Category: Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawnmower Makes a Big Bang or Backfire While Mowing

You are just mowing along and your engine suddenly backfires and then it starts to continue running like normal. What could be causing this and how do I resolve it?

An engine backfire can be caused by an electrical problem or a mechanical one. In most cases it can be tracked down to an electrical problem, more specifically in the ignition system. If the ignition coil becomes too hot or has an internal breakdown, the spark will become intermittent and the combustion chamber can be ignited at the wrong time and cause a backfire out of the intake or exhaust.

The ignition kill wire could also have been compromised and partially broken because of rodent damage or heat and vibration. So you want to check it and is usually a black or gray wire that is attached to the ignition coil.

There could also be a problem with the ignition switch.

If the ignition system is working normally, then the search begins on the mechanical portion of the engine. A leak down test will need to be performed initially to determine if the intake or the exhaust valve is leaking. If one of them is leaking, the burning gasses will pass through them and cause a backfire while the engine is running and particularly under a load such as cutting the grass.

If you need a lawn mower repair shop near you to fix your mower, visit our Locations page for assistance.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Backfires and Then Dies

The first thing you must find out is if it backfires through the exhaust or the intake or carburetor side of the engine. In a lot of cases it will be on the intake side of the engine. When it backfires, it is sending out raw fuel out the carburetor and the ignition is igniting it and you may see flames come through the air filter or it blows off the air filter box completely. When it blows the fuel out, the combustion chamber has no fuel left in or very little and the engine dies. The same thing can happen in the exhaust.

So obviously we have a timing problem or a valve problem. A set of tests must be done to determine what the problem is. The first test is a leak down test. This will tell you if your valves are leaking and which one is the culprit. It could be both of them causing the problem.

Checking the engines timing is more difficult and requires that the engine be taken apart to see if the timing gear cam or chain has jumped a tooth. But before you go ripping things apart, check the flywheel key to make sure that it is not partially sheered. One some models you have to remove the flywheel to check it, but on most you remove the nut holding it in place and you will see it.

These tests are often out of reach for many home owners because they do not have the test equipment. Check our Locations page for a shop near you for help.

 

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Dies and Will Not Restart

This is a fairly common problem and it seems to get worse when it gets hot outside. After a while the lawn mower will restart and then you can mow for a while and then the same thing happens over again.

The most likely culprit here is that the ignition system is heating up and then breaking down inside. When it breaks down, it will cause the ignition coil to stop producing spark and thus the engine dies.

When your engine does die, test for spark by installing an inline spark tester and then cranking the engine. If you do not see any spark, you can assume that your ignition system is at fault. Further testing will need to be performed to narrow down the issue. You will need to know if it is the engine or the machine kill system. You can isolate this by disconnecting the kill system and then checking for spark.

If you need technical assistance with your lawn mower that dies, visit our Locations page to find a shop near you. Professional lawn mower repair companies are available to help.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Leaks Oil Out of the Exhaust

If your lawn mower suddenly developed a problem with oil leaking out of the exhaust, it could be a simple fix or a more complex one.

The simple fix could be that you simply overfilled it with oil. Check the oil level and see if that is the case. If the oil level is too full, drain some oil and check it again.

If the oil level is fine, then a component has failed in the engine. A series of tests will need to be completed to determine what the problem is. Many people do not have the tools to accomplish these invasive tests so it would be recommended that a lawn mower engine repair specialist perform them.

You can check our Locations page to see if there is a lawn mower shop near you.

If your lawn mower leaks oil out of the exhaust, it would be recommended that you do not use it until the problem has been corrected. Raw gasoline could be leaking out of the exhaust as well and it could potentially catch fire. This fire could total your lawn mower and catch other things on fire as well.

Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Why should I buy a Honda Lawn Mower?

That is a very good question and when you compare Honda lawn mowers with other brands, the reasons become pretty obvious.

The biggest reason in my opinion is quality. You are going to pay a little more for a Honda lawn mower, but I have seen them come into my small engine repair shop that are more than 20 years old. You won’t see many other brands that will come even close to lasting that long.

Honda starts out with a very dependable engine. Their self-propelled and push mowers typically use a GCV type engine in 160 or 190cc. This is plenty of power to mow your lawn and pull the mower up hills easily. As long as you keep the oil changed and do the required maintenance, these engines are pretty bulletproof.

The decks on a Honda are either steel or plastic. Both of these are pretty rugged and the steel decks will almost never rust through. As long as you keep the deck scraped of the wet grass buildup, rust will not be a big issue.

