Blog

Lawn Mower Will Not Start Troubleshooting

Your lawn mower can be a real pain at times when it won’t start or will run for only a few seconds. You pull it out, turn the key or pull the starter rope and nothing. Well, instead of breaking out the old “sledgehammer”, let’s take a look at some things you can do to try and get that lawn mower back up and running quickly.

If you have a self-propelled lawn mower or push mower, the first thing you want to do is check for spark and fuel. Start off by removing the spark plug and see if there is any fuel on the end of the plug. Next, attach a spark tester to it. If you don’t have a spark tester, you can leave the spark plug attached to the spark plug wire and lay the spark plug on the metal part of the engine and either video tape the spark or use a mirror in front of the lawn mower to help visually see any spark.

If you have spark and are not getting any fuel, then a carburetor problem is the likely culprit. If you have no spark but are getting fuel, then your ignition magneto is bad or something is grounding out the kill wire. The kill wire is the black wire that connects to the spade connector on the ignition magneto and is routed to the kill switch that is activated when you release the safety bail.

If your lawn mower has sat over the winter, the fuel is bad and will need to be drained and new fuel put in the tank. The carburetor may also be gummed up by that old fuel so it may need cleaned as well.

Riding lawn mowers are basically the same to troubleshoot. But with a riding lawn mower, be sure that the battery is completely charged and that the main fuse is good and not blown. If you turn the key over and nothing happens, you either have a battery issue, a bad key switch or wiring, a starter solenoid that is bad, a bad negative cable ground or a safety switch that is not working.

If your lawn mower will still not start, a VERY SMALL amount of starting fluid can be sprayed into the carburetor venturi after the air filter has been removed. If the engine does fire, then you know for sure that you have a fuel problem and there is none going through the ports in the carburetor.

Just remember, an internal combustion engine needs fuel/air mixture, spark and compression to work properly. If you have all of those and the engine timing is correct (you didn’t hit something with the lawn mower blade on push and self-propelleds), your engine should run.

Hopefully this gets you pointed in the right direction to get your lawn mower will not start troubleshooting issue resolved quickly.

 

 

Husqvarna Riding Lawn Mower Repair Palm Springs CA

Your riding lawn mower is the most important tool for your lawn care needs. It should run well and be as problem free as possible. When it does have problems, a Husqvarna riding lawn mower repair shop is the place that can take expert care of your mower. You need a shop that understands these complicated lawn mowers and knows how to fix them right.

With so many different things that can happen to your lawn mower, it is important that the shop knows how to properly inspect, diagnose, troubleshoot and repair any problem that may come up. Most problems are fuel related or something mechanical has broken such as a deck or drive belt.

With the correct troubleshooting procedures in place, the problem will be clear and the process to resolve it as well. Once the parts are replaced the mower can be tested to ensure that it works as it should and then be put back into service. Testing is a very important part of the repair process and must be done to verify that things work as they are supposed to.

Your Husqvarna riding lawn mower is a great machine and deserves the best care. Let us check it out for you and repair any problem you are having or give it a much needed tune-up.

Husqvarna Riding Lawn Mower Repair in Palm Springs CA.

 

How To Start a 4-Cycle Small Engine When it is Cold

When the weather dips below freezing, most 4-Cycle small engines are much harder to start. Ignition is much more difficult when fuel is cold and the natural vapors are not as expansive as when fuel is warm. Cylinder pressures are lower because the oil does not seal the cylinder well when it is cold. The piston rings contract on the pistons and don’t expand until they begin to heat up.

Here are some tips that will help make starting your 4-Cycle engine easier in extreme cold weather.

  1. If you have a way to warm the engine such as with an electric heater, warm it for 30 minutes prior to starting.
  2. An oil dipstick heater or block heater is another great way to warm the engine prior to starting.
  3. Spray a small amount of starter fluid into the intake after the air filter has been removed and keep the choke closed for a little longer while the engine warms up.
  4. Make sure to have the correct engine oil during cold times of the year. 10W30 is good to 0 degrees and anything colder than that requires 5W30 or a good grade full synthetic.
  5. Be sure that you are using the choke in the full on position. The choke allows more fuel into the carburetor to enrichen the mixture for cold starting.

By heating up the engine and using a small shot of starting fluid, your engine should start fairly easily in even the most extreme weather conditions.

 

Cub Cadet Riding Lawn Mower Repair Palm Springs CA

Is your rider ready for an annual tune-up or does it have a mechanical problem that needs to be addressed? A riding lawn mower can have a multitude of problems because of the many systems that it has. Electrical, fuel, drive and deck systems are the most common culprits that cause issues on a riding lawn mower.

Some things you can check on your Cub Cadet rider are to ensure that the oil is at the proper level and that the fuel and air filters look clean. During a tune-up process, those items are changed anyway as well as the oil and oil filter. The lawn mower tune-up is the most important maintenance that you do every year to keep your lawn mower running and performing its best.

When you need professional Cub Cadet riding lawn mower service in Palm Springs California, give us a call or bring your lawn mower by the shop and let us properly inspect and test it. Then a repair plan will be put into place to begin the process of fixing your lawn mower.

When you need Cub Cadet Riding Lawn Mower Repair in Palm Springs CA, call our shop or bring it by today!

 

Craftsman Riding Lawn Mower Repair Palm Springs CA

When your Craftsman riding lawn mower is not working as it should, let us check it out for you. Your riding lawn mower is an important tool and needs to be taken care of by expert lawn mower repair technicians.

