Category: Riding Lawn Mower Repair

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

Riding Lawn Mower Not Charging Battery

Some lawn mowers have a charging indicator built into the dash or an “Amp Meter” as they call it. This is a meter that is connected in line with the engines charging system and will give you a visual clue as to what is happening with it.

On the amp meter, you want to see it reading in the 13.7 to 14.7 volt range to ensure that battery is property charged. A fully charged batter will have somewhere around 12.7 volts and could be higher depending on the condition of the battery.

If you do not have an amp meter, a simple volt meter test can be performed. With the engine running at full RPM and nothing running on the mower, place the positive lead on the positive terminal and the negative lead on the negative battery terminal and it should read be in the 13.7 to 14.7 volt range. If it is not or if it is reading higher, your alternator or the associated wiring is faulty and will need replaced or repaired.

You also should perform a test of your battery to see if it is still good and that the acid levels are correctly filled. A lawn mower batter today will only last about 3 years before it needs replacement.

If you need help troubleshooting why your lawn mower battery will not charge, visit our Locations page for a professional near you.

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Won’t go into Gear

Riding lawn mowers can sometimes be tricky to get into gear or out of gear. These machines are made on a high speed production line and are not always exactly perfect.

Sometimes the shifting rods will become slightly bound up and a gentle rocking back and forth will get the mower into gear. You can also check to see that grass is not interfering with the shift linkages. Rocks and caked on dirt can also cause the shift linkage to bind.

Clean out the area with a leaf blower or compressed air and then lubricate the shifting rods with dry silicone or similar lubricants that don’t attract dirt and debris.

If this does not fix the problem, then something internally may be the problem or you may not have enough fluid in the transmission. Check the fluid level and add more if necessary.

If the problem is internally in the transmission or gear case, it would be best to have a professional resolve that for you. You can find a lawn mower transmission repair shop on our Locations page.

Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

What Type of Oil Should I use in My Lawn Mower?

Oil is the lifeblood of any engine and an oil change is the most important thing to do for your lawn mower.

You always want to use the type and viscosity of oil that the engine manufacturer recommends and this information can be found in the engine owner’s manual. But, you do not always have one of these if you purchased the lawn mower secondhand.

As a general rule, most small engines use SAE30 conventional motor oil. Conventional means that it is made from crude oil. Synthetic oils use different chemicals to create these lubricants.

More recently, engine makers have been moving to 10W30 engine oils. Honda is one of those companies that requires it in most of their lawn mowers.

Synthetic oils are far superior than conventional motor oils and once the engine has had its first required oil change, it is fine to switch it over to synthetics. Synthetic oils do not create sludge, have better lubricating properties and provide less friction for your engine. They are more expensive, but that added expense is worth the price of protecting your lawn mowers engine.

If you need help changing your lawn mowers engine and don’t want to tackle that job, visit our Locations page for a shop near you.

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

My Lawn Mower Runs for a While and Then Quits

This is a fairly common problem on push, self-propelled and riding lawn mowers. It can also be one that is hard to troubleshoot because there are several different things that can cause this problem in the first place.

You can check some easy things like the fuel cap for proper venting. If you take the cap off after the mower quits and you hear a whooshing of air, the cap is not venting as it should. Replace it with a new one or try to clean out the vent hole and see if that solves the problem.

The electrical portion is also another part that can cause your lawn mower to quit. The ignition coil, spark plug or associated wiring are all potential culprits.

It could also be the quantity of oil in a riding lawn mower. If the oil level is too low, if it is equipped with a low oil switch, it can shut down the engine to prevent any damage.

If you need professional help diagnosing your lawn mowers problem, visit our Locations page for a lawn mower repair shop near you.

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

Why Should I Hire a Certified Technician To Repair My Lawn Mower?

With the ever increasing technology that is being delivered in today’s lawn mowers, the technicians that repair them must be well educated to that technology. Fuel injection is now working its way down to riding lawn mowers and will soon be on smaller mowers such as self-propelled machines.

Electronic Fuel Injection requires a different set of tools and equipment t repair them. A computer, software and cabling plus the knowledge to use those new tools is mandatory to repair these machines. In fact, many shops don’t have those tools and are unable to properly troubleshoot them.

The leading engine manufacturers such as Briggs and Stratton, Honda, Kawasaki and Kohler all have EFI controlled engines. These engine builders all have their own unique certifications.

Briggs & Stratton – Master Service Technician

Honda – Master Service Technician

Kawasaki – Kawasaki Engine Certified

Kohler – Expert Level Certified

These are the top level certifications and with them comes a great deal of knowledge and experience working on the engines.

By hiring a Certified Technician to work on your lawn mower, you will have the best trained individual with experience in their field to ensure the repairs are done properly and accurately.