The controls are pretty intuitive and are built fairly well. They require some lubrication and maintenance and the cables will go bad in them just like any other self-propelled or push mower.

Drive systems are a big one and Honda spares no expense here. They use steel on steel gears instead of a steel drive gear and a plastic mating one on the drive wheel like a lot of competitors.

Honda uses a Twin Blade system on some of their mowers. This cuts the grass very fine and helps to mulch it as well. This is another plus to a good looking lawn.

All in all, Honda puts quality in every aspect of their lawn mowers and it is money well spent to keep your yard looking great.

Outdoor Power Equipment Reviews

Honda EU3000is Generator Review By An Owner and a Generator Mechanic

I have owned a lot of different generators and worked on at least 30 or more brands. Each has their own problems and some are just downright imported Chinese junk.

Honda EU3000is

But Honda takes a different approach to building generators. First, they put quality in everything they do from the design of their engines to the electronics that go inside their generators.

This generator uses a Honda GX200 engine and it is known for rock solid dependability. They add a super quiet muffler system that allows you to have a normal conversation when it is running full speed right next to you. It incorporates a low oil shutdown system to protect the engine if you forget to check the oil and will sip fuel when switched over to Economy Mode. It can run up to 20 hours on its 3.4 gallon tank in the economy setting and it is extremely quiet as well while in that mode.

The Honda Super Quiet Gasoline Portable Generator with Inverter (EU3000IS1A 3000Watt Electric Start Inverter)Honda Power Equipment EU3000IS Generator is built rugged enough to take just about anything. I even had one guy that dropped his overboard on a lake. We dried it up and changed out the oil and air filter and it ran just fine! I personally don’t recommend that you do this!

I added a //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lawnmowerre02-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B004DR0BQO&asins=B004DR0BQO&linkId=b7e52681e933eaccc62a7200405ac916&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff“>All Terrain Wheel Kit for my Honda EU3000is and made it so much easier to move it from my shop in the East to my cabin in Colorado. I just roll it up the ramps and into the truck and then offload it, plug it in and done. I did however modify mine with a high altitude fuel main jet due to the cabin being above 8,000 feet sea level.

For high altitude operations, use the proper size jet below:

High Altitude Main Jet – 4,000-8,000 feet – //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lawnmowerre02-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00AJV61S0&asins=B00AJV61S0&linkId=6413660b51ca45caae4d2587ffb2d45b&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Honda 99101-ZH8-0720 Jet Main (72)

High Altitude Main Jet – 6,000-10,000 feet – //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lawnmowerre02-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B001OK9XJ4&asins=B001OK9XJ4&linkId=6508ddb5bc944193cf2a7ea29ec69c1c&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Honda 99101-ZK7-0700; JET, MAIN (70)

High Altitude Main Jet – 9,000-14,000 feet –  Honda Main Jet 99101-ZK7-0680 (68)

This generator can also be converted to burn LP gas with a kit that is installed in between the carburetor and the cylinder head. Different companies make a variety of kits just for this purpose. This kit will allow you to burn propane, natural gas or gasoline. //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lawnmowerre02-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0773G4CM8&asins=B0773G4CM8&linkId=76b39a57555d1d253e5dc1230c03dc17&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff“>Honda EU3000IS EU3000 Propane / Natural Gas Tri-Fuel Conversion Kit

The other great feature is that this is an Inverter Generator. That simply means that you can run your sensitive electronics with it such as computers, cell phones and tablets. Whatever requires clean and stable power can be operated without any problems.

The Honda EU3000is has two 120V 20A Duplex outlets as well as an outlet that is capable of running a 30 amp 125V circuit and is a locking plug type. You can also parallel this generator with another EU3000is to effectively double your output power. You will need a //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lawnmowerre02-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B000NOPDX2&asins=B000NOPDX2&linkId=0c9235ed94d2c7e94a95b8e07a3cfa5a&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Honda 06321-ZS9-T30AH Parallel Cbl Kiteu3

If you need a longer run time, you can add an //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lawnmowerre02-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B003BURT3C&asins=B003BURT3C&linkId=bdd388ca40204d1d021c77032dec8625&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff“>Extended Fuel Tank to provide for long run times such as a weekend at the track.

There is also an outlet that will allow you to charge your automotive or powersport type 12v batteries.

Maintenance – There is very little to do with this generator. If you change the oil as recommended, keep the air filter and spark plug changed as well as the spark arrestor cleaned, it will last for thousands of hours.

With so many features packed into one solid generator, the Honda EU3000is is a great value for your money.