I couldn’t start my lawnmower yesterday. I don’t know anything about lawnmowers, really, but I figured if I took it apart I could maybe see what was wrong. I took it apart and couldn’t see what was wrong. When my wife asked me to show her, I reassembled it, but then it unexpectedly started up fine. Lawn-mowing accomplished!
I didn’t do anything…honestly I have no idea. I guess the lawnmower equivalent of “did you try turning it off and turning it on again” is “did you try taking it apart and putting it back together”!
Usually when a lawn mower won’t start it’s the fuel that’s gummed up the carburettor.
The reason for this is that the petrol that’s produced today has additives in it which can clump up.
By taking it to pieces I’m guessing you shifted something.
After I’ve finished mowing for the year I usually empty the tank and then run the mower dry. Then refill the next time I start mowing again.
Alternatively you can just start the mower once a month during winter, and let it run until it’s warm to keep the fuel in the carbs and pipes ‘fresh’ and moving.
That’s some good advice! I’ll have to figure how to empty the tank at the end of the summer.
I’ve got something like this…
https://www.halfords.com/tools/power-tools-and-accessories/power-tool-accessories/halfords-drill-pump-for-water-and-diesel-808574.html
Quick, easy, and no horrible tastes left in the mouth.
Never heard of one of these, but seems like a good thing to have lying around!
Follow the little round fuel line from the gas tank to the carb. Sometimes there is a special fuel cutoff valve on the bottom of the tank. You can also siphon out the bulk of the gas and run it for a few minutes until it dies to dry it out if you don’t want to fool with the spring clips.
Or just use a fuel stabilizer.