Hi guys I just wanted to Introduce to you my other Channel "Kirkman's Academy" - which i'm just getting started. It's a go-to channel for simple explanations for hard to grasp subjects such as physics, maths and chemistry etc. Here is the link: www.youtube.com/@kirkmansacademy/videos . Thank you so much for looking, and if these topics interest you then I hope to see you the there. Many thanks indeed. Craig 😊👍
After bragging to my new young sweet and beautiful girlfriend, that "I cab start anything in 15 minutes", I wasted 2 hours of adjusting everything to specs, changing condensator and breakers and not starting my 1972 MZ 150, that I knew, had been able to start easily, last time I touched it.. I ended up ditching the brand new NGK B6HS (as I reacall - at least the correct one) spark plug, and putting the old worn one back in, and succes.. NEVER trust a part, just bcz it's new..
I have a electrical lawnmower that want start it was working I cut it off to get something out of the way want start back up I don’t know how to get the top off to-get to the motor
I love my dad, but one thing he did to me as a kid still kind of irks me. He had an old lawnmower that wouldn't start. I guess he had taken it to the shop and they said it wasn't worth fixing. So I asked if I could have it. My dream was to get it working again, and then use the engine to make a go-kart. A buddy of mine and I spent weeks working on that damned thing - neither of us knew anything about engines. We took everything apart, writing down how to put it back together, cleaned, sanded, borrowed a gap measuring tool to try to fine tune the spark plug (singular). I was into electronics and so I had a basic multi meter from radio shack that we used to confirm the alternator was working, etc. We got it purring - and then my dad wanted it back to give to a friend of his who was a perpetual 'ner do well and so always down on his luck. He basically forced me to sell it back to him for $5 - that was when the minimum wage was $2.50 and my friend and I had probably spent over 100 hours on it. ...don't know why I told you all that. Just needed to vent I guess.
I just took my step dad's old lawn mower that wouldn't start because he was going to take it to the dump. He does zero maintenance on anything he owns so i figured it would be worth a shot to clean up. I just finished cleaning everything and putting it back together. New carb, filter, gaskets and spark plug. Fired up twice and now won't go. 😂 I won't even send him a picture of what it looks like now. I feel ya!
Yeah things like that stick with you for sure, especially the fact that it was your dad. I wanted a mountain bike when I was a teenager, I asked my dad a number of times for one. He got me one but ruined the whole experience by reminding me forever that he bought me a bicycle. I wouldn’t mind but he spent most of his time in the pub
I just did that, my lawnmower now is running like a champ again. I clean the carburetor and found 1 of the holes with yellow stuff, clean the tank, let it dry & fill again starting at first pull 👍🏻
Great video. At my house I have 4 lawn mowers each with their own issues. I'm a woman who is taking charge to get one of them running so I can mow my large lawn. Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself. The men aren't always around or willing. Your videos are so easy to understand. Thank you
Thank you. I just pulled the mower out of the garage for the season. February in Florida is when I have to start cutting the grass again, after a 2 month break. New mower, worked great in November. Your video has helped me tremendously.
Came to say thank you so much for this video. I've watched several, and this one is probably the best one, most explanitory & understandable. Now I know I can take the gas tank off & work w it & the carb. Hopefully, I'll be cutting grass ALL weekend! TY, TY, TY
I have watched over 20 videos related to lawn mower fixing. Yours is the best, step-by-step, straight to the point, and you showed how to drain the gas tank. Thank you very much for sharing. BTW, I have mine fixed after cleaning the gas tank and carburetor following your steps. Many Thanks!
I had exactly the same issue with my lawn destroyer (type2) and I had a hard time to extract the carburettor because the two bolts holding it were difficult to reach. The gap between mowing body and the screws is smaller on my husky. The repair folks changed the filter and the carburettor for no reason after I saw your video. Knowledge is power. Thanks for undoing the knot in my brain! 😊 I really appreciate your work! Thank you
I inherited my dad's old Briggs mower and I must have it 15 years now. In that time I think I've only changed the oil twice and the same for the spark plug. That thing still purrs after all those years. I think those old Briggs and Stratton mowers are the best.
THANK YOU. I am not mechanically inclined at all and this fixed my non-starting mower. Emptied the gas tank and also the carburetor "bowl", filled with new gas and started right up on the first pull. I almost bought a new lawn mower, but figured I'd look on youtube first. Glad I did. Much appreciated!!
Fantastic video fella, the fuel hack was just the trick, fuel was light brown coming out so very stale. Once drained worked like a dream saved me £££'s
Great video very informative especially for people who don't generally work on their own equipment. in my experience over the years most of the push mowers I come across will simply pull but won't start 99.9% of the time the safety lever cable is stretched or broken it leads to a small engine brake pad on the side of the magneto that acts as a kill switch its a $10 or $15 fix for a replacement and not to hard for the average DIYer to replace
Nice tips, thank you! I'll share that I had a hard starting Honda and only starter fluid would get it going. The problem was the throttle cable was mis adjusted and the choke was never fully engaged. After adjustment, it fires up with just one pull every time! It's a good idea to run a bit of SeaFoam fuel treatment in your gas to allow it to stay fresh and not gum the carb up.
I've just got to say it. The metering jet is also often plugged with varnish in a float bowl type of carb. A little bath in lacquer thinner, carb cleaner or some other hot solvent, then a wire to ream the orifice will get you going.
@@TheRepairSpecialist I have a Mountfield HP185, (Briggs and Stratton 300) series that won't start, however, I did get it started a couple of days ago and gave it a good run but since then, the bugger won't start, do you think that it's still fuel starvation and maybe I was lucky to get it started initially? I have changed the spark plug but still no joy.
