Month: March 2020

Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Push Lawn Mower Won’t Start

An engine that won’t start won’t get much grass cut today. Your push mower has a single cylinder engine that is pretty basic. There are not a lot of fancy electronic controls for the electrical or governor systems and it is just a plain gasoline engine.

Every gasoline engine needs these things to run. It requires fuel, compression, air and spark and to troubleshoot why your engine will not start will require a systematic approach to figuring out why it won’t start.

Fuel

Today, we always start out with the fuel you are using. Is it good and clean fuel? Does it have water in it? Is it older than 90 days? Good clean fuel makes all the difference in the world when it comes to starting your engine. As fuel ages, it becomes less volatile and harder to ignite as the vapors evaporate that ignite easily.

Compression

Without a compression gauge, it is hard to tell exactly how much compression your engine has. You can however get an idea of the compression that the engine has by how hard it is to pull the engine over with the pull rope. If there is a good bit of resistance, then you should have good compression.

Air

A dirty air filter will cause your engine to run rich or get too much gas. You need the right mix of fuel to air for the engine to start properly. Check that air filter and if there is any doubt, replace it.

Spark

Obtain a spark tester and attach it to the spark plug and spark plug boot. Pull the starter rope and observe the spark. You should see a bright blue or orange color depending on what spark tester you have. If you have good spark, remove the spark plug and check its condition. Also check to see if it is wet with fuel. If it is, replace the spark plug and try to start the engine again.

If you are still struggling to get your lawn mower started, visit our Locations page for a small engine shop near you.

 

 

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

I Press The Go Pedal and Riding Lawn Mower Does Not Move

On many riding lawn mowers, the pedal on the right side is called the “go pedal”. When you press it the riding lawn mower simply goes. Depending on how hard you press it will determine the speed that the lawn mower should go.

When your right foot presses the pedal, the linkage tightens the belt on the pulleys or moves a valve on the transmission to make the riding lawn mower move. In many cases if the lawn mower does not move, it is a belt that has come off of a pulley or has worn out. The linkage could also be sticking or the transmission itself could be experiencing a problem.

It is best to remove the deck to check out this problem so you can have access to the belts and linkages. Remove the deck and that should give you enough clearance to look under the deck. Visually inspect the belt for wear and ensure that the springs and pulleys are all working as they should.

Depress the go pedal and see if the belt becomes tight and if not, you have most likely found your problem. Replace that belt and test the machine to see if it works as it should.

If you need professional assistance, visit our Locations page for a riding lawn mower shop near you.

Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Push Lawn Mower Keeps Breaking Pull Rope

If your pull cord rope keeps breaking, it can be a couple things that need checked out.

First, are you using good quality pull rope each time you replace it? There are some very basic white ropes that do not have a lot of strength and will break quickly. A braided rope that is heavier duty will hold up much longer and suit your lawn mower application quite well.

Another problem that is typical is that your pull starter rope guides have developed a sharp spot or the blower cover itself has a sharp piece of plastic that is cutting the rope. Carefully check the guides for any sharp edge. Remove the blower or starter from the mower and check the starter rope guide for nicks or sharp edges both on the outside and the inside.

Smooth out any edge you find with some emery cloth or sand paper and form a nice smooth edge for the pull rope to pull through.

If your knot keeps breaking at the pull cord handle, you can either double knot it or also place a small washer in the handle and pull the rope through it. The washer serves as a support for a hole that may be enlarged by the pull rope. Tie a double knot in the rope and it should be good to go!

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Lawn Mower Hit Something and Now Won’t Start

A “blade strike” as it is called can do some damage to the lawn mower, but engineers have built in some safety features that help contain that damage.

What happens during most blade strikes is when the blade contacts a rock or root, the impact causes the blade to stop and a shear key located on top of the engine to shear either partially or fully. This causes the ignition timing to fire incorrectly.

The result could be that the pull cord wants to rip out of your hand on a push or self-propelled lawn mower. If you are lucky, you will not injure your hand or shoulder!

The only way to tell if the flywheel key has been sheared is to remove the flywheel cover and in most cases, the flywheel as well. Then you can see if the square key has been partially sheared or is fully sheared.

Replacing the sheared flywheel is solves this problem. It must be the factory key as it is made of a material that will shear away and not solid steel that will damage parts if you hit something else.

If you need a professional lawn mower repair shop to troubleshoot and correct this problem, visit our Locations page for help.