Move over Red-85-z51: There's a new small engine professional here!

[Bill]

I have an older model Craftsman 22" mower, self propelled. Worked fine for years, a couple of years ago, I couldn't start it. So I did the usual, new plug, air filter, oil change, and removed the carb and cleaned it, then put it back together. Still wouldn't start. So it sat in the garage, and I've been mowing the yard with a weedeater. Rednecks, unite, y'all!

Anyway, I had a wild hair, got some fresh gas from the gas station, filled the tank and.....after about a dozen pulls over 3 sessions, it starts! Ran rough for a minute, but smoothed out and ran normally. I cut the whole yard no problem. Even stopped it and it restarted first pull. I don't know what the problem was, but I've been weedeating my yard for at least a year and a half over this.

Now it's probably time to dig out the generator and see if I can make that run, too.







@RED-85-Z51

[Mick]

Nice!

I have played with my small engine equipment a fair amount, with mixed success.

My biggest success: In 2006, my FIL gave me a Craftsman snowblower that was manufactured in 1975, and wasn't running. It took a while, but I got it running, and it was a major beast when it was going. After a few years of using it, it started to have some more serious problems, and parts for it were more or less non-existent. I remember I fabbed a linkage in my garage to get it going again because no replacements were available. I don't remember what part it was that caused the final failure, but around 2012-2013 I walked it to the curb.

[Bruze]

You never even checked to see if it was getting spark?

Tsk tsk, cry me a river about your new coffee mug breaking.

[Louie Detroit]

Watch pull starting a non compliant lawn mower, i permanently blew out my left shoulder doing so.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Bruze

You never even checked to see if it was getting spark?

Tsk tsk, cry me a river about your new coffee mug breaking.

Oh, it was getting spark two years ago, trust me. I was holding a screwdriver on the plug connection and it shocked the crap out of me. It wasn't getting fuel when I was working on it, which is why I took the carb off and cleaned it completely. As I recall, it would run briefly by shooting Berryman's directly into it, but it wouldn't stay running. No idea. I gave up, and now, close to 2 years later....it started and ran after a bit of coaxing.

And you're showing a shocking lack of compassion for the loss of my mug. I'm still grieving over that, sir.

[Bruze]

Originally Posted by Bill

Oh, it was getting spark two years ago, trust me. I was holding a screwdriver on the plug connection and it shocked the crap out of me. It wasn't getting fuel when I was working on it, which is why I took the carb off and cleaned it completely. As I recall, it would run briefly by shooting Berryman's directly into it, but it wouldn't stay running. No idea. I gave up, and now, close to 2 years later....it started and ran after a bit of coaxing.

And you're showing a shocking lack of compassion for the loss of my mug. I'm still grieving over that, sir.

And for deflecting away from my coffee mug comment . . .

[Moond0ggie]

My system that has worked well on mowers that sat for awhile & wont start is to remove the fuel cap &
pressurize the tank to force fuel into the carb float bowl .

The 2 methods are,

* Place lips on tank inlet & blow hard for several seconds ,

* Get a short hose & place into tank inlet & effect a seal with hand & fingers & blow hard for several seconds ,