Any lawn mower gurus around...I have a problem with mine

[MidwestMomma]

My brother-in-law checked the spark plug, changed the oil and cleaned the filter.

It starts okay but after mowing about one length of the yard, it dies.

I tried putting 'fresh' gas in it-my brother in law's suggestion-but still no go.

Any advice is welcome.

Oh and did you know that you shouldn't try to jiggle the spark plug connector when the lawn mower is running? I didn't, but I do now. :)

What a mechanical moron I am!

[Redstone]

1. Just stop mowing your lawn, and turn it into

a wildflower meadow.

Problem solved. Gasoline saved. Noise avoided. Water bills lowered.

Simple, yes?

Redstone

[MidwestMomma]

3. Very simple

But do weeds count as wildflowers?

Damn suburbia and their obsession with lawns.

[Redstone]

16. One man's weed is another man's wildflower;

here in New England, Queen Anne's Lace used to be considered a weed, and now they're selling it in garden centers!

The easy way: Throw a bucket of Cosmo seeds out. They'll grow so thick that nobody will see any weeds.

Redstone

[tk2kewl]

2. could be getting vapor lock, maybe?

[MidwestMomma]

4. What is vapor lock? It is something I can fix or do I need a professional?

Remember, I'm the person who tried to jiggle the spark plug connector with the mower running. :)

[tk2kewl]

11. that must've felt good

you could check to see how the gas gets from the tank to the carburetor. replace the hose if there is one, take apart the carb and clean it and replace gaskets.

[MidwestMomma]

15. Dang,you make it sound so simple

But you know what, I think I just might go look up lawn mower engines on the internet and see if I can find some diagrams or something. It already doesn't work and maybe I could learn something by taking it apart.

Thanks.

[efhmc]

5. How long is that grass? The newer models will shut down if they get

clogged with grass, etc. This is seen as an obstruction (i.e. foot) and will cause an automatic shutdown. I take mine to an area that has no grass (driveway), clean out the clogged grass and then start again. Give it a try. You will have to do it several times, especially if the grass is wet.

[MidwestMomma]

18. I wouldn't call this a newer model

It's a pretty simple cheap lawn mower I've had for awhile. I just don't have the cash to get a new one and I was hoping I could just fix it somehow.

The problem I'm having with it dying is exactly as if I was cutting long wet grass and the bottom was clogged. Only it's not. Thanks for your help.

[Floogeldy]

6. Fuel line blockage

And change the spark plug, no matter what he says.

And get rid of all that built up grass around the blade, on the bottom.

And clean out the gas tank. The suck hole may be clogged up.

Check the AIR filter. The engine needs air. Remove the air filter, if you have to.

Clean the blades.

[Wapsie B]

19. I vote for fuel line blockage too.

Yes, clean the gas tank first and foremost. And when filling the tank make sure you filter out the dirt the gas may have in it before you put into the tank. The dirt may come from sediment in the gas can.

[Tsiyu]

7. Check the filter

Check the blades for rope or string or grass buildup or too low setting, ( turn it off first ;)), check oil pressure.

If it runs "black" your plugs may be getting sooty or oily, in which case you can try changing plugs every time you start it til someone qualified can check out the engine.

[crispini]

8. Mmm.

Dunno. Ditch the nasty gas mower and get a push mower. They don't break and they don't put emissions into the environment. Plus, it'll give you lots of lovely exercise! :)

[Floogeldy]

10. Why do you hate America?

B-)

[efhmc]

12. Have you ever actually mowed 2 acres with a push mower? It will

make even an ardent eco-activist into a believer of gas mowers.

[MazeRat7]

9. Goats & sheep are pretty cheap and they do a good job with lawns

As for your specific problem. Lawn mowers and Plumbing are the bane of my exhistance.... However, I had one that did the same thing. It had to due with blade load and the spring that controlled the throttle. I few tweaks here and adjustments there and it worked fine. (I am talking the spring loaded linkage on the carb) I think there is a magic formula that only the Briggs and Stratton folks know... certainly they never shared it with me...

*grumble....


MZr7

[Floogeldy]

13. "Old McDonald had a farm, Yee . . .

. . . B-)

[pinkpops]

14. My impression for what it's worth:

The engine needs a richer fuel-to air mixture when it is cold, but less fuel as it warms up. If there is too much fuel in the mix after it gets warm the engine will stall. Up until my current mower, there has been a manual choke lever to set the mix, but my newer one apparently has an automatic choke, and yours may as well. If the choke sticks then the engine will not run well, maybe not at all once it warms up. The only thing that bothers me is it does not seem like yours is having much time to get warm. Another possibility is a partially clogged fuel line, which would make it difficult for the carb to get replenished from the tank as you mow. If the mower has been out of use for awhile I suppose the line could gum up.

[tk2kewl]

17. ggod thought

[MidwestMomma]

20. Thanks everyone for the advice

It sounds like it has something to do with a fuel blockage or my throttle.

As I said upthread, I think I'm going to go look up some diagrams and such on lawn mower engines and see if I figure this out. I've borrowing my mom's lawn mower for now so I have some time.

Thanks again...I love DU. Everyone is always so helpful when you ask for advice.