I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in '97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.
I'll put fifty bucks each on "safe as long as you keep extremities from underneath" and "does not explode"... a fin on "does not start". -----
- gpsman
What do you mean , Put some gas stablilser through, if the carb is completely empty it should be ok. You could remove the spark plug squirt a few drops of oil in and turn it over a few times. Without the plug in it. Then just put in new gas and hope for the best, the oil isnt bad yet but change it after you know it runs and its run a half day or so.
I agree with Mark. I believe that is the best procedure and will likely will be fine.
I hope you mean you ran some stabilized gas through it. Stabilizer is not good for the motor by itself. Its only use is to stabilize gasoline by reducing the free radical degradation of the gasoline into larger-longer molecular chains. It is not a cleaner.
After that long, I'd be surprised if the rings and bearings haven't rusted in place. I would definitely remove the spark plug, squirt some penetrating oil in the cylinder and work it by hand first as a minimum, before trying to actually start it.
You did the right thing with the stabilizer, oil replacement, and storage. Try to start it up! If that fails, put in some fresh well-known-brand high-octane gasoline then check for leaks, broken/corroded cable/wires, foul plug, etc.
It should be fine. Lawnmowers know no time.
s
I don't know why one would use high-octane. There are no high compression lawnmowers afaik. If the engine didnt' knock** with low-octane when it was running before, there is no advantage to high octane now.
**I have never heard of a lawn mower knocking, using the definition of knock that relates to octane.
Also, the OP can use the thumb over the plug hole compression test.
Rotate the crank through all the strokes..intake, compression, power, exhaust.... (keep plug wire away from touch :))
Before starting, pour some fuel into the cylinder, replace plug an then start.
I'd be tempted to tip it upside down for a second first to get oil on the bottom of the cylinder walls before cranking it, in addition to the squirt of oil into the plug hole.
Should be fine. If you're really worried, call a priest to bless it. Or, take it to a mower repair shop and have them give it a tune up. Don't mention the seven years bit.
Unless you're like the person on the news last week with the seven year old lawn mower that exploded, threw burning gasoline every where, and burned down the garage. Put the poor guy in the burn ward.
On the other hand, I could be teasing.
Didn't Murray ever ask for his lawn mower back?
Alternatively, you could get an illegal alien from the HD parking lot to come attempt to start it (claim "bad back" or somesuch) while you stand off a safe distance.
I, too, could be teasing.
IT should be safe as ever. The grass should be getting pretty tall by now, though.
No, he's busy selling bagels.
re: No, he's busy selling bagels
Ahh...how I long for the days of the independent bagel shops, where they (we) hand rolled each bagel just prior to boiling and baking.
I used to deliver bagels for a friend's shop in Queens NY, filling 70
- 80+ bags with 5 dozen steaming hot bagels from the coffins at 3AM, loading them into a station wagon and driving 150 miles through the boroughs of NYC, dropping off bags at various grocery stores and delis
- all before most opened for business. Old style - leave the bags of fresh baked goods in front of the door for the owner to carry in when he arrived.
I'd chat with the owner of an Italian deli in Brooklyn over a quick cup of coffee, grab some hot doughnut holes from the bakery at the Pathmark in Queens, and drive the 2 mile Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at stupid speeds. The cops in Brooklyn would turn around at the toll booths as would the cops on Staten Island. Never saw a cop *on* the bridge unless there was an accident. Topped 100 MPH on more than one occasion. Like I said - stupid.
The Bruegger's and Manhattan Bagels of the new world have just about eliminated the independents, just like the Lowe's and HD's have done to the neighborhood hardware stores.
Sigh...
yeah... check out this crazy bagel bitch going off on Bruegger's!
Thanks for the memories. I've not been a bagel deliver, but it sounds good.
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