This is the best " how to" video I've ever watched! He explains everything so clearly audibly & visually so it makes it so easy to understand & to DIY!
Yes i agree I got a completely functional Honda mower for free just because the people who gave it to me switched to a lawn service all I had to do was change oil
I can't believe that with all the help on RUclips afforded to us that someone would throw out a perfectly good mower without first troubleshooting a few things. With less than a few bucks in parts you got this mower running again. I do change my oil once a year. As soon a the weather breaks I go check it to make sure it's ready. You probably have to many mowers to check yours. Great video once again.
First time home buyer here, and after a year and a bit my mower died mid mow. Thankfully I found your video and appreciate how detailed you are with all of this. Thank you for this video
Air filter is almost always suspect on these things, that one was bad 😳 but believe it or not I've actually seen worse... I love these videos they help me to stay brushed up on good basic maintenance on top of troubleshooting!
I usually blow the dirt out from the inside of the filter with compressed air multiple times during the season, when it gets too dirty to clean I’ll replace it. I like to buy them in bulk since I work on a lot of equipment. It’s amazing how some folks won’t even do the slightest bit of maintenance and just throw a perfectly good mower to the curb. Great find there, AYP mowers with Honda engines are very nice indeed!
I was under the impression using compressed air was a no no. The air penetrates the pleats forming very small holes in which dirt is sucked through into the cylinder. What I do is knock off the excess dirt onto a hard surface like the driveway. After a few times it just pays at that point to replace it.
@@tedpergolizzi6455 blowing from the dirty side into the paper is definitely a big no-no. The correct way to do it is to tap it on a hard flat surface to get the loose dust out of the way then blow with compressed air from the inside (the clean side) out. You never want to hit it with compressed air on the dirty side or you will push the dirt into the filter and clog it up even worse.
Talking about cleaning filters I found a k&n filter that will fit my mower but I didn't buy it cause its about 50$ but k&n sells a cleaning kit for their filters , but I went with the cheap pleated 5$ filter that they all come with maybe one day my self-propelled mower will get an expensive lifetime filter lol
Thank you young man for saving that mower .the Husqvarna walk behind mowers are great mowers but I've heard the riding mower,s are using thin metal on the frames so they don't hold up to well .plus they have a plastic transmission see you later young man who has saved another mower from the scrap yard 😃
That's a very good mower. Nothing wrong with it. Just dirty carburetor.. Easy fix. Keep it. Don't sell it. I was given the same model & used it 3 years with no issues. Quality cuts... My brother borrowed it & sold it. I have not found any at all. I went with Honda mowers. I miss that Husqvarna..
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE very nice quality cuts is what impressed me from that mower. I contacted a lawn equipment company out of Illinois with similar model but they don't ship throughout the states. Too bad. Thanks for sharing.
I check it every Spring during the annual tune up session. Its replaced as needed. I don't have a dusty yard even though I live on a dirt (gravel) road.
Thank you for this very informative video! As a female, no one ever taught me how to use a lawnmower, let alone problem-solve one. Now that I do everything myself, it's nice to find videos like this on YT, so thanks again, it's appreciated!
My Briggs and Stratton lawnmower has a reoilable air filter which I clean & reoil every time that I change the oil which in my case is about once a year because I probably just manage to get up to 25 hours on it annually, Briggs and Stratton recommend changing the oil every 50 hours but I cut that in half. The grass actually grows in the winter time on the east coast of Australia more than it has done at summer time because we've been through a drought & hot scorching summers which kills the grass so there's no lawn to mow. The overhead cam Honda lawnmower engines has a compression release camshaft so expect to see a low figure of 60 PSI when doing a compression test,my dads is at 43 PSI now because it's 17 years old now & it needs a rebuild with new piston rings fitted !
I don't replace anything unless it's needed unless I run across something and see it's time. I don't mind a Husky mower but I can never keep the travel speed steady like a Snapper. They cut fine but I can't handle the speeding up and slowing down so much. I was hunting your other half of the mower that nobody wanted about the electric start fix. The one I'm getting has the battery on the deck and is older than that one. I can get what parts I need since it runs fine and I think I have a new catcher for it. I'll just have to drain the gas and start from there. Seems like it has a primer bulb that I replaced when I got it and the mower had been flipped or stored wrong because the air filter was full of oil and dirt. WAS is the key word. So THANKS and BLESSINGS!
good luck with it. I like electric start but sometimes the parts are just pricey. The battery Is the one that kills me, but I have a way to get around that, when it comes up next time. Thank you Lewie McNeely
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE I was looking for the #2 video about the electric start one you got, to see what you did but couldn't find it in the archives. Oh well. It'll be for here so parts will be bought once and the mower will be well looked after. BLESSINGS!
