Lawnmower problem

[Ciaran]

The wife was cutting the grass the other day and ran out of petrol. She filled it up and tried to start it up again but nothing happened.

It's been recently serviced and was working fine up until now. I've taken a look at it, cleaned the spark plug etc but still not a peep. Would the engine be flooded? Wife claims to have pressed the primer "a few times" to get it started.

It's a Mountfield if that makes any difference.

Thanks

[yellowbentines]

I had a similar problem and on investigation it was the opposite, not enough fuel. I took off the air filter and pushed the primer, it was only actually sending a little dribble of fuel in, so put it back on, primed about 10-12 times to ensure fuel was geting down to where it needs to go (sorry for lack of technical terms!), and voila, it spluttered into life.

[Ciaran]

Brilliant, thanks. I'll give that a go this evening.

Can't have the wife standing about doing nothing

[Steve_W]

My Mountfield (B&S engine) only requires 3 pumps of the priming button - I think there's a label next to the button that says this.

Is it a key start model? If so the terminals can break off the battery under the protective flap (guess how I know this!)

[Wacky Racer]

Not familiar with your particular lawn mower, but is the air cleaner element full of grass?

Are the carb jets blocked?

[Ciaran]

Steve_W said:

My Mountfield (B&S engine) only requires 3 pumps of the priming button - I think there's a label next to the button that says this.

Is it a key start model? If so the terminals can break off the battery under the protective flap (guess how I know this!)

Mine is the 3 pumps one

[Ciaran]

Wacky Racer said:

Not familiar with your particular lawn mower, but is the air cleaner element full of grass?

Are the carb jets blocked?

I shouldn't think so, as mentioned it got a good service a few months ago and has been regularly used since.

[Wacky Racer]

Ciaran said:

Wacky Racer said:

Not familiar with your particular lawn mower, but is the air cleaner element full of grass?

Are the carb jets blocked?

I shouldn't think so, as mentioned it got a good service a few months ago and has been regularly used since.

Well just double check the air filter...(usually a thirty second job)...sometimes they can get full in a few weeks....My Honda four stroke engined Flymo can anyhow.......



Good luck anyhow...

[Busamav]

Do you know for sure that wifey filled the mower with petrol

[yellowbentines]

Steve_W said:

My Mountfield (B&S engine) only requires 3 pumps of the priming button - I think there's a label next to the button that says this.

Mine is a Qualcast with B&S engine, it says 3 primes but 3 never does the job, needs 5-7 when cold or 10-12 if it has run out of fuel.

[GTIR]

Nothing simple like she primed it when the engine was hot and flooded the engine?

Failing that pour petrol down the carb and if it runs it's fuel starvation. There is a small hole in the middle of the float pickup part of the carb (you need to remove the float bowl) and that usually blocks up, particulary on things that sit around for ages. Stick a thin wire down it to clean it.

Make sure the float bowl needle is moving freely in it's housing.

Check fuel is fresh.