Thank you sir for sharing this knowledge. I was at my wit's end, I have zero experience with servicing these tools and was on the cusp of purchasing a new one. Watching your video gave me confidence in knowing that my assumptions were correct and what my next steps should be. I hope to update this tomorrow that my lawn mower is up and running. Either way, great video. Easy to follow steps and subscribed for more content
Better yet, just run all the gas out of it before putting it away for winter. Then in spring put in fresh gas, remove the plug and dip it in gas and reinstall. It should crank right up.
Thank you for your easy to understand directions! I'm hoping to start up my smaller push mower this season. I bought it used, and it never worked quite right. I haven't used it in years, and I'm sure that there is no gas left in it.
Excellent! I had this problem last year. I will definitely dump the old fuel and buy premium fuel this time around change the plug and drain the carburetor bowl. Cheers to happy mowing, then I will have a cold beer.🇨🇦
This is one of the greatest video I've seen lately about repairing something, and I use ytb a LOT since like idk 12 years. You sir are amazing. greetings from Argentina 😁
Aussie fuel!!! Lol. Every few weeks fuel goes bad even with no ethanol. I find whipper snipper is a problem. I bought an Aldi one 2 years ago or more. It died just after warranty. Btw you have the good model. Briggs and Stratton with a metal tank. The plastic tank has an internal fixed mesh filter inside. A few times I have had to pull the tank off and empty it. Then back blast the mesh filter ( fixed type) with a compressor and the muck that comes out . Beautiful! This engine especially your model is the best. Excellent video! Cheers from Australia just subbed.nice work 🙂👍👍👍
This was a very helpful video. However for complete dumbos like me it would have helped if it also showed how to remove the fuel pipe in a bit more detail. I had to look at another video for that
i had a lawn mower that ran great for 10 years and i thought maybe water got into the gas tank and i messed up the lawnmower engine, but thank you for your video i think causes explaind in your video is the culprit, dirt inside the gas tank, contamination, or a bad diaphram !!!!!!! thank you Again !!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁
Thanks a billion my last lawnmower I had to discard it because it wasn’t working now since I took my other one apart from the fuel tank and cleaning it now I see why it wasn’t working
Nice videos...I pull my mower out today and it wouldn't start...I change the spark plug n put some fresh gas n let it sit there for 20 minutes n it started..
I think mine might be a fuel problem (mower 13 months old and barley used in relative terms). I will be following the draining / refilling fuel steps tomorrow and hope that sorts it. Many thanks.
When I was a in high school in 1995 mechanic class teacher was my history teacher Mr. Moore he told me to teach the mechanic class and we had 20 lawnmower’s and my friends and me got all over them running in 2 weeks and Mr. Moore history teacher was proud of me in all my friends! Mr. Moore knew my father said Robert teach the class and I got award for teaching all got A’s
Interesting topic, should also replace or clean the air filter. For me using fresh gasoline, cleaned carburetor I still need to use starting ether to get the motor running. Spray ether at the air filter, pull the cord, it runs well after the initial pull. I have changed the plug with no difference in a cold start pull. I also find adding isopropyl alcohol to the fuel tank smooths performance maybe indicating the ethanol in gasoline is absorbing moisture from the air new or old. Fuel stabilizer has not been a significant impact positive or negative but Isopropyl alcohol, aka gasoline antifreeze,5 has better results. In North America the red bottle of gasoline antifreeze at the store.
Hey Craig, Pat here from Toronto. Just watched this for the first time and it all makes sense. My question is, should I empty the lawnmower of gas and run it till it quits before storing it for winter…..or…fill with gas and add some stabilizer???
Hi Pat. Either is good as long as you do one of them in my opinion. It will be good for the carb to clear it out of gas and introduce fresh into it as well though anyway. Thanks. Craig
The reason mowers don't start in the spring (as well as motorcycles, chainsaws and weed trimmer) is mainly because the gas has turned to varnish over the winter and clogged the carb journals and jets. Adding Seafoam in the fall will eliminate the problem and the engines will start up no problem. I've been using it for 20+ years and never have to work on my carburators anymore. (use it on your snowblower in the spring also!)
Seafoam is petroleum distillates Good for cleaning fuel systems But Not a mechanic in a bottle Best to drain fuel and run carb dry for off-season storage
@@philherrick7319 Ihave never drained a carb bowl for winter storage on any gas engine I've owned (I'm 69 years old) but I read about it being done alot. SInce I started using Seafoam many many yeas ago, I never had a problem with the engine starting in the spring. Just saying. And for problem solving when I first start working on an engine, I first run Seafoam thru it to help clean the system first, which 50% of the time actually works to get it running. Then I continue to clean and adjust. No Seafoamis not a "Mechanic in a can" but it is just a short cut to getting an engine running faster.
@@PainterD54 You have had good success. I stand by my comment (s) Where I live we have ethanol added to the gas at the pump. Ethanol is hygroscopic. BAD for carburetors/fuel systems. At the shop I work in we do hundreds of mowers/blowers, depending on the season. The majority of the work we do is fuel related. It's not only a question of using a product to stabilize fuel. It's also a question of cleaning the problems caused by the water in the ethanol fuel, along with unstabilized gas. It's BEST to drain the fuel and run the carb dry. That doesn't mean it always happens, however.
Thank you for the video. What can I do/check if after cleaning and rebuilding the carburetor, replacing the spark plug, fresh gas and my lawn mower still doesn’t start up?