Your best video yet! Prime example of what lack of maintenance will do to a small engine. I change the oil, air filter and spark plug usually, every year. I do not have issues. My push mower is over 20 years old! A plug, filter and oil can be purchased for around 15-20 dollars. Compare that to a new, premium mower of around $400-$500. Cheap maintenance!
Thank you sir, I appreciate all your information. I have a 12 year old craftsman that runs not great but it does the job. Lately it’s been running high. Not sure why. Also in order to stop the machine I have to pull the plug on spark plug.
I just changed mine last year after about 10 years. I do shake it out throughout the season and blow it out good in the start of spring. I only changed it because it was running rough and I cleaned the carburator.
I have three push mowers and 3 riding mowers that I use on a regular basis. None of them get a ton of hours put on them, so I usually do it every other year. I will usually do it every year on my primary mower. It just depends on my mood.
One of the best practices for mowing, is to always keep the blade sharp. I like to sharpen a bit better than blade comes from factory, mower runs easier and cut is cleaner. To do this, one needs a slap bastard file and a decent vise to hold blade in right position, a vise where blade can be held flat would be best I guess. Went to hardware and asked for a bastard file, clerk showed me a fine grooved file that would barely file fingernails. I told him that wasn't a bastard file, but he argued it was. So much for Florida city types.
Not until there is a problem but I think I need to start doing more preventative maintenance. Not sure how much their new mower cost but I bet it was more then a spark-plug, new filter and a hour or two.
While the dirty filter was definitely a problem, the oil overfill was the main cause of the carbon build-up on the spark plug. The overfill was nearly 1/2" high when viewed at 1:35 in the video.
This might shock you but I never changed my air filter on my chainsaw or wacker at all and the chainsaw will be 31 years in November and my wacker is 17 or 18 years already. I just make sure and clean them regularly
You know that start-stop cable attached to lever that folds down on handle? That was the problem with mine. Cable was not pulling arm to motor mechanism far enough, preventing starting. And if I pushed arm farther, it started but then while mowing the lever would slip back and stop engine. I fixed by wiring lever to on position. I never used the safety feature anyhow, always tied folding lever to handle to prevent stopping. A nuisance for me. Maybe it's needed for some people. Now with start lever held in place to start/run position, I pull plug wire to stop. Old farm boy, always availed of field expediency. None of the videos I watched on YT covered this, but I haven't watched them all. I'm sure the safety fanatics [city slickers] will condemn my method; it works for me. So sue me.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Oops! After fixing that problem, then mower still died when I went to mow. What was it? The gas cap! This happened before. On some mowers, if gas cap is screwed on too tight, it kills the motor -- maybe a vapor lock or something. I loosened the cap, but then it vibrated off and lost it. Replaced with another mower's cap. But also screwed on too tight and so was killing engine. Loosened and finished mowing. It's always something. Experience helps but one needs a good memory as well.
Takes two people to do these things. I'm a single woman who isn't afraid to work on my lawnmower. My lawnmower doesn't start unless I put it in the sun for a while, even this doesn't always help. It's a 4 year old Husqvarna with a Honda engine
sound like the choke isn't working and that's because a warm engine doesn't need a working choke. Have you ever taken the air filter off to look to see if the choke flap is closed when the engine is cold?
That was funny,, an easy fix to get it going just simple care needed.😀 Perhaps the oil level may have attributed to fowling of the plug. Honda sat change oil 25 hours Victa/Briggs & Stratton 50 hours Honda as a standard don’t have a pre-filter before air filter as Briggs & Stratton do,
I have a Husqvarna with the same engine, don't be fooled by the low compression, the cam has a decompression valve that holds a valve open at low RPM making the mower easier to start, once running the decompression valve closes and the engine runs normally, no matter how hard you pull the rope you will not get a proper compression reading. The best way to get a proper compression reading is to remove the valve cover and remove the rocker arm from the exhaust valve and then test it.
