has good reviews. These guys can fix nigh anything, and their prices are typically lower than you'd expect.

Preventing Mower Problems

The best style to ensure your mower will burn down upwardly and run like a gnaw is to put preventative measures in place.

I take tips for winterizing your mower, and a leap maintenance checklist that you can bank check out if you'd similar to learn more.

To summarize those hither, nonetheless:

1. Clean your air filter regularly (replace it annually).
2. Change your spark plugs every ane-2 years.
3. Keep stored oil and gasoline clean. Use a stabilizer in your gas to proceed information technology fresh for up to ii years, or pay extra for 4-bike TruFuel.
4. Keep your engine clean with an engine degreaser.
5. Use the dipstick and don't overfill your oil reservoir.
6. Keep your carburetor clean with a carburetor cleaner spray.

Performing regular maintenance on your mower is the best style to go along information technology running smoothly, and investing a few bucks per year in this is worth information technology.

Yous'll avoid headaches, repair costs, and your mower will terminal a long time, starting right up when y'all demand it.

If y'all practice encounter a problem with your lawn mower, decide if you are comfortable with trying to fix it yourself.

If the upshot seems to be something beyond the nuts, don't hesitate to phone call a professional person. There'southward no shame in this, and sometimes do-it-yourself repairs are only non worth the fourth dimension, energy, or frustration.

Just if you are upwardly for the challenge of fixing the problem yourself, the above guidelines provide a good starting place, and online videos may also be useful. I think YouTube is a bang-up resource.

The master thing is that you get your mower fixed so yous can become out in that location and make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood.

You May Also Relish:

butlerpeopple.blogspot.com

Source: https://lawnchick.com/lawn-mower-starts-then-dies/

Share this post