New mower last year. Failed to start in early spring this year. Checked the oil, air filter and spark plug, still no joy. Decided to drain the tank and carb bowl. Fresh fuel, started first time! The old fuel had stabilizer in it, which I was under the belief would help preserve the fuel over winter, but not the case. I'll drain the system and run it dry at the end of the year.
@@timb7775 Yes, most likely. I read that lead free fuel lasts fairly well in a car tank, but not so much in a lawnmower (evaporation of some volatile compounds needed for good combustion). Exact same thing happened again this year; had to drain the mower and add fresh fuel; works fine now. I read that draining the mower tank and carb before winter might not be such a good idea, due to potential drying out/distortion of carb diaphragm/seals.
This was a very thorough and useful step by step ‘how to’ video. I’ve just watched your video and subscribed. Really well presented and well filmed video. Thank you for taking the time to put this up. It’s really useful to amateurs like me.
some people use the anti fouling stuff you can buy at walmart. they say you pour measured amounts into the gas tank. but i just clean the plug and it works for me. after about 10 cleanings of the plug, i just go buy a new plug and continue mowing.
I park my 20 year old mower in the garage over winter and it never fails to start by 3rd pull using the fuel from the previous season. Mind you, I do maintain it well... one oil change and one new plug in 20 years of use.
Have a lawnmower from the 1980s,I've never done anything to it in 25 years except add oil. Thing always starts in a couple of pulls. Even using 3 year old gas in it. My 4 year old lawnmower made mostly plastic gives me nothing but grief,no matter what I do 😆
I have been in some form of horticulture for fifty years now so my experience looking after an estate with assorted engines has lead me to a couple of conclusions that work for me. I never overwinter engines with fuel in them except the real large tractor engines. I remove the fuel and make sure I have a clean tank, sediment is a bad carb and fuel filter killer. Run the engines until they quit so carb is also dry. First fuel of the season is premium ( no ethanol ) I only use premium fuel in my 2 stroke mix in my stihl engines. Ethanol based fuels burn too hot on the smaller engines. I also remove all fuel from containers putting last litre in a glass container for inspection.Its scary what you may find in the bottom of containers. I find these precautions can save you a lot of headache at the begining of season.Machinery is also compleatly serviced in the winter. Just my thoughts which have stopped me cursing so much. :D
In the past, I bought three Craftsman for about 15 years. I had very hard times to start them, so I did not like it no more. Then, I bought Honda lawn mower and I love it. After three months without using it, I can start it by one pull.
I own a self propelled mulching Lawn Boy lawnmower, and it's very dependable, I make sure to burn off the gas in the tank by running it, before it's stored for fall / winter, and remove the brass bolt at bottom of fuel bowl and drain the remaining gasoline inside it, to help prevent gumming up internally. Also I've added a fuel filter to the fuel line going from the tank to the carb, and it keeps the impurities out of the carb, and helps alot to make starting easy in the spring, since the impurities are not entering the carb and impeding the fuel flow. Also the spark plug is taken out and check the condition of it, if its in good condition it is cleaned and re-installed. I got this lawnmower for free on trash pick up day, found out it would not start due to gummed up carb, cleaned it up, put new gas in, primed the bulb, and 1 pull it starts with ease every time.
Hi. Thank you for your nice feedback. I really appreciate it. This video of mine might help you with removing the carb from your fuel tank. Here is the link: ua-cam.com/video/Q560lMk3FgA/v-deo.html I hope this is the type of carb/tank system you have. Thanks. Craig
After 40 years of mowing, I got fed up with petrol mowers, edgers and have gone all electric. Just a pain to charge batteries but you get into a routine. I draw the line at electric cars though.
My electric mower is the best mower I ever had in my 67 years. I did buy and extra battery and the two get it all done. The batteries sat in the garage all winter. Slid it on , pushed the button, and ready to mow. Much quieter too.
You are absolutely right! However, I can’t use an electric. The problem with them is that the cutting width is too small if you have a big yard. However, my weed eater, edger, and sidewalk blower are electric. The lithium batteries however, will become unserviceable after 2 or 3 years and will have to be replaced, just like a car battery.
I have my grandads old Honda mower that he bought in 1989 and it still works as I had it serviced last year...fast forward to now and it ticks over but will not run...I'm not very good with engines but would like to fix it myself...wish me luck
Fuel or spark were what we were taught at TAFE. So my mower ran first pull for years. Replaced the plug and pull starter rope as that snapped, went first pull again, I was so happy. Now it wasn’t start at all…….cleaned up plug, no spark, every elst is fine, so I’m thinking it’s the carby or the ignition coil
I still prefer a key start lawnmower more than a post start even though my mom for the pull start because most of the reasons that would stop a pull start from being able to start a key start to actually troubleshoot that by directly interfering with the ignition, as where a pull start cannot.
I have a sovereign xsz40 149cc when it runs it hunts now and again. Checked the primer bulb all ok. Cleaned the carb and put it in a sonic bath and removed and cleaned jets. But will always leak fuel out of the primer bulb.
If the cord is hard to pull it's the key, or you have oil on the head hacheck for fire if you got fire it's your carburetor it needs to be rebuilt also if you turned your lawn mower with the carburetor down you may have oil in your carburation check the filter it maybe soaked with oil in that case, you will need to clean your carburetor. it's a good idea to change your oil too and sharpen your blade...
Gasoline soaks up water and separates quickly in lawnmowers because of the vent holes in the fuel cap. I drain my tank for winter and shoot a little WD40 into the tank. A full tank of gas stayed fresh in my Dad's truck for 4 years because the tank is sealed. You can hear air rush into the tank when you remove the cap to fill it. Runs fine I didn't have to fix anything. Fired right up as soon as I replaced the battery and it ran fine on 4 year old gas.
