My Lawn Mower Engine Dies After Running a Short Time

These runability problems are tricky at times to troubleshoot. Did I put good gas in the mower? Is the ignition system working properly?

Those are a couple of things that we automatically think of when our lawn mower is not working like it should. It can be frustrating to deal with those things and they must be figured out one by one.

Troubleshooting is a process of elimination. Those words alone tell so much about how to look at this problem by eliminating what it is not.

The first and easy step is to make sure there is enough gas in the tank. If that checks out fine, then move along to the next item like the ignition system. Install a spark tester and start the engine. Run it at full throttle for a while and see if at any point that the spark tends to die out. If so, there is something wrong in the ignition system. You should also change your spark plug just to eliminate that. Spark plugs are cheap so change it out.

Fuel delivery is another problem that can cause the engine to die. Is the carburetor getting the fuel it needs to run? Inspect the fuel system for blockages and such as the in tank or inline fuel filter and the carburetor itself.

By systematically eliminating these things, you will find the problem quickly. If you need professional lawn mower repair assistance, visit our Locations page for help.