Tag: pull cord broken

Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Lawn Mower Pull Starter Rope Keeps Breaking

Is your pull starter rope always breaking when you try to start your lawn mowers engine? Does it fray easily and then break?

Over time a pull starter can develop some sharp edges in the plastic or metal that the rope has to go through. These sharp edges will slice a little of the rope at a time and when enough of the cords are broken, then the rope will break.

You want to  check the entire length of the pull cord beginning with the eyelet on the right side of the handles. Make sure that it is smooth and if not, some light sanding with some sandpaper will do the trick. Now check out the recoil starter itself for any nicks in the guides both on the plastic and the metal. You can smooth those out or you can replace the entire starter assembly.

Some engine such as Honda, have an easy 3 bolt system that holds the starter in place. Briggs and Stratton has a more complex system and you may have to drill out the old starter and bolt in a new one.

After you replace the starter, it should be good to go unless the rope begins to cut into the blower cover or guides one again.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips

The Pull Cord On My Self-Propelled Lawn Mower is Stuck

This condition makes it feel like you are going to break your right arm when the pull cord gets stuck. You yank on it and it is locked up tight.

Let’s check a few easy things first.

Check the oil. If you have no oil on the dipstick, that is a bad sign and the engine could be seized up. “Sometimes” you can break the engine free, add more oil and dodge a bullet, but that is rare. Normally the engine is destroyed if run on no oil.

Pull the spark plug wire off the spark plug and tilt the mower backwards so you can inspect under the mower. Is there anything that is blocking the blade from turning? Can you move the blade at all?

Sometimes a rock or stick will get caught in the blade and stop the engine from turning.

The pull starter would also be broken and causing it to be locked up.

If you cannot determine what the problem is, visit our Locations page for a small engine repair shop near you.

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

The Pull Cord is Broken on My Lawn Mower

The first thing I like to consider is why did the pull cord break? Was it old and frayed and needed replacement? Was the flywheel brake locked up and caused it to break or was the engine or lawn mower blade not turning and it snapped?

You must first understand the why before you can repair the pull cord. Remove the spark plug cable and then inspect the lawn mower blade to ensure it turns freely. It will be a little hard to turn as the flywheel brake is on. If everything turns freely, then most likely the cord was old and needed replaced.

If the engine is locked up and doesn’t turn, make sure there is not a stick or a rock locking up the blade. Engage the safety brake handle and make sure that it is not sticking and not disengaging the brake. If the safety brake is working correctly and there is nothing stopping the blade, then the engine may be seizing up due to low oil.

Put the mower back on the ground and check the oil level. If the level is OK, something internal may have happened to the mowers engine.

But if everything checks out, remove the blower cover and replace the pull cord if you know how to do so. If not, check our Locations page for a lawn mower repair shop near you.

 

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

The Pull Cord on My Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Won’t Move

It does happen on occasion when your pull cord doesn’t move and it seems locked up. The pull starter could be bad or the engine carburetor could be leaking fuel down into the cylinder and hydro locking it up.

You can try to remove the spark plug and gently pull on the starter rope to see if it clears the fuel from the cylinder. Make sure to place a rag over the cylinder head to catch any gas that may spill out of it.

Also check to be sure that something is not interfering with the lawn mower blade that would keep it from spinning such as a tree branch or rock.

Check the oil. If it is very low, it is possible that the engine has locked up due to low engine oil and it could be ruined. If you don’t see any oil on the dipstick, that could mean the end of that lawn mower.

Now would be a good time to take your Self-Propelled lawn mower to a lawn mower mechanic to have it professionally checked out. You can find one on our locations page.