I heard that car engines with 4 or more cylinders(spark plugs) can run stale gas much easier than a single cylinder with only 1 spark plug. So cars can't be compared to a lawn mower engine.
i worked on mower right away if it starts you have compression, spark fuel is a problem give it a shot of either if it runs drain the fuel pull the carb and clean it out i used a guitar string to push threw the orphices or compressed air it you have it it will start it has to oh ya hold the safety handle on Ha another thing i had not mentioned is the fuel filter in the tank was clogged
Not had a fuel problem yet but I have poor starting due to blowing head gasket and another time dirty oil (must get past rings). No starting down to coil or HT lead failure. Erratic tickover caused by broken governor.
A wife in East Texas. Husband goes on an errand with son. I decide to mow the yard. Nope. Mower won't crank. Son-in-law, and son have smart cracks when I message to ask for advice. Hmmm ...I'll show them! I get on UA-cam, find this video. Drain gas tank and carburetor. Yes sir! About a cup of water. Gassed 'er back up. I knew I'd pulled on that rope a good bit before so I figured it would be a bit before she'd crank. Two pulls! She died a few more times while she got rid of the rest of the moisture but I had just finished mowing when husband pulled in. 😁 ....by the way, the smarty pants son was with husband when I asked for help. Husband was kind of surprised to see the grass cut. 😉 Thank ye, sir, for this well done and easy to follow video! Blessings to you!
Using premium fuel which has no ethanol prevents a lot of fuel problems and of course giving it a shot of quick start makes it at least fire when first trying to start it.Siphoning out the fuel in the fall prevents all fuel degradation problems.
Just watched this video very very good just wondered though my lawnmower has same problems and it's model number is Mountfield 100cc SP414 is that applicable to your video ??
My push mower wouldn't start, last summer. I took it to the repair shop, paid $100 for repair and a tune up, brought it back home and it worked as it should. The reason, they said, was water in the fuel. I used the mower a few times then it sat for two months and again it wouldn't start. So back it went and the reason they gave it wouldn't start was water in the tank. Does sitting in a garage for two months cause that much condensation?
Hi guys I just wanted to Introduce to you my other Channel "Kirkman's Academy" - which i'm just getting started. It's a go-to channel for simple explanations for hard to grasp subjects such as physics, maths and chemistry etc. Here is the link: www.youtube.com/@kirkmansacademy/videos . Thank you so much for looking, and if these topics interest you then I hope to see you the there. Many thanks indeed. Craig 😊👍
After bragging to my new young sweet and beautiful girlfriend, that "I cab start anything in 15 minutes", I wasted 2 hours of adjusting everything to specs, changing condensator and breakers and not starting my 1972 MZ 150, that I knew, had been able to start easily, last time I touched it.. I ended up ditching the brand new NGK B6HS (as I reacall - at least the correct one) spark plug, and putting the old worn one back in, and succes.. NEVER trust a part, just bcz it's new..
I have a electrical lawnmower that want start it was working I cut it off to get something out of the way want start back up I don’t know how to get the top off to-get to the motor
I love my dad, but one thing he did to me as a kid still kind of irks me. He had an old lawnmower that wouldn't start. I guess he had taken it to the shop and they said it wasn't worth fixing. So I asked if I could have it. My dream was to get it working again, and then use the engine to make a go-kart. A buddy of mine and I spent weeks working on that damned thing - neither of us knew anything about engines. We took everything apart, writing down how to put it back together, cleaned, sanded, borrowed a gap measuring tool to try to fine tune the spark plug (singular). I was into electronics and so I had a basic multi meter from radio shack that we used to confirm the alternator was working, etc. We got it purring - and then my dad wanted it back to give to a friend of his who was a perpetual 'ner do well and so always down on his luck. He basically forced me to sell it back to him for $5 - that was when the minimum wage was $2.50 and my friend and I had probably spent over 100 hours on it. ...don't know why I told you all that. Just needed to vent I guess.
I just took my step dad's old lawn mower that wouldn't start because he was going to take it to the dump. He does zero maintenance on anything he owns so i figured it would be worth a shot to clean up. I just finished cleaning everything and putting it back together. New carb, filter, gaskets and spark plug. Fired up twice and now won't go. 😂 I won't even send him a picture of what it looks like now. I feel ya!
Yeah things like that stick with you for sure, especially the fact that it was your dad. I wanted a mountain bike when I was a teenager, I asked my dad a number of times for one. He got me one but ruined the whole experience by reminding me forever that he bought me a bicycle. I wouldn’t mind but he spent most of his time in the pub
If he’s still alive TELL HIM, GET MAD, sometimes people need to know when they wrong.
Accept the apology he'll never give you and move on.
Now that you are a man, you need to let him know that was messed up. Like really let him know.
I just did that, my lawnmower now is running like a champ again. I clean the carburetor and found 1 of the holes with yellow stuff, clean the tank, let it dry & fill again starting at first pull 👍🏻
Great video. At my house I have 4 lawn mowers each with their own issues. I'm a woman who is taking charge to get one of them running so I can mow my large lawn. Sometimes you have to figure things out for yourself. The men aren't always around or willing. Your videos are so easy to understand. Thank you
That is awesome! Thank you for letting me know and for your kind feedback 👍
@@TheRepairSpecialist awesome j’aime 👍 ❤
This isn't a vacuum cleaner honey.
@@pepperj Oooohhh.. :D
@@pepperjyou bitter cuz you can’t find a female to make you a sandwich?
Thank you. I just pulled the mower out of the garage for the season. February in Florida is when I have to start cutting the grass again, after a 2 month break. New mower, worked great in November. Your video has helped me tremendously.