I have same brand mower, but different model, it looks slightly different. It is amazing! Similar issue except my filter is clean. How do I know what spark plug to buy? Or is safe bet to just take it out and bring it with me to the store? Whats the best oil to use? I lost my manual a long time ago.
sure I would take the plug out and take it to the auto parts store, or to your local hardware store and they should have it. Use the best oil you can, synthetic oil is best but regular oil is okay 10w-30
I'd have to admit, I am kind of like you... I don't change mine as often as I should either....lol Good video, however I noticed that the fuel shut off was in the closed position when you were trying to start it up at test and I am curious if you noticed this later on after everything you did to fix the problem. Not trying to be a bad guy or anything just trying to figure that out and wonder if that was all that the problem was when the original owner got rid of it because they overlooked it and said oh well I'll just go buy a new one.
Yep I've been called out on it so many time to. The engine will still start with the valve closed as Long as theres fuel in the bowl and line up to the valve. So when I film, even if it won't start, I have to make sure the valve is open otherwise people will point it out. Thank you Rob Kercheval
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Right I get it, hate when people think they are better than someone else and go and do things like that. I'm sure when they call you out on it they're not very polite about it. I personally was just curious if you had over looked it as did the previous owner and that was why it wouldn't start, that is why I asked. I know there usually is residual fuel left in the bowl but if the valve was turned off before you got then they may have ran it out of fuel and just got rid of it. That's all I am really getting at here because we've all been there and done things like that and were just frustrated... we all have bad days... lol
@@MrGattor33 it's funny because most people didn't even realize that there was a fuel shut off valve. So, no the fuel valve isn't off when they have they're problems. I also have to remember to turn the valve ON in front of them so it will run for them when they get it home.
Conclusion- owners who don’t even do $30 in mastic maintenance once a year shouldn’t own lawn equipment. Change oil plug and filters at start of every season. Sharpen blade too and avoid 75% of the problems.
Have an old black max with Honda gcv 160 and was trying to shut off the fuel to take out the carburetor, but when I did, I found that the gas was still flowing. Is it possible to remove and fix the shut off valve or should I just replace it?
Hi, my Troy-Bilt Tuff Cut 230 stalls while cutting grass. I put a new spark plug, new filter, and cleaned carburator. The sell propel feature works until it starts cutting grass. It starts sounding like it's struggling and then dies if i keep cutting the grass. I checked that small lock pin in the axle and it looks fine. Any ideas on what to look for? Thanks
cutting tall thick grass with a dull blade, will put a huge strain on the engine. As far as hesitation, only when cutting the thick parts, not in the short grass
so this engine has a compression release so it makes pulling the rope very easy, and while pulling on the rope, I felt more than enough "fight" from the engine. I probably should have done a compression test but when it was described to me how it "died" while mowing, I was already moving away from a compression problem.
that an oversimplification but yes, they bought it 3 or 4 years ago, never serviced it, and because of a clogged air filer, the engine ran rich, carboned up the spark plug and that didn't allow the engine to start. That's when they decided to throw it away.
This is the best " how to" video I've ever watched! He explains everything so clearly audibly & visually so it makes it so easy to understand & to DIY!
thank you!
Mowers with Hondas are always worth saving.
Thanks for agreeing and thanks for the comment
Yes i agree I got a completely functional Honda mower for free just because the people who gave it to me switched to a lawn service all I had to do was change oil
I also fixed a head gasket on 50 dollar Honda gx 160 horizontal shaft for my go kart and it runs every day and never has needed to be fixed again
I guess I'm pretty off topic but do anybody know of a good place to stream new tv shows online?
@@reyanshcameron3086 yes! Your moms house is a good place to start. Don’t listen to the other guy who replies under me.
I can't believe that with all the help on RUclips afforded to us that someone would throw out a perfectly good mower without first troubleshooting a few things. With less than a few bucks in parts you got this mower running again. I do change my oil once a year. As soon a the weather breaks I go check it to make sure it's ready. You probably have to many mowers to check yours. Great video once again.
I know right!
First time home buyer here, and after a year and a bit my mower died mid mow. Thankfully I found your video and appreciate how detailed you are with all of this. Thank you for this video
no problem and congrats on the home!
EXCELLENT demonstration with the engine running. Showing the auto choke operating and also with the air filters. Good job!
Thanks! 👍
Air filter is almost always suspect on these things, that one was bad 😳 but believe it or not I've actually seen worse... I love these videos they help me to stay brushed up on good basic maintenance on top of troubleshooting!
thank you Dwayne Collins, I appreciate your comment.
I usually blow the dirt out from the inside of the filter with compressed air multiple times during the season, when it gets too dirty to clean I’ll replace it. I like to buy them in bulk since I work on a lot of equipment. It’s amazing how some folks won’t even do the slightest bit of maintenance and just throw a perfectly good mower to the curb. Great find there, AYP mowers with Honda engines are very nice indeed!
