Lawnmower miseries

No suggestions, but a bit of sympathy...

My mother had a Lawn Boy that was impossible to start after it had sat for a while. I rigged an adapter that allowed me to spin it up with an electric drill. Sometimes it would take two or three "drill starts" before it would settle down and run. But, after that, it would usually start and run right. I suspect the reed valves were a little sticky, but I never took it apart...

Jerry

Maybe you hit something and it finally bent the shaft or the keyway bar. That is what was the common issue - timing goes and goes then gone. Might be the final straw last season.

Maybe the cleaner ate some float inside or something also. :-(

Martin

EZ way to start hard starters is to stick an unlit propane torch in the carb and start it on propane.

Several possibilities but the air cleaner is suspect in this case. Another suspect is the float and/or needle and seat in the carb not shutting off properly and allowing the flooding. At least that's where I would start looking.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

If the primer "button" has cracks or leaks in some way you may not be priming the engine. I have to replace mine about every year.

Right now mine doesn't appear to have spark. It ran fine last week 'till I was finished and now won't start. A new plug didn't help. Randy

Greetings Bob, Does it have a Tecumseh engine? If so, first take off the air cleaner and try to start it. If it doesn't, and seems to be flooded, it may be the rubber diaphragm in the bottom of the carb. There may be a small hole in the center of the plate in the bottom of the carb. If there is, gently poke a toothpick or similar into this hole and push against the diaphragm. This will work the inlet needle seat, which acts like a float valve in a float bowl carb. Sometimes a little dirt gets in there and makes the engine flood. Be sure to work the diaphragm gently or you can ruin parts and be forced to buy a rebuild kit. ERS

Lawn boys were they not originally designed and made by parent company OMC........no wonder it won't run....OMC says it all.

============================================== Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

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Just my 2 cents worth, but in my opinion (based on lots of mechanical and engine experience) 2 stroke Lawn Boys aren't worthy of my hard earned money. Get rid of it and buy a decent lawnmower if you can, like a Honda.

Lane

My experience with Lawn Boys is that they are Good Stuff. If you gotta push a lawnmower, a two-stroke with a mag. deck is ideal.

I got one of those hovercraft push mowers out in the barn, someday I'm going to get it running. I think it's got the Tecumseh two-stroke, only engine they made that I liked.

John

My Lawnboy is very sensitive to a clogged air filter. I have to clean it almost every time I use it. It may be that the other filter media you're using is more restrictive than the original filter. Check that first, since its easy.

I personally think that some sort of aftermarket filter with a paper element located up above the engine would be a good modification, but the carburetor is plastic and hard to attached a snorkle to it.

Gary Brady Austin, TX

I like my punishment over time rather than up front. I'll take a 4-stroke,

The infamous 'Fly-Mo' ?

Only the brits would be stupid enough to still use this thing!

Short pants + Fly Mo + bare patch of ground in the lawn = sand eroded shins and feet = bizarre dancing fetish = really stupid engineering idea...... please go back to the drawing board.....

I lost count of how many Lawn Boys I have resurrected by cleaning out the exhaust. The exhaust ports often coke up. Turn the unit upside down and open up the muffler/exhaust chamber underneath and scrap out the ports. I do the scraping while the mower is up on a bench so that any scraping has the carbon falling out rather than into the cylinder. Randy

Everyone likes different stuff.. I've always liked two-stroke engines, to me the advantages generally outweigh the drawbacks. Any tool has to suit the guy using it or he's not gonna be happy.

That sounds right. As Gene points out, I don't think it's something to use without proper protective gear, but no lawn mower is..

John

Along with Randy's suggestion to clean out the exhaust ports..Also the muffler bolted underneath gets "plugged up" and drilling a few 1/4" holes in it will let it breathe - therefore start much better. HTH Ken.

Anyone going through my area, Id be happy to give ya a John Deer electric start, self propelled lawn mower. Nicad battery pack is bad. Runs fine when jump started off the pickup truck. Includes the bag and whatnot.

Anyone need a 8hp Chrysler outboard motor? Recoil starter needs repair. Runs good, with a couple extra tanks.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

2 strokes are good foe side-hills. Good ones last well - cheap ones are like anything cheap. I've had good luck with old Jacobsens and lawn-boys - but not such good luch with newer lawn-boys. I prefer 4 strokes - particularly OHV engines - they don't stink nearly as bad, and the OHCs use less fuel.

I have to give the Victa brand of mowers a thumbs up. I picked one up when I was on a TDY deployment to Austrailia, a few years back and it has yet to miss a beat. Cranks up one or two pulls all the itme, aluminum alloy frame, ball bearings which are sealed on the wheels, 2 stroke cast iron block 160 cc engine....which also has a snorkel type air filter / intake system. Its airfilter is actually mounted up in the handlebar out of the usual dusty area most mowers filters are mounted........It has a unique cutting system as well. It has swing style blades which works very good. The blades are mounted on a disk, and you can get them with 2 or 4 swing type blades. I have the 4 blade type......Probably have it 5 years now and its used hard and put up wet, and has run nothing but 50:1 ratio fuel mix....easy pt push and very lightweight..Only hangup is its size its only a 19 incher, but I only use it to get into places I can't get with my L & G tractor. Puts a lawnboy to shame when you compare them side by side and it did not cost any more either. The one I have is the Master series

============================================== Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

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OK wise guy, tell us how you cut a 45degree ( or even 60 degree) slope with any other mower? With a Flymo you simply stand at the top & swing a rope attached to the machine back & forth - piece of piss!

Having said all that I did end up sledgehammering mine into small pieces - took some doing too! It was an absolute bastard to start ( even with the electric drill trick) & after warning it for 20 years, it had to be taght a lesson

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