Funny. Where I am it's a 9 month break from mowing!
Came to say thank you so much for this video. I've watched several, and this one is probably the best one, most explanitory & understandable. Now I know I can take the gas tank off & work w it & the carb. Hopefully, I'll be cutting grass ALL weekend! TY, TY, TY
Wow. Thank you so much for your kind and motivating feedback. I really appreciate it. Craig 👍👍👍👍
I have watched over 20 videos related to lawn mower fixing. Yours is the best, step-by-step, straight to the point, and you showed how to drain the gas tank. Thank you very much for sharing. BTW, I have mine fixed after cleaning the gas tank and carburetor following your steps. Many Thanks!
I had exactly the same issue with my lawn destroyer (type2) and I had a hard time to extract the carburettor because the two bolts holding it were difficult to reach. The gap between mowing body and the screws is smaller on my husky.
The repair folks changed the filter and the carburettor for no reason after I saw your video. Knowledge is power. Thanks for undoing the knot in my brain! 😊
I really appreciate your work! Thank you
I just fixed my lawn mower today!! Thanks to you!! 🎉
Thank you for posting this! That was so satisfying! 🦼
Thank you for your kind feedback. I really appreciate it. Craig 👍👍👍
This has shown up on my feed in a timely manner as I'm about to give my lawn it's first cut of the year
I inherited my dad's old Briggs mower and I must have it 15 years now. In that time I think I've only changed the oil twice and the same for the spark plug. That thing still purrs after all those years. I think those old Briggs and Stratton mowers are the best.
I just found a petrol mower that was going to be tipped. Tomorrow I will be following your tutorial to see if I can fix it. Wish me luck.
That’s good that you are taking on that project. You will learn a lot. I wish you the best of luck. Craig
Followed the instructions and my dead lawnmower came back to life. Thanks a ton!
Awesome. Thank you 👍👍
THANK YOU. I am not mechanically inclined at all and this fixed my non-starting mower. Emptied the gas tank and also the carburetor "bowl", filled with new gas and started right up on the first pull. I almost bought a new lawn mower, but figured I'd look on youtube first. Glad I did. Much appreciated!!
Fantastic video fella, the fuel hack was just the trick, fuel was light brown coming out so very stale. Once drained worked like a dream saved me £££'s
Awesome. Thank you for letting me know. Craig 👍👍👍
Great video very informative especially for people who don't generally work on their own equipment. in my experience over the years most of the push mowers I come across will simply pull but won't start 99.9% of the time the safety lever cable is stretched or broken it leads to a small engine brake pad on the side of the magneto that acts as a kill switch its a $10 or $15 fix for a replacement and not to hard for the average DIYer to replace
Is there a video to this type of repair?! Sounds like it could be my issue
Well informed video, sent my daughter who is having mower issues thanks for your time. Wish you the best from the states
Nice tips, thank you! I'll share that I had a hard starting Honda and only starter fluid would get it going. The problem was the throttle cable was mis adjusted and the choke was never fully engaged. After adjustment, it fires up with just one pull every time! It's a good idea to run a bit of SeaFoam fuel treatment in your gas to allow it to stay fresh and not gum the carb up.
I've just got to say it. The metering jet is also often plugged with varnish in a float bowl type of carb. A little bath in lacquer thinner, carb cleaner or some other hot solvent, then a wire to ream the orifice will get you going.
Very true 👍
@@TheRepairSpecialist I have a Mountfield HP185, (Briggs and Stratton 300) series that won't start, however, I did get it started a couple of days ago and gave it a good run but since then, the bugger won't start, do you think that it's still fuel starvation and maybe I was lucky to get it started initially? I have changed the spark plug but still no joy.
😝🤑
@@christopherlorenzana4507 Are you drunk or something?
NO wire. You can ruin the bore. Air - liquid - nothing hard..
Thank you sir for sharing this knowledge. I was at my wit's end, I have zero experience with servicing these tools and was on the cusp of purchasing a new one. Watching your video gave me confidence in knowing that my assumptions were correct and what my next steps should be. I hope to update this tomorrow that my lawn mower is up and running. Either way, great video. Easy to follow steps and subscribed for more content
Put some fuel stabilizer in the gas tank and run it for a few minutes before you put it away for winter.
0pppuppii7
Better yet, just run all the gas out of it before putting it away for winter. Then in spring put in fresh gas, remove the plug and dip it in gas and reinstall. It should crank right up.
Maybe also add that ALWAYS run your mower completely out of fuel before winter storage.
Thank you for this info, It helped me today to get my lawn mowed. Bless you for posting,
This is the best video I've seen in a while, going to try this tomorrow.
Thank you for your easy to understand directions! I'm hoping to start up my smaller push mower this season. I bought it used, and it never worked quite right. I haven't used it in years, and I'm sure that there is no gas left in it.
Good luck and thank you for your nice feedback. Craig 👍
But I'll wager the tank and carb are gummed up with gunge and grot.
Follow the man's advice.
Thank you so very much from Romania. It only needed new gas. All the best!
You're welcome! 👍👍👍
Excellent!
I had this problem last year. I will definitely dump the old fuel and buy premium fuel this time around change the plug and drain the carburetor bowl.
Cheers to happy mowing, then I will have a cold beer.🇨🇦
⁹
Craig, you are GREAT!!!! New spark plug did it. Very thankful.