I absolutely agree with you. Thanks for the comment I appreciate it
Yes, they don’t want to spend money on maintenance but throw away mower and buy a new one. 🤦♂️
I was under the impression using compressed air was a no no. The air penetrates the pleats forming very small holes in which dirt is sucked through into the cylinder. What I do is knock off the excess dirt onto a hard surface like the driveway. After a few times it just pays at that point to replace it.
@@tedpergolizzi6455 blowing from the dirty side into the paper is definitely a big no-no. The correct way to do it is to tap it on a hard flat surface to get the loose dust out of the way then blow with compressed air from the inside (the clean side) out. You never want to hit it with compressed air on the dirty side or you will push the dirt into the filter and clog it up even worse.
Talking about cleaning filters I found a k&n filter that will fit my mower but I didn't buy it cause its about 50$ but k&n sells a cleaning kit for their filters , but I went with the cheap pleated 5$ filter that they all come with maybe one day my self-propelled mower will get an expensive lifetime filter lol
Thank you young man for saving that mower .the Husqvarna walk behind mowers are great mowers but I've heard the riding mower,s are using thin metal on the frames so they don't hold up to well .plus they have a plastic transmission see you later young man who has saved another mower from the scrap yard 😃
I've never had a husqvarna rider so I'm not sure about them but I do believe that company's are making things cheaper to make more profits.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE that is going to be their down fall
That's a very good mower. Nothing wrong with it. Just dirty carburetor.. Easy fix. Keep it. Don't sell it. I was given the same model & used it 3 years with no issues. Quality cuts... My brother borrowed it & sold it. I have not found any at all. I went with Honda mowers. I miss that Husqvarna..
thank you I appreciate the advice. yes they are quite nice mowers
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE very nice quality cuts is what impressed me from that mower. I contacted a lawn equipment company out of Illinois with similar model but they don't ship throughout the states. Too bad. Thanks for sharing.
@@ivanhmunguia5576 no problem
thank you. this helped me so much. i have a murray mower and trying to not buy another one in
glad it helped
I check it every Spring during the annual tune up session. Its replaced as needed. I don't have a dusty yard even though I live on a dirt (gravel) road.
That's a pretty good service routine.
Thank you for this very informative video! As a female, no one ever taught me how to use a lawnmower, let alone problem-solve one. Now that I do everything myself, it's nice to find videos like this on YT, so thanks again, it's appreciated!
no problem and thank you Rachael Ann.
My Briggs and Stratton lawnmower has a reoilable air filter which I clean & reoil every time that I change the oil which in my case is about once a year because I probably just manage to get up to 25 hours on it annually, Briggs and Stratton recommend changing the oil every 50 hours but I cut that in half.
The grass actually grows in the winter time on the east coast of Australia more than it has done at summer time because we've been through a drought & hot scorching summers which kills the grass so there's no lawn to mow.
The overhead cam Honda lawnmower engines has a compression release camshaft so expect to see a low figure of 60 PSI when doing a compression test,my dads is at 43 PSI now because it's 17 years old now & it needs a rebuild with new piston rings fitted !
Thanks for the information about your growing season. Yes the compression release will do that. Thanks for the comment Russell Booth
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE The flathead book have and all the old manuals say every 20 hours. Planned obsolescence again.,
Wise diagnostic approach , thanks a great deal for it and kudos for you Sir !
Thank you kindly
I don't replace anything unless it's needed unless I run across something and see it's time. I don't mind a Husky mower but I can never keep the travel speed steady like a Snapper. They cut fine but I can't handle the speeding up and slowing down so much. I was hunting your other half of the mower that nobody wanted about the electric start fix. The one I'm getting has the battery on the deck and is older than that one. I can get what parts I need since it runs fine and I think I have a new catcher for it. I'll just have to drain the gas and start from there. Seems like it has a primer bulb that I replaced when I got it and the mower had been flipped or stored wrong because the air filter was full of oil and dirt. WAS is the key word. So THANKS and BLESSINGS!
good luck with it. I like electric start but sometimes the parts are just pricey. The battery Is the one that kills me, but I have a way to get around that, when it comes up next time. Thank you Lewie McNeely
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE I was looking for the #2 video about the electric start one you got, to see what you did but couldn't find it in the archives. Oh well. It'll be for here so parts will be bought once and the mower will be well looked after. BLESSINGS!
