Fixing an Abandoned, but New Mower

[Commish]

OK, the mower. The neighbor across the street moved and left his mower with other neighbor across the street. It's a nice walk behind mower with multiple walking speeds. Neighbor offered the mower to me while I find the time to repair the broken drive belt on my old/current mower. (Walk behind mowers are not meant to be pushed once the walk behind function fails.)

OK, about the new, loaner mower. Neighbor 1 had a lawn service and after buying a new mower and using it once or twice... it was retired

- several summers ago. And has spent several years in his shed. It looks practically, brand new.

So, of course, it won't start, we put in fuel - of course. And I pulled the starter. Nothing. Not a spark or a sputter. Plenty of oil. Nice clean looking oil I might add. So, I replaced the spark plug and pulled again. Nothing. Not a spark or a sputter.

So, what do I need to do to try and get this engine to turn over? If the mower was stored with fuel, which has evaporated, how do I clean out the evaporated, gummed up fuel. New fuel lines? New fuel filter?

I'm thinking that replacing the drive belt may be the easier fix....

[gfretwell]

Since it is "new" and doesn't have spark, I would start by inspecting the government mandated kill switches. My MTD/Honda had a problem letting go of the "kill" you get when the handle was released. It stayed "killed". I ended up changing that whole system over to a manual kill like we had for the previous 50 years.

[willshak]

on 7/16/2009 10:04 AM (ET) Commish wrote the following:

Try a spray of Starter Fluid in the air intake.

[Eric in North TX]

That's my thought, lack of fuel. I doubt the OP actually checked for spark, & is throwing around terms loosely. The likely cause is dried fuel in the float bowl of the carb, a quick fix if you know what to look for. Somewhere on the tube that accepts the bolt which holds the bowl on, there is a pin hole that lets the fuel travel from the bowl to the jet. It usually plugs up when the mower is permitted to sit with fuel inside. A paper clip, bag tie, torch tip cleaner or such will clean it enough to allow the fuel to get to the jet & let the engine start and run. You just need to find it.

[Commish]

Throwing terms around loosely? Guilty as charged!

I replaced the spark plug and wouldn't know how to check for a spark. Truthfully, I don't know if it is sparking or not. But it doesn't make any sound at all that make it sound like it is trying to start.

Float bowl of the carburetor is a good place to look - that's the information that I was looking for. Thanks.

[charlie]

Throwing terms around loosely? Guilty as charged!

I replaced the spark plug and wouldn't know how to check for a spark. Truthfully, I don't know if it is sparking or not. But it doesn't make any sound at all that make it sound like it is trying to start.

Float bowl of the carburetor is a good place to look - that's the information that I was looking for. Thanks.

[DerbyDad03]

take the plug out, *reattached the wire*, lay it against the block, and pull the rope.-

[ransley]

Checking for spark, thats easy I can help you, remove spark plug, now hold the spark plug wire in your bare hand and stick your finger in the hole and touch the engine while someone pulls the starter rope. If see a spark, and you get a big jolt like a stun gun just hit and stopped your heart, you know it works. Or with plug out of motor, plug the spark plug back into plug wire, ground it to the motor and pull the rope, you should see a spark, and not jump as far when it shocks you again. Its only 20-40,000 volts.

[mkirsch1]

Hell, he probably won't even know what "ground it to the motor" means, so you better explain that too...

That means lay the metal part of the spark plug against a metal part of the engine.

[Ulysses]

take the plug out, *reattached the wire*, lay it against the block, and pull the rope.-

Someplace dark.

[Hipupchuck]

More than likely a fuel clogging problem, not a spark problem. Is there a prime bulb on the carb? Press it a few times then crank it again. You may need to clean out the gas tank and carb jets.

[DerbyDad03]

My spark plugs have 2 separate metal parts. Are your's different?

[Hustlin' Hank]

99.999% of the time it is a clogged up carb. Get the carb cleaned by a professional. If you try it yourself, you'll only wish you took it to a professional later. They will do a thorough cleaning of the fuel system and you're problem will be solved for many years.Probably around $50

Hank

[Stormin Mormon]

Please try a squirt of ether on the air filter. that will feed some vapor in, without risking damage to the mower. If that helps, you likely have a carb problem with dried out gasoline.

[Stormin Mormon]

I was just about to comment on that.

Time for someone to comment on do this in the shade, or after dark. Daytime, you can't see the spark.

[Stormin Mormon]

I should just quit this conversation. Y'all are ahead of me so far....

[aemeijers]

I stuck a few strong magnets on my handle, and they grip the kill lever well enough to keep the mower running till want to turn it off. Quit treating me like an infant, Nanny- I can operate power equipment without your help.

As to OP's problem- I think it is dried up fuel in the plumbing, and maybe a mouse nest in the air filter blocking the incoming air. Unless I was gonna end up owning the mower, I wouldn't spend more than the cost of a filter (if it is dirty) and a can of carb cleaner/starting fluid to spray down the air intake. Just for giggle- has OP checked the fuel shutoff valve, and cleaned the plug?

-- aem sends...

[Mysterious Traveler]

There's one thing I haven't read anyone tell you that might be the problem, there is a aluminum key on the shaft that will shear to protect the mower from damage when you hit something. It will keep the mower from starting and running. Since they are aluminum they can shear even when the mower doesn't hit something. They are easy to replace, but, you will need to take part of the motor housing off to get to the shaft. Someone who is familiar with your specific mower can help you with that.

[DerbyDad03]

re: I stuck a few strong magnets on my handle

I use a velcro strap,"permanently" attached to stationary part of the handle, and wrapped around the kill handle when mowing.

[Eric in North TX]

I removed the handle and the cable, & used electrical ties to lock the brake open. It does present a problem shutting it off though as the kill switch was in that. I ran a kill switch push button to the cross bar on the handle. Mine was going to need a cable though, otherwise I would have used it as intended, though it was poorly designed and the new cable would have been a short lived fix. I had a friend relate that he had his foot miss the curb while mowing & fell hard enough to knock himself out for a short time. He said the last thing he heard was the mower stopping itself, which is, after all, the idea.