Lawn mowers today are complicated machines and their repair takes an understanding of what the problem is and how it can best be resolved. By carefully inspecting, troubleshooting and diagnosing the riding lawn mower, we can then home in on the actual problem and address it. It may be a part that needs replaced or repaired or some other issue such as a broken wire.

Our lawn mower repair technicians can repair your Craftsman riding lawn mower or perform the much needed tune-up that it requires each year. Dirty air filters, clogged fuel filters and worn spark plugs make for a bad running machine that wastes gas and runs poorly.

Just bring your lawn mower to our shop or arrange for a pickup and let us take expert care of it for you.

So when you need expert Craftsman Riding Lawn Mower Repair in Palm Springs CA, call us or bring it by today!

My Lawn Mower Dies After Starting

This is one of the most common things that happens to a lawn mower. You pull the rope or turn the key and it starts and then dies quickly. It may run for a few seconds or less than a minute and then it dies as if you flipped a switch.

It almost always turns out to be a fuel problem that is causing this issue or more specifically, not getting enough fuel.

If your lawn mower dies after starting, the first thing you want to do is remove the gas cap and listen for a vacuum type sound. Kind of like when you pull the tab on a can of pringles.  If you hear that vacuum sucking sound, the gas cap vent is not working and it needs to be replaced.

If the gas cap is not the problem, you could have stale fuel or water in the fuel. A fuel sample should be taken from the fuel line going to the carburetor. Pinch off the fuel line and then disconnect it from the carburetor. Then allow fuel to flow into a small glass jar and if you see water collecting or the fuel is cloudy, it is bad.

If the fuel is good, then the problem most likely is in the carburetor and it will need to be removed and thoroughly cleaned. After cleaning the carburetor, re-install it and then start the lawn mower.

If it runs better but is now surging up and down, then the carburetor still requires cleaning and pay particular attention to the main and idle jets. Also be sure that your carburetor gaskets are good and that the bolts are tight holding the carburetor on.

Other things can cause your lawn mower to start and then die, but in most cases the fuel is the problem and is a problem that can be solved.

Troy-Bilt Riding Lawn Mower Repair Los Angeles CA

Need some help with your Troy-Bilt riding lawn mower? Is it not performing the way it should or just not running at all now?

No need to worry. Our shop can take your lawn mower and give it a complete inspection and then begin the process of diagnosing it. After that diagnostic session is complete, we then will have a better idea of what the problem is and how we are going to resolve it. The troubleshooting part of this work is critical to a successful outcome in repairing your Troy-Bilt riding lawn mower. With the proper troubleshooting and diagnostic procedures, a quality repair can be completed quickly and accurately.

After the parts are changed or adjusted, we then begin the process of testing the lawn mower to ensure that those changes have remedied the problem. After successful testing is complete, then your lawn mower can be returned to you so it can perform its vital task of managing your lawn and landscape.

With the right mix of preventive maintenance and care, your Troy-Bilt lawn mower will last for many years to come.

Call our shop for all your Troy-Bilt Riding Lawn Mower Repair in Los Angeles CA.

Toro Riding Lawn Mower Repair Los Angeles CA

When you are having problems with your Toro riding lawn mower, a professional service shop is the best way to get it back up and running once again. Your mower needs the right tools and parts as well as properly trained technicians to do the work of repairing it.

Today most problems are either fuel, mechanic or electrical related. Aging gasoline, belts that break or safety switches that go bad are all part of normal things that go wrong. You can help avoid some of these problems by having your annual maintenance performed on time. This routine maintenance is so important to the long life of your lawn mower and should be performed at the beginning of each season.

Let our shop carefully inspect your lawn mower and give it the proper diagnosis and then repair it. A test and evaluation will then be needed to ensure that those repairs corrected the issue and the mower can be returned back into service. Just give us a call and let us take expert care of your Toro Riding lawn mower today!

Call us for all your Toro Riding Lawn Mower Repair Needs in Los Angeles CA.

John Deere Riding Lawn Mower Repair Los Angeles CA

The John Deere rider is a very popular lawn mower used by millions of people in America. The come in all shapes and sizes to meet the need for every lawn.

For the most part these are very dependable mowers but they do have their problems. The deck welds can break, the front wheel bushings can wear out and of course deck and drive belts can break. All of these problems are repairable and with the proper amount of preventive maintenance, they can be avoided.

If your John Deere riding lawn mower is broken down, let us check it out for you. It will undergo an inspection to verify the problem and then a troubleshooting process to determine exactly what is wrong with your mower. Parts will then be changed or adjusted and the mower undergoes a testing of the various systems to ensure that the repair resolved it.

Problems with hard starts or no starts are common as well as battery issues that prevent the mower from starting. Carburetors can also be a problem as fuel will gel in them over time as it breaks down.

Call us for all your  John Deere Riding Lawn Mower Repair in Los Angeles CA.

Husqvarna Riding Lawn Mower Repair Los Angeles CA

Your riding lawn mower is the most important tool for your lawn care needs. It should run well and be as problem free as possible. When it does have problems, a Husqvarna riding lawn mower repair shop is the place that can take expert care of your mower.

With so many different things that can happen to your lawn mower, it is important that the shop knows how to properly inspect, diagnose, troubleshoot and repair any problem that may come up. Most problems are fuel related or something mechanical has broken such as a deck or drive belt.

With the correct troubleshooting procedures in place, the problem will be clear and the process to resolve it as well. Once the parts are replaced the mower can be tested to ensure that it works as it should and then be put back into service.

Your Husqvarna riding lawn mower is a great machine and deserves the best care. Let us check it out for you and repair any problem you are having or give it a much needed tune-up.

Husqvarna Riding Lawn Mower Repair in Los Angeles CA.