Your best video yet! Prime example of what lack of maintenance will do to a small engine. I change the oil, air filter and spark plug usually, every year. I do not have issues. My push mower is over 20 years old! A plug, filter and oil can be purchased for around 15-20 dollars. Compare that to a new, premium mower of around $400-$500. Cheap maintenance!
You are absolutely correct about that and. Thank you Jim America for the comment I appreciate it
Always a great video on mowers!
Glad you like them!
Thank you sir, I appreciate all your information.
I have a 12 year old craftsman that runs not great but it does the job. Lately it’s been running high. Not sure why.
Also in order to stop the machine I have to pull the plug on spark plug.
at least it still work for you. And if would seem the piece of metal that makes contact with the Flywheel brake is not making contact like it should
I have just like the same mower Husqvarna with Honda Honda engine very strong engine but mine is rear wheel drive awesome machine
Yes i would have picked the rear wheel drive version myself.
Pretty good. You got a free mower because the guy didn't do simple maintenance.
yes you're absolutely correct
I’ve got that same exact mower. Been using it for eight years now with no problems.
nice, I think it's a pretty decent mower.
I just changed mine last year after about 10 years. I do shake it out throughout the season and blow it out good in the start of spring. I only changed it because it was running rough and I cleaned the carburator.
That makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for the comment
I have three push mowers and 3 riding mowers that I use on a regular basis. None of them get a ton of hours put on them, so I usually do it every other year. I will usually do it every year on my primary mower. It just depends on my mood.
ummmk the first thing to check is the valve that's on the side its closed because its pointing up
One of the best practices for mowing, is to always keep the blade sharp. I like to sharpen a bit
better than blade comes from factory, mower runs easier and cut is cleaner. To do this, one
needs a slap bastard file and a decent vise to hold blade in right position, a vise where blade
can be held flat would be best I guess. Went to hardware and asked for a bastard file, clerk
showed me a fine grooved file that would barely file fingernails. I told him that wasn't a bastard
file, but he argued it was. So much for Florida city types.
excellent advice
after this video I will replace mine lol
I hope so. Thanks for the comment
Hello House Garage
Hello there!
Not until there is a problem but I think I need to start doing more preventative maintenance. Not sure how much their new mower cost but I bet it was more then a spark-plug, new filter and a hour or two.
You are absolutely correct about that. Thanks for the comment
loving the content, keep it up!
Thank you luckyJohn1994
I love your job !!!
thank you Jeremy Altmeyer
I hold my air filters up to the sun. If I can see the light, the filter is ok.
Thats an interesting method. I'll have to try that. Thanks for the comment
The air filter is one reason i like VICTA (au) lawnmowers, the air filter is located high up on the handle, well away from dust and debris.
I've seen that, I wish it was that for the US versions.
Some tuff grass…those front wheels were worn flat
yes they were
Awesome video thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
While the dirty filter was definitely a problem, the oil overfill was the main cause of the carbon build-up on the spark plug. The overfill was nearly 1/2" high when viewed at 1:35 in the video.
Thanks for the comment
This might shock you but I never changed my air filter on my chainsaw or wacker at all and the chainsaw will be 31 years in November and my wacker is 17 or 18 years already. I just make sure and clean them regularly
wow that's amazing
You know that start-stop cable attached to lever that folds down on handle? That was the problem
with mine. Cable was not pulling arm to motor mechanism far enough, preventing starting. And
if I pushed arm farther, it started but then while mowing the lever would slip back and stop engine.
I fixed by wiring lever to on position. I never used the safety feature anyhow, always tied folding
lever to handle to prevent stopping. A nuisance for me. Maybe it's needed for some people. Now
with start lever held in place to start/run position, I pull plug wire to stop. Old farm boy, always
availed of field expediency. None of the videos I watched on YT covered this, but I haven't watched
them all. I'm sure the safety fanatics [city slickers] will condemn my method; it works for me. So
sue me.
Whatever works for you.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Oops! After fixing that problem, then mower still died
when I went to mow. What was it? The gas cap! This happened before. On some
mowers, if gas cap is screwed on too tight, it kills the motor -- maybe a vapor lock
or something. I loosened the cap, but then it vibrated off and lost it. Replaced with
another mower's cap. But also screwed on too tight and so was killing engine.
Loosened and finished mowing. It's always something. Experience helps but one
needs a good memory as well.
@@rockyfjord3753 yes it looks like your gas caps vent isn't working completely
What is wrong with those lawnmowers not starting up again?
Mowers need some maintenance and this one was very neglected.
How about turning the gas shut off valve on!!!