Wow. That’s brilliant that you have found the problem. Thank you so much for your kind comment. I really appreciate it. Craig 👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks boss. Your video just saved me a trip to the mower repair shop
Awesome. Thank you for letting me know. I really appreciate your feedback. Craig
This is one of the greatest video I've seen lately about repairing something, and I use ytb a LOT since like idk 12 years. You sir are amazing.
greetings from Argentina 😁
Wow, thanks! Craig 👍👍👍
Aussie fuel!!! Lol. Every few weeks fuel goes bad even with no ethanol. I find whipper snipper is a problem. I bought an Aldi one 2 years ago or more. It died just after warranty. Btw you have the good model. Briggs and Stratton with a metal tank. The plastic tank has an internal fixed mesh filter inside. A few times I have had to pull the tank off and empty it. Then back blast the mesh filter ( fixed type) with a compressor and the muck that comes out . Beautiful! This engine especially your model is the best. Excellent video! Cheers from Australia just subbed.nice work 🙂👍👍👍
Thank you for this video! My mower started on the first pull after changing the plug and fuel.
Thanks for the good advice.
Worth also checking air filter.
What a brilliant informative video well done excellent thank you
This guy is fantastic !! really looking foward to trying to get my honda going !!! fingers crossed
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind feedback. Craig 👍👍👍
I appreciate this video so much. I know it took a while to do it and it's much appreciated 👍🏽
This was a very helpful video. However for complete dumbos like me it would have helped if it also showed how to remove the fuel pipe in a bit more detail. I had to look at another video for that
That was super bloody useful? Thankyou. I have a 35 motor that I was given... And the fuel was disgustingly dirty!
i had a lawn mower that ran great for 10 years and i thought maybe water got into the gas tank and i messed up the lawnmower engine, but thank you for your video i think causes explaind in your video is the culprit, dirt inside the gas tank, contamination, or a bad diaphram !!!!!!! thank you Again !!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁
Thank you. I really appreciate your feedback. Craig 👍👍👍
@@TheRepairSpecialist 😁😁😁😁😁😁
Thank you sir. Great video. Will use this knowledge to fix my old mower this wknd.
Thanks a billion my last lawnmower I had to discard it because it wasn’t working now since I took my other one apart from the fuel tank and cleaning it now I see why it wasn’t working
Nice videos...I pull my mower out today and it wouldn't start...I change the spark plug n put some fresh gas n let it sit there for 20 minutes n it started..
I think mine might be a fuel problem (mower 13 months old and barley used in relative terms). I will be following the draining / refilling fuel steps tomorrow and hope that sorts it. Many thanks.
When I was a in high school in 1995 mechanic class teacher was my history teacher Mr. Moore he told me to teach the mechanic class and we had 20 lawnmower’s and my friends and me got all over them running in 2 weeks and Mr. Moore history teacher was proud of me in all my friends! Mr. Moore knew my father said Robert teach the class and I got award for teaching all got A’s
Interesting topic, should also replace or clean the air filter. For me using fresh gasoline, cleaned carburetor I still need to use starting ether to get the motor running. Spray ether at the air filter, pull the cord, it runs well after the initial pull. I have changed the plug with no difference in a cold start pull. I also find adding isopropyl alcohol to the fuel tank smooths performance maybe indicating the ethanol in gasoline is absorbing moisture from the air new or old. Fuel stabilizer has not been a significant impact positive or negative but Isopropyl alcohol, aka gasoline antifreeze,5 has better results. In North America the red bottle of gasoline antifreeze at the store.
Hey Craig, Pat here from Toronto. Just watched this for the first time and it all makes sense. My question is, should I empty the lawnmower of gas and run it till it quits before storing it for winter…..or…fill with gas and add some stabilizer???
Hi Pat. Either is good as long as you do one of them in my opinion. It will be good for the carb to clear it out of gas and introduce fresh into it as well though anyway. Thanks. Craig
So did everything but changed that gasket now it will start like it's new thanks again
Awseome 👍
Great video. Answered numerous questions. Thanks
Thank you. I really appreciate your nice comment and valued feedback. Craig 👍
The reason mowers don't start in the spring (as well as motorcycles, chainsaws and weed trimmer) is mainly because the gas has turned to varnish over the winter and clogged the carb journals and jets. Adding Seafoam in the fall will eliminate the problem and the engines will start up no problem. I've been using it for 20+ years and never have to work on my carburators anymore. (use it on your snowblower in the spring also!)
Never heard of seafoam. Is it sold in the US? Is it kinda like Stabilizer??
Seafoam is used for a stablizer and to clean your carb as well as adding it to your gas to keep your carb clean.
Seafoam is petroleum distillates
Good for cleaning fuel systems
But
Not a mechanic in a bottle
Best to drain fuel and run carb dry for off-season storage
@@philherrick7319 Ihave never drained a carb bowl for winter storage on any gas engine I've owned (I'm 69 years old) but I read about it being done alot. SInce I started using Seafoam many many yeas ago, I never had a problem with the engine starting in the spring. Just saying.
And for problem solving when I first start working on an engine, I first run Seafoam thru it to help clean the system first, which 50% of the time actually works to get it running. Then I continue to clean and adjust. No Seafoamis not a "Mechanic in a can" but it is just a short cut to getting an engine running faster.
@@PainterD54
You have had good success.
I stand by my comment (s)
Where I live we have ethanol added to the gas at the pump.
Ethanol is hygroscopic. BAD for carburetors/fuel systems.
At the shop I work in we do hundreds of mowers/blowers, depending on the season. The majority of the work we do is fuel related. It's not only a question of using a product to stabilize fuel. It's also a question of cleaning the problems caused by the water in the ethanol fuel, along with unstabilized gas. It's BEST to drain the fuel and run the carb dry.
That doesn't mean it always happens, however.
Mine wouldn’t start in Spring. I was told to use premium gas/petrol. Zoom! Worked like a charm.
