HELP........my lawn!

[DeadBishop]

So, I've been trying for a week now to get my lawn mower running.  It died on me at the end of the season last year, and I haven't been able to get it working since.  I've done everything I can think of /am capable of doing myself with it, and I'm not having any luck.  I checked with a couple small engine repair places to see what it would cost to fix it, but the quotes were more than what I paid for the lawnmower new! 

So, I need help with one of the following;

A)  Anyone have experience with small engines that could take a look at it?

b)  Know where I could get a cheap/used/beatup working push mower for less than $50?

C)  Have a push mower I could borrow until I figure out A) or B)?

D) Help with an/all the above, plus be able to help transport said mower as I have no vehicle to do so.


Regardless of what I do, I need a solution ASAP.  Because of all the rain in the last week or so, my yard is starting to look like the back 40.  Another couple of days, and the neighborhood kids will get lost in it.  (not to mention we can get fined $250 by the city for not mowing).  I checked with several yard services, and to get my yard mowed just once would be about $45 to $65, which is why I'd prefer to buy something since we tight enough on funds as it is.

[Baron Doune]

I don't know alot but...

Did you leave gas in the mower all winter?

Put fresh gas in it.

If it still doesn't start...

Remove the spark plug and put just a little gas right down the spark plug hole.  No more than a tablespoon or so.

Put the plug back in and try it again.

If it runs for just a bit, the problem is a stuck float.

Let me know what happens.

Mechanic Doune

[Ottheinrich]

What have you tried doing to said mower?

Replaced spark plug or removed it and checked the tip?--you can clean a spark plug with a wire brush.
Check for spark  by removing the spark plug and grounding the part of the spark plug to a bare metal then spin the engine by pulling the rope You should see a blue spark jump across the plug gap
Remove airfilter and add a small amount of gas to the opening (carburator) and try tugging? alot of the time water gets in the tank and the mower will not run on water (unfortunatly) remove fuel line from tank to the carb and make sure there is no debris in the line.

Just trying to help so if you have tried all these things Im Sorry
hope this helped

[Tipsy Gypsy]

I'm mechanically challenged, but should you not be able to resurrect it, check your local Craigslist and Frecycle groups for possible replacements. Some communities have the occasional local handyman that will rebuild and resell old mowers, or secondhand shops, too. It's worth a look-see...

Hope that helps a little.

[peggyelizabeth]

I'm checking with my brother, I think he might have a mower for sale. He said something about having 3 mowers the day of the Scottish Fair, but I wasn't really paying attention.

[SleepyArcher]

u can borrow ours.

[DeadBishop]

Naughtymage brought over his push mower for me to use tonight....as in the non-motorized kind.  What a workout!   

As far as my mower is concerned, I'm thinking it's a fuel line problem, or a stuck float.  New oil, new gas, new air filter, new plug.  After running nearly half a can of SeaFoam through it, I got it to cough and sputter a few times.  So at least I know it's sparking.  That's as far as I can get with it though.

[renfairephotog]

It wasn't called sea foam but home depot had some kind of fuel line cleaner.  I added some let it sit for a while and finally got my mower running.

[Trillium]

Check pawnshops for cheap used ones.  Just be sure to start it up before paying!

[Rage]

You can check garage sales. You can usually find something cheap at them (I hate going to garage sales!).

Mine are going to be up for sale when I selll the house but they are already spoken for.

Check to see if you have a gass line filter. It could be pluged and they are a cheap easy fix.

I had to have my rider fixed two years ago and your right, you can buy a new one for what they want to fix them. I got lucky and he gave me a hugh break so it only cost me $500 to get it fixed.

[Storm]

Could be that your carburetor got gummed up and you need a new carb kit. That happened to me once. It wasn't too expensive to have fixed. I took it our local ACE hardware store and I think it only cost like 60 or 70 bucks to have fixed.

You are also right in the fact that you don't want to spend much to get it fixed. The price of Lawn Mowers have really came down over the past few years. You can get a decent one for around 250 bucks now. You can get some dang good ones for 400.

[Kiss-me-Kate]

I have one that runs okay, if you can get it to stay started.  LOL
It is two years old, but won't stay started.  I am definitely not mechnically inclined enough to fix it.
New plugs, oil and filter and nothing.
Sooooooooooo, I bought a new mower a few weeks back and LOVE It.

my point is, that you can have this one to use if you can figure out how to keep it started.  Otherwise it is off to the cabin one of these weekends.
AND you have to drive out here to BFE to get it.

[Lord Figaro]

Hope you get this problem fixed DB. The wife was told by my doctor that she has to do the law this year. That's right I have a doctors note to get out of doing the lawn (how cool is that). At least were getting somewhere with whats wrong with me though.....medically not mentally. Any who, those non-motorized ones are hard, but it's better than nothing I guess. 

[Rage]

Hope you get this problem fixed DB. The wife was told by my doctor that she has to do the law this year. That's right I have a doctors note to get out of doing the lawn (how cool is that). At least were getting somewhere with whats wrong with me though.....medically not mentally. Any who, those non-motorized ones are hard, but it's better than nothing I guess. 

Had the same Dr. note back in 2004 and the first part of this summer. Now I can use the rider because I don't have to use my right leg at all.

[Lord Figaro]

Rider mowers are cool. Not to likely we'll ever get one though.