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  • simplyconnected
    Administrator
    • May 26 2009
    • 8778

    My Lawn Mower

    stopped working while I was cutting the grass.
    This thing has been 'old faithful' for nearly fifteen years. It was made in Ohio by Murray, with a Briggs & Stratton Industrial/Commercial engine.

    Being an air cooled 4-cycle, I use Shell Rotella-T oil. My backup emergency generator has a B-S engine with an oil level switch that shuts off the spark but this one is a smaller engine with no fancy bells or whistles except that it is self-propelled.

    Anyway, I was happily mowing when all of a sudden the thing died. It had plenty of gas. I checked and the oil level was down slightly so I topped that off.

    Normally, I push a prime bulb three times and this baby takes off on the first pull. But this time, nothing. Ok, so I got out the starting fluid, gave it a shot, pulled the rope and it came to life. Then it died as soon as the ether was spent.

    I'll get into it in the morning (noon is morning to me). - Dave
    Member, Sons of the American Revolution

    CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

    "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
    --Lee Iacocca

    From: Royal Oak, Michigan
  • Dan Leavens
    Moderator / Administrator


    • Oct 4 2006
    • 6366

    #2
    Dave don't you just hate that Maybe the neighbours will think it is your version of a crop circle...
    Dano Calgary,Alberta Canada
    Thunderbird Registry
    58HT #33317
    60 HT (Sold )

    Comment

    • simplyconnected
      Administrator
      • May 26 2009
      • 8778

      #3
      HA! Yeah, Dano... the idea of borrowing someone's goat crossed my mind, too. When I sleep on a problem I mull it over many times more than I should. I guess it's called, 'overthinking the problem'.

      Robin said the mower is 'old'. I thought, 'how old is it? Let's see, 15 years means, five months or 22 weeks times 15 = 330. It doesn't take a whole hour to do the grass but let's say it does. That's only 330 hours total on this motor, which is nothing. I think I have more than that on my generator because a few times it was on for a few days straight. The generator is about as old.

      It only takes three things to make an engine work, spark, fuel and air. I have spark and air. Time to look into the carb... - Dave
      Member, Sons of the American Revolution

      CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

      "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
      --Lee Iacocca

      From: Royal Oak, Michigan

      Comment

      • simplyconnected
        Administrator
        • May 26 2009
        • 8778

        #4
        I performed surgery on the carb only to find nothing wrong with it. I put it back on the mower and the symptoms were the same.

        I got another trick up my sleeve. I'm going to make a temporary fuel tank out of a 1-qt oil bottle. Let's see how that goes.. - Dave
        Member, Sons of the American Revolution

        CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

        "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
        --Lee Iacocca

        From: Royal Oak, Michigan

        Comment

        • simplyconnected
          Administrator
          • May 26 2009
          • 8778

          #5
          Eureka! I cranked up the mower with my temporary fuel tank. It stayed running after I finished mowing the grass.

          Now, I have to fix the original tank. It's plastic and easy to remove. I probably should have started troubleshooting there.

          It must have some kind of filter in it that clogged but I can't see it. Maybe if I back-wash it and blow air through, it will last another fifteen years.
          Member, Sons of the American Revolution

          CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

          "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
          --Lee Iacocca

          From: Royal Oak, Michigan

          Comment

          • scumdog
            Super-Experienced

            • May 12 2006
            • 1528

            #6
            Not a wiring problem!

            Well I at least knew it wouldn't be a bad ground! Hehehe...
            A Thunderbirder from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

            Comment

            • simplyconnected
              Administrator
              • May 26 2009
              • 8778

              #7
              Tom, I could have used one of those very large magnifying glasses you Detectives have. I'm used to working on huge engines with no troubles seeing. This carby fits in the palm of my hand. I was afraid it would slip through my fingers and get lost.

              Robin was gracious and didn't ridicule the 'big engine troubleshooter' for having the lawnmower down for two days. At least it didn't cost money to fix. As soon as I finished cutting the grass, things were ok with Mama, TG. - Dave
              Member, Sons of the American Revolution

              CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

              "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
              --Lee Iacocca

              From: Royal Oak, Michigan

              Comment

              • Dan Leavens
                Moderator / Administrator


                • Oct 4 2006
                • 6366

                #8
                Dave glad to see you completed repairs and that the lawn has been cut. You know the saying " Happy wife Happy Life "
                Dano Calgary,Alberta Canada
                Thunderbird Registry
                58HT #33317
                60 HT (Sold )

                Comment

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