Great result. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for the video. What can I do/check if after cleaning and rebuilding the carburetor, replacing the spark plug, fresh gas and my lawn mower still doesn’t start up?
Battery lawnmower
New mower last year. Failed to start in early spring this year. Checked the oil, air filter and spark plug, still no joy. Decided to drain the tank and carb bowl. Fresh fuel, started first time! The old fuel had stabilizer in it, which I was under the belief would help preserve the fuel over winter, but not the case. I'll drain the system and run it dry at the end of the year.
I'm really pleased you found the problem, Its crazy how fuel can go bad and how its overlooked.
-Thanks Craig
Probably has to do with mowers having vented gas caps, not completely sealed off. And the carb isn't sealed off and vents.
@@timb7775 Yes, most likely. I read that lead free fuel lasts fairly well in a car tank, but not so much in a lawnmower (evaporation of some volatile compounds needed for good combustion). Exact same thing happened again this year; had to drain the mower and add fresh fuel; works fine now. I read that draining the mower tank and carb before winter might not be such a good idea, due to potential drying out/distortion of carb diaphragm/seals.
Just saved a trip to the rapair shop. Thanks!
Excellent! 👍
This was a very thorough and useful step by step ‘how to’ video. I’ve just watched your video and subscribed. Really well presented and well filmed video. Thank you for taking the time to put this up. It’s really useful to amateurs like me.
some people use the anti fouling stuff you can buy at walmart. they say you pour measured amounts into the gas tank. but i just clean the plug and it works for me. after about 10 cleanings of the plug, i just go buy a new plug and continue mowing.
Thanks ! Fixed the mower ! But can't afford the gas now cost $7.00 a gallon !!!!!!! 😕
Keep up the good work - best tutorials on UA-cam
Wow, thanks! I really appreciate it. Craig
Good one mate.. I have had lots of practice with this lol lots of good information
Thanks mate. I've nearly finished the sparkplug vid where I will give you a shout if you are still OK that 👍👍
@@TheRepairSpecialist ok mate cool.. look forward to seeing it
Good information . I like channel.. I like Small engine rebuild, therefore i won't hesitate watching your UA-cam channel.Thanks alot all TRS guys.
I park my 20 year old mower in the garage over winter and it never fails to start by 3rd pull using the fuel from the previous season. Mind you, I do maintain it well... one oil change and one new plug in 20 years of use.
Have a lawnmower from the 1980s,I've never done anything to it in 25 years except add oil. Thing always starts in a couple of pulls. Even using 3 year old gas in it.
My 4 year old lawnmower made mostly plastic gives me nothing but grief,no matter what I do 😆
BEST VIDEO I have seen on Lawn mower repairs!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!
Wow, thanks! 👍👍👍
Thanks. Wish I'd known all that a couple of weeks ago! Would have saved me a lot of money and angst! :)
Always clean the high-speed and low-speed Jets, most of the time with ethanol they're plugged up I've rebuilt shitloads of these small carburetors
I have been in some form of horticulture for fifty years now so my experience looking after an estate with assorted engines has lead me to a couple of conclusions that work for me. I never overwinter engines with fuel in them except the real large tractor engines. I remove the fuel and make sure I have a clean tank, sediment is a bad carb and fuel filter killer. Run the engines until they quit so carb is also dry. First fuel of the season is premium ( no ethanol ) I only use premium fuel in my 2 stroke mix in my stihl engines. Ethanol based fuels burn too hot on the smaller engines. I also remove all fuel from containers putting last litre in a glass container for inspection.Its scary what you may find in the bottom of containers. I find these precautions can save you a lot of headache at the begining of season.Machinery is also compleatly serviced in the winter. Just my thoughts which have stopped me cursing so much. :D
In the past, I bought three Craftsman for about 15 years. I had very hard times to start them, so I did not like it no more. Then, I bought Honda lawn mower and I love it. After three months without using it, I can start it by one pull.
pretty hard to beat Honda engines on anything.
I own a self propelled mulching Lawn Boy lawnmower, and it's very dependable, I make sure to burn off the gas in the tank by running it, before it's stored for fall / winter, and remove the brass bolt at bottom of fuel bowl and drain the remaining gasoline inside it, to help prevent gumming up internally.
Also I've added a fuel filter to the fuel line going from the tank to the carb, and it keeps the impurities out of the carb, and helps alot to make starting easy in the spring, since the impurities are not entering the carb and impeding the fuel flow.
Also the spark plug is taken out and check the condition of it, if its in good condition it is cleaned and re-installed.
I got this lawnmower for free on trash pick up day, found out it would not start due to gummed up carb, cleaned it up, put new gas in, primed the bulb, and 1 pull it starts with ease every time.
Full marks for all the helpful tips ..... but how do you remove the Mountfield fuel tank and carb ?
Hi. Thank you for your nice feedback. I really appreciate it. This video of mine might help you with removing the carb from your fuel tank. Here is the link: ua-cam.com/video/Q560lMk3FgA/v-deo.html
I hope this is the type of carb/tank system you have. Thanks. Craig
sparkplug seams fine, good spark when you see in the open,- but inside the engine in compressed air/fuel mixture can be different!
After 40 years of mowing, I got fed up with petrol mowers, edgers and have gone all electric. Just a pain to charge batteries but you get into a routine. I draw the line at electric cars though.
My electric mower is the best mower I ever had in my 67 years. I did buy and extra battery and the two get it all done. The batteries sat in the garage all winter. Slid it on , pushed the button, and ready to mow. Much quieter too.
