[gregorylee54]

Lawnmower will not start. It actually crashed last year before storage. All the gas fortunately ran out and the tank was empty. Attempted to get it running with no luck. Pull rope was stuck but I counter clockwise turned the blades and it unlocked. Also replaced the spark plug but nothing. Any recommendations?

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[SeniorSitizen]

With those engines there's a way to kill 3 birds with one stone if you have a helper to pull the rope.


With the kill wire removed from its connector, remove the plug and ground the plug threads on a cylinder head fin. Place your thumb firmly on the spark plug hole and have the helper pull the rope. 1) You should see spark across the plug electrodes, 2) the compression should be great enough its difficult to near impossible to keep your thumb on the plug hole and 3) you should see spark at the plug electrodes at the exact same time ( + - about 1/100 second ) your thumb is blown from the plug hole. If those ducks are all lined up, re- install the plug and remove the air filter and put about a 1/4 teaspoon of gas in the top of the carburetor and try it.

 

[DexterII]

It actually crashed last year before storage. All the gas fortunately ran out and the tank was empty.

Welcome. So am reading the between the lines a bit, but it sounds like the gas ran out by itself? Just disappeared from the tank? That's not normal, so the first thing I would check is the oil to see if the level is higher than it should be and if it smells of gasoline. If either of these is the case it sounds like the float is stuck, in which case you could either rebuild or replace the carburetor, and it's usually less costly to replace it. If the gas didn't run into the crankcase then you probably have a bad tank or hose.

 

[lenaitch]

I'm with Dexter. Did it poop out late enough in the season that you simply put it away? Why it died then is another quest, but there might have been gas left in the carb bowl and it has crudded the jets and other innards. The carburetor might need a good cleaning/rebuild/replacement.
I'm also curious about the recoil (pull cord). If it failed, they are fairly easy to repair unless the spring broke, but I'm wondering if the engine is not turning freely. If you pull the spark plug, does it rotate relatively easily? There should be some resistance but if it's really hard to turn you might have a bigger problem.

 

[ron45]

Make sure nothing is wrapped around the blades/shaft.

 

[joecaption]

We give up, what do you mean it "crashed last year"?
Did this crash and all then all gas leaked out at the same time?

 

[huesmann]

Seized up?

 

[gregorylee54]

Thanks for the advice. Sorry for the confusion. The lawnmower actually ran out of gas naturally. Don't think I have a problem with the gas line but instead I may have a carburetor problem. Going to check the oil and see if I smell gas. If so, I'll take the carburetor off and try cleaning it...change the oil as well. Beyond that I don't know what else I can do. Recommendations would be helpful. Thanks

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[SeniorSitizen]

Recommendations would be helpful. Thanks

Beenthere done that , i'm out.

 

[lenaitch]

Thanks for the advice. Sorry for the confusion. The lawnmower actually ran out of gas naturally. Don't think I have a problem with the gas line but instead I may have a carburetor problem. Going to check the oil and see if I smell gas. If so, I'll take the carburetor off and try cleaning it...change the oil as well. Beyond that I don't know what else I can do. Recommendations would be helpful. Thanks

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There could have been fuel left in the bowl that 'went stale'. Doing a good, thorough carb clean, including the jets, seats and little passages, is a good starting point.

 

[gregorylee54]

Yeah...thanks for the info.

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[Retired24]

Every fall, when I winterize my lawnmower, I drain as much gasoline as I can, and then run it until it runs out of the remaining gasoline in the carburetor. In the spring, I fill the tank with fresh gasoline, remove the air filter, and spray starting fluid into the air intake. That's the only way I can get my lawnmower to start at the beginning of each season.

 

[gregorylee54]

Thank you.

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[gregorylee54]

There could have been fuel left in the bowl that 'went stale'. Doing a good, thorough carb clean, including the jets, seats and little passages, is a good starting point.

Thank you.

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