Do you need a professional lawn mower repair shop in your area? Click here to find one Lawn Mower Repair Shop

 

 

 

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

I Turn the Key on My Riding Lawn Mower and Nothing Happens

This can be frustrating when you have a yard that needs mowed and you get nothing when the key is turned.

Let’s see if we can turn some of that frustration into a mower that starts and runs.

Check easy first.

Is the mower in gear? If so, place it in neutral. Is the PTO switch engaged? If so, disengage it. Do you have the clutch pedal pressed completely down? If not, press it in further. Are you sitting on the seat? You must be in the seated position on some mowers before they will start.

Is the main fuse blown? You can find it either under the hood or under the seat near the battery. It will always be located near the battery in almost all riding lawn mowers.

If the fuse is good, have the battery tested at your local parts store or check for voltage with a volt meter or VOM. Also check the battery terminal connections to ensure that they are clean of any corrosion and tight.

If the problem still persists, it is time to call in a professional riding lawn mower repair technician. Check our Locations page for one near you.

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

When I Start My Riding Lawn Mower it Throws Oil Everywhere

You talk about a mess…yes this is one mess maker for sure. You turn the key and start your riding lawn mower up and then spots of oil appear all over your deck and the ground. But what could be causing this?

Well, there are a few things that can cause this. The more common one is the crankshaft oil seal at the bottom of the engine. To check this, a mirror and a flashlight are helpful to be able to see if it is leaking. Oil will normally pool in the drive pulley that is connected to the bottom of the crankshaft. When the pulley starts to turn during starting, the oil is centrifugally slung out of it and spews everywhere.

If the leak is not there, you can move onto the oil drain plug. It could be a square drive plug in the bottom of the crankcase or a twist lock style with a cap on it. These have a tendency to unscrew over time and loosen up. Check them for tightness.

Next check the crankcase seal itself. There is a seal between the two crankcase parts that must be intact and tight to prevent oil from leaking. If that is good it is onto the oil filter. Make sure that it is not leaking as well.

Another possibility is the valve cover gaskets or the cylinder heads themselves. So check them to be sure that they are not leaking.

When you find the source of the leak, contact a riding lawn mower repair professional on our locations page for assistance.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

Riding Mower Will Not Move

If your riding lawn mower will not move under power, check the following things to see if you can discover why it is not moving.

First check the tow rod to ensure that it is pushed in. It is normally located at the back of the rider and is a small wire rod that pushes in and pulls out.

Make sure the gear selector is in gear and any Hi or Lo levers are not in neutral.

Check the brake to ensure that it is not set to on.

If you have checked all those and it still doesn’t move, look under the mower and check to see if the belts are on their pulleys and that the belt has not broken. There are either one or two belts in the drive system. One goes from the engine crankshaft pulley to the transmission and another may go from a separate pulley to the transmission.

If everything looks fine, then it is time to call in a lawn mower specialist to look at this problem and resolve it. Check our locations page for a small engine repair shop near you.

Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Runs For a Few Seconds and Dies

This could happen with a push mower, self-propelled or riding lawn mower. It doesn’t matter what kind of engine it has on it or the brand. What matters is that the engine is not getting the fuel it needs to continue to run. It will have enough fuel to run for a brief time but then it will die.

This problem with your lawn mower runs for a few second and dies normally occurs in the springtime when you first start the lawn mower. The carburetor is usually the culprit that causes these problems and the fuel that was left inside of it has gelled up and plugs up the ports inside it.

You will need a professional lawn mower mechanic to resolve this issue for you because the carburetor will need to taken apart and cleaned. This is not a job for someone that is not familiar with or have worked on carburetors before. It has many different ports that you must need to know how to clean and where they are located.

You can find a lawn mower repair professional at our Locations page to help resolve my lawn mower runs for a few seconds and dies problem.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Leaves Tire Tracks

One of the main reasons your lawn mower leaves tire tracks is that the ground is too saturated with water. The lawn will have to dry out more before you can mow. If it is soft to walk on or squishy, it is best to wait to mow.

Other reasons could be that your tire pressures are too high or too low. Check your owner’s manual to see what the tire pressures should be for your lawn mower. You could also be mowing too fast. Turning corners at a high rate of speed will tear up the lawn and leave tire tracks.

If you are using a Zero Turn lawn mower, speed, tire pressure and moving the sticks too fast can also cause tire tracks. Slow down and gently move the sticks through their paces and see if this corrects the problem. It takes a while to get used to how a Zero Turn operates and experience will teach you how to avoid leaving those tire tracks.

The type of tire and lack of tread can also cause the mower to slide when turning and make tire tracks in your yard. Be sure to have lawn type tires that have good tread on them.

These tips should help you correct that problem of your mower leaves tire tracks.