Gas Mower Difficult to start -- ideas? (corn, how to, buying)
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I bought a Troy Built gas mower from Lowes early this year. It's progressively gotten harder to start. This happens regardless of whether the tank is near empty or full. I've already changed the oil twice.
Basically what happens: I have to do the choke several times -- maybe 8 - 10 times -- before I can get it to start. I'll do the choke, pull the chord, doesn't start... redo. After it's running, it's fine and doesn't stall. Important note: If I then stop mowing for say five minutes, and return to restart it, the mower will start fine. But the longer I wait to restart it the mower -- let's say I wait a half hour before using it again -- the harder it becomes to restart again.
Does this sound like a fuel issue? Spark plug issue?
It'd be a pain to transport to Lowes, so trying to resolve this.
Sounds like a clogged jet in the carburetor. Get some carb cleaner to get the gunk out. Have you been using/storing old gas? Without a stabilizer additive, gas can go "bad" in just a couple of months.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into the carb cleaner. Interesting comment about the gas -- we have a very small yard. Even moving almost every weekend, I am still using the original 2 gallons of gas I bought back in February with the mower. And did not add a stabilizer. Hmm. Wonder if that could be the issue -- I could swear the problem has gotten progressively worse over time, which might make sense to the quality of gas going downhill.
Would I need to get rid of the old gas & buy new gas and add stabilizer to it? I'll also get into the habit of buying less gas then.
You don't have to siphon the gas out of the mower, you could just dump the remaining gas in your jerry can into your car, assuming you drive the car pretty regularly, maybe get a turkey baster (that you will use in the garage but not in the kitchen obviously) to pull some of the gas out of the mower tank. But refill your jerry can with fresh gas, put some stabilizer in it, if you don't use much lawnmower gas you may want to only put one gallon in the jerry can.
Your symptoms may or may not be the old gas, but in a humid climate particularly E-10 gas which is all most people can get, will likely go "off" (oxidize) in the 6 months you have stored it.
It will help if you keep the mower and gas can somewhere that they don't get or stay real hot. A closed hot garage is the worst.
Just put some Sta Bil fuel additive in the gas and that should take care of it. I also wouldn't worry about the oil other than to make sure it is at the recommeneded level.
Have you checked the air filter and made sure its clean or free of dirt? Take it off and clean it and spray the intake with carb cleaner as well.
I would also take out the spark plug and check it to see if its fouled and clean it.
I bought a Troy Built gas mower from Lowes early this year. It's progressively gotten harder to start. This happens regardless of whether the tank is near empty or full. I've already changed the oil twice.
Basically what happens: I have to do the choke several times -- maybe 8 - 10 times -- before I can get it to start. I'll do the choke, pull the chord, doesn't start... redo. After it's running, it's fine and doesn't stall. Important note: If I then stop mowing for say five minutes, and return to restart it, the mower will start fine. But the longer I wait to restart it the mower -- let's say I wait a half hour before using it again -- the harder it becomes to restart again.
Does this sound like a fuel issue? Spark plug issue?
It'd be a pain to transport to Lowes, so trying to resolve this.
Quit using gas with 10 percent corn ethanol in it. That crap will gum up anything you use it in.
Quit using gas with 10 percent corn ethanol in it. That crap will gum up anything you use it in.
busta
10-4 on the ethanol!! If you do not have access to gas without ethanol you can get some stuff to add to the gas to counteract the problem. Today I got some at Home Depot and a "shot" for one gallon cost about 60 cents.
I had problems with a mower years (I'm not sayin' how many!) ago and an old timer at a fixit shop told me only put the highest octane gas I could find in my equipment. I've done it ever since and have had very few problems. No Ethanol in that stuff, at least not around here, yet.
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ethanol!! If you do not have access to gas without ethanol you can get some stuff to add to the gas to counteract the problem. Today I got some at Home Depot and a "shot" for one gallon cost about 60 cents.