You are absolutely right! However, I can’t use an electric. The problem with them is that the cutting width is too small if you have a big yard. However, my weed eater, edger, and sidewalk blower are electric. The lithium batteries however, will become unserviceable after 2 or 3 years and will have to be replaced, just like a car battery.
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Lol😂😂
Then you need to try a Nissan Leaf.
Best video I have seen it’s spot on
I have my grandads old Honda mower that he bought in 1989 and it still works as I had it serviced last year...fast forward to now and it ticks over but will not run...I'm not very good with engines but would like to fix it myself...wish me luck
Fuel or spark were what we were taught at TAFE. So my mower ran first pull for years. Replaced the plug and pull starter rope as that snapped, went first pull again, I was so happy. Now it wasn’t start at all…….cleaned up plug, no spark, every elst is fine, so I’m thinking it’s the carby or the ignition coil
Great video. thank you.
i'll try these now!
Excellent, quick, simple and to the point.
BBCmbwscl
I still prefer a key start lawnmower more than a post start even though my mom for the pull start because most of the reasons that would stop a pull start from being able to start a key start to actually troubleshoot that by directly interfering with the ignition, as where a pull start cannot.
Thank you, Gent. I appreciate it.
I have a sovereign xsz40 149cc when it runs it hunts now and again. Checked the primer bulb all ok. Cleaned the carb and put it in a sonic bath and removed and cleaned jets. But will always leak fuel out of the primer bulb.
No fluff. Great Video.
Thank you 👍
If the cord is hard to pull it's the key, or you have oil on the head hacheck for fire if you got fire it's your carburetor it needs to be rebuilt also if you turned your lawn mower with the carburetor down you may have oil in your carburation check the filter it maybe soaked with oil in that case, you will need to clean your carburetor. it's a good idea to change your oil too and sharpen your blade...
Excellent video. Thank you
Thanks! Love to learn tips like these😊
This fixed my issue thanks
Gasoline soaks up water and separates quickly in lawnmowers because of the vent holes in the fuel cap. I drain my tank for winter and shoot a little WD40 into the tank. A full tank of gas stayed fresh in my Dad's truck for 4 years because the tank is sealed. You can hear air rush into the tank when you remove the cap to fill it. Runs fine I didn't have to fix anything. Fired right up as soon as I replaced the battery and it ran fine on 4 year old gas.
I heard that car engines with 4 or more cylinders(spark plugs) can run stale gas much easier than a single cylinder with only 1 spark plug. So cars can't be compared to a lawn mower engine.
@@nikhook1114 Stale fuel will foul-up the fuel system. It has nothing to do with engine size. Even Google would quickly dispel such a silly myth.
i worked on mower right away if it starts you have compression, spark fuel is a problem give it a shot of either if it runs drain the fuel pull the carb and clean it out i used a guitar string to push threw the orphices or compressed air it you have it it will start it has to oh ya hold the safety handle on Ha another thing i had not mentioned is the fuel filter in the tank was clogged
Not had a fuel problem yet but I have poor starting due to blowing head gasket and another time dirty oil (must get past rings). No starting down to coil or HT lead failure. Erratic tickover caused by broken governor.
This guy's awesome thank you
Great video and helpful information
One water bubble will block the main jet from fuel getting thru the carb.
Great video with easy to follow instructions....thanks. Helped me alot.
A wife in East Texas. Husband goes on an errand with son. I decide to mow the yard. Nope. Mower won't crank. Son-in-law, and son have smart cracks when I message to ask for advice. Hmmm ...I'll show them! I get on UA-cam, find this video. Drain gas tank and carburetor. Yes sir! About a cup of water. Gassed 'er back up. I knew I'd pulled on that rope a good bit before so I figured it would be a bit before she'd crank. Two pulls! She died a few more times while she got rid of the rest of the moisture but I had just finished mowing when husband pulled in. 😁 ....by the way, the smarty pants son was with husband when I asked for help. Husband was kind of surprised to see the grass cut. 😉 Thank ye, sir, for this well done and easy to follow video! Blessings to you!
p.s. I've parked the lawn mower UNDER a shed, out of possible rain. Husband parked it BESIDE shed in possible rain. 🤨
Absolutely awesome of you. Well done. Keep up the good work, and thank you for your brilliant comment and feedback. Craig👍👍👍
Nice on! 😂👍👍
Using premium fuel which has no ethanol prevents a lot of fuel problems and of course giving it a shot of quick start makes it at least fire when first trying to start it.Siphoning out the fuel in the fall prevents all fuel degradation problems.
Just watched this video very very good just wondered though my lawnmower has same problems and it's model number is Mountfield 100cc SP414 is that applicable to your video ??
My push mower wouldn't start, last summer. I took it to the repair shop, paid $100 for repair and a tune up, brought it back home and it worked as it should. The reason, they said, was water in the fuel. I used the mower a few times then it sat for two months and again it wouldn't start. So back it went and the reason they gave it wouldn't start was water in the tank. Does sitting in a garage for two months cause that much condensation?
I run my mower once a week even in winter , the grass just keeps growing in Australia.😜
Excellent video!!!
Thank you very much!
Great video. Many thanks
Very Good -where is the cut off switch or Brke - which stops the sprk -I know somewhere at the back ? is there a video
Thank you for your kind feedback. Yes, OPC lever is usually at the top of the handle where the operator holds.
Based on the thumbnail, id say try planting both feet on the ground first. You can't get a good pull while hovering in the air.
Since I have been adding fuel conditioner every time I fill my fuel can my spring start up problems have disappeared
For me it turned out to be the air filter that was choking the engine, I did also drain the carburetor and gas tank.
Thanks for your video so easy to understand and very well done. I subscribe and will watch your videos you are a good man👍🙏🏻