Category: Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Zero Turn Lawn Mower Does Not Go Straight

Mowing in a straight line is one of the important things about making your lawn look nice. When your zero turn won’t do the job, there are reasons why and we must check them out one by one to determine what the problem is.

The most likely problem is that one of the tires is low and is causing it to pull to the side. Check all your tires for the proper pressure and then do a test mowing.

If that is not the source of the issue, check to be sure that your brake is not dragging and causing it to pull to one side.

Do the drive sticks look like they are aligned properly? If not, this could be an issue as well.

If none of these things resolve the problem, an adjustment to the drive sticks will need to be made to make the zero turn drive straight. If you have the ability to perform this adjustment, go ahead and do so. If not, visit our Locations page for a zero turn lawn mower repair technician near you.

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My Lawn Mower Bogs Down in Thicker Grass

You care cruising along and cutting the grass when you hit a patch that is a little thicker than normal. All of a sudden the mower begins to bog down and may even die. You are now wondering why it does that?

If your lawn mower works well under normal conditions, it could be a mechanical, electrical or fuel problem. Each of these systems will need to be troubleshot to determine what the problem is. One by one is the best way to proceed.

Since you really cannot put a load on the engine unless you are cutting grass, let’s check some easy things first. Is the spark plug normal looking with a brownish appearance on the electrode? Is the fuel filter clogging up? Are the valves properly adjusted? Is one cylinder not getting spark or fuel?

Check each component to find out what exactly is causing the problem. Some things such as spark will require a spark tester to determine if the spark is good or not. The other items are a visual inspection to see if things are working as they should be.

If you find something wrong, adjust or change the component and retest to see what results you get to ensure that your lawn mower is not bogging down.

Should you need technical help with your lawn mower, check our Locations page for a lawn mower repair shop near you.

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

My Lawn Mower is Leaking Gas From The Air Filter

If any gas is leaking from your lawn mower, that is a safety hazard. The fumes can ignite from a hot exhaust  and cause a fire. When you have a gas leak, it is best to get it addressed by a lawn mower repair professional immediately.

Many times the cause of this leak is the needle and seat in the carburetor is not sealing. The weight of the gas from the tank is sitting on the needle which is the size of a sharpened pencil lead. If there is any buildup of oxidation on it, it will begin to leak. It could leak out slowly or it could come out gushing and empty the tank quickly.

Garage fires have been caused by leaking lawn mowers, so be careful about paying attention to the top of your mower on a push or self-propelled and on the floor if it is a rider or zero turn.

The carburetor will need to be disassembled and cleaned or replaced if the fuel oxidation is too bad.

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

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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.

 

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My Lawn Mower Leaks Oil And I Cannot Tell Where it is Coming From

Just how in the world can you tell if you have an oil leak on a lawn mower that is now covered in dirt and dust?

When oil leaks out of your lawn mower, dust and dirt quickly adhere to that oil and make it very hard to detect the exact location of the leak. The first thing you must do is to power wash the engine to remove the dirt and debris. You must take special care to ensure that you don’t get water into vital areas such as the carburetor, fuel injection or air filter area.

Now you can run the engine and search for the leaking oil but you must take care if this is a push or self-propelled engine as the blade will be turning.

Another way to look for an engine leak is to apply some dye to the engine oil and then use a black light to find it. The dye is illuminated by the black light and makes finding leaks easier.

If you are still struggling to find an oil leak in your lawn mower engine or need the leak repaired, check out our Locations page for a lawn mower repair shop near you.

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Lawn Mower has Blue Smoke Coming From Exhaust

The infamous blue smoke coming from the exhaust is a sign of burning oil. You can also verify this by removing the spark plug. You will see a shiny black or gooey appearance on the electrode side.

Now you may have simply overfilled the engine with oil so that is the first place to start. Remove the dipstick, wipe it off and then re-insert. Pull it out and then check the level. On Asian brand engines, you do not need to screw the dipstick into the case, simply dip it in and put it back out.

If the oil level is fine, then something internal may be causing the problem. You could have a blown head gasket, a bad breather valve, your piston rings are worn or the oil seal for your intake valve is bad.

These are items that would be best diagnosed by a lawn mower engine mechanic as they have the proper tools and information to do these tests. You can find a lawn mower shop near you by visiting our Locations page. Let them know the symptoms of your lawn mower engine problems and give them as much information as you can to assist with the proper diagnosis.

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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.

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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.

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

My Lawn Mower Deck Belt Won’t Engage

There are 2 types of engagement methods on a riding lawn mower. One is a manual lever and the other is a PTO or Power Take Off.

Depending on which one you have, they are completely different methods to engage your lawn mower blades.

The manual lever uses mechanical action to move a cable that is connected to a lever on the deck. This cable can break, bind or freeze up if it becomes rusted. The lever on the deck can also become stuck and not allow the deck belt to move to its taught position.

The PTO is an electrically activated device. You pull the knob and it provides power to the PTO assembly that is located at the bottom of the crankshaft. All of the safety devices must be in their proper positions for it to operate. For example, the operator must be seated, the mower must be in neutral or a forward gear. When the conditions are correct, the PTO engages a large magnet and then the belt will begin to spin the deck belt.

If either of these two systems are not working properly, contact a lawn mower repair technician in your area on our Locations page.

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My Lawn Mower Won’t Pull up a Hill

A lawn mower drive problem can put a damper on cutting and maintaining your grass. Hills are where you quickly find out that your mower will no longer pull and you may notice a slowing down or slipping wheels.

If you have a drive problem, it can be in the transmission or the belts and the linkages. Most likely it is a worn drive belt if the mower has a good amount of hours on it. If it is a newer mower, a stick or other debris may have become lodged in the linkage or the transmission.

Remove your deck and inspect the drive belts, pulleys and transmission for obvious signs of wear or things missing such as springs and linkages that may have come undone. Look at the belts and if they are sitting deep in the pulley grooves, then they are worn out and your pulleys may be worn as well.

If there is a way to access the transmission fluid, check the levels of it to be sure that it has the proper amount. Check your owner’s manual to see what the manufacturer recommends.

If you need help with your lawn mower not pulling up a hill, visit our Locations page for a shop near you.