Oh absolutely
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE itwas ubn the turned off position when you first tried starting it,
@@davidanderson3944 yes but the bowl and fuel line still had gas in it.
Takes two people to do these things. I'm a single woman who isn't afraid to work on my lawnmower. My lawnmower doesn't start unless I put it in the sun for a while, even this doesn't always help. It's a 4 year old Husqvarna with a Honda engine
sound like the choke isn't working and that's because a warm engine doesn't need a working choke. Have you ever taken the air filter off to look to see if the choke flap is closed when the engine is cold?
That was funny,, an easy fix to get it going just simple care needed.😀
Perhaps the oil level may have attributed to fowling of the plug.
Honda sat change oil 25 hours Victa/Briggs & Stratton 50 hours
Honda as a standard don’t have a pre-filter before air filter as Briggs & Stratton do,
the more maintenance the better, I would do the oil more often then care for a pre filter.
I have a Husqvarna with the same engine, don't be fooled by the low compression, the cam has a decompression valve that holds a valve open at low RPM making the mower easier to start, once running the decompression valve closes and the engine runs normally, no matter how hard you pull the rope you will not get a proper compression reading. The best way to get a proper compression reading is to remove the valve cover and remove the rocker arm from the exhaust valve and then test it.
What should the compression number be with a working compression release?
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE On my mower it was 30 psi, after I removed the rocker arm the compression was 150 psi
@@BigTex8319 NICE! can I remove the release or bypass it without taking the engine apart?
@@BigTex8319 thank you
Another way to tell if your air filter is bad is if the machine spews out black smoke when starting, a fouled plug can also contribute to that problem
yes you're absolutely right
I check my air filter every year but rarely replace it unless it's beyond saving / cleaning
me too.
I have same brand mower, but different model, it looks slightly different. It is amazing! Similar issue except my filter is clean. How do I know what spark plug to buy? Or is safe bet to just take it out and bring it with me to the store? Whats the best oil to use? I lost my manual a long time ago.
sure I would take the plug out and take it to the auto parts store, or to your local hardware store and they should have it. Use the best oil you can, synthetic oil is best but regular oil is okay 10w-30
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Thank you for your advice, have a nice day!
@@scuba6797 no problem
Yea once a year for me and oil might get dropped a few times during the season as well.
that works for me.
What does he mean by rings worn out. Mine was running black smoke on startup and I'm not sure why
the rings help to seal the combustion side of the piston. Yours puffing black smoke means your choke flap is not opening
That's concerning cause my mower spits blue smoke on start up
It will do that if you have a little to much oil in the block too.
@Hank Bridges very true
How old this mower
I think It was 4 or 5 years old when I got it.
I'd have to admit, I am kind of like you... I don't change mine as often as I should either....lol
Good video, however I noticed that the fuel shut off was in the closed position when you were trying to start it up at test and I am curious if you noticed this later on after everything you did to fix the problem. Not trying to be a bad guy or anything just trying to figure that out and wonder if that was all that the problem was when the original owner got rid of it because they overlooked it and said oh well I'll just go buy a new one.
Yep I've been called out on it so many time to. The engine will still start with the valve closed as Long as theres fuel in the bowl and line up to the valve. So when I film, even if it won't start, I have to make sure the valve is open otherwise people will point it out. Thank you Rob Kercheval
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE
Right I get it, hate when people think they are better than someone else and go and do things like that. I'm sure when they call you out on it they're not very polite about it.
I personally was just curious if you had over looked it as did the previous owner and that was why it wouldn't start, that is why I asked.
I know there usually is residual fuel left in the bowl but if the valve was turned off before you got then they may have ran it out of fuel and just got rid of it. That's all I am really getting at here because we've all been there and done things like that and were just frustrated... we all have bad days... lol
@@MrGattor33 it's funny because most people didn't even realize that there was a fuel shut off valve. So, no the fuel valve isn't off when they have they're problems. I also have to remember to turn the valve ON in front of them so it will run for them when they get it home.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE
Makes perfect sense. Thank you for replying and not thinking I'm trashing you on this. 👍
@@MrGattor33 no problem
Conclusion- owners who don’t even do $30 in mastic maintenance once a year shouldn’t own lawn equipment.
Change oil plug and filters at start of every season. Sharpen blade too and avoid 75% of the problems.
you got that right, basic maintenance will solve a lot of it.
I clean and oil my mowers filter twice a season.
thank you KLX boy
Have an old black max with Honda gcv 160 and was trying to shut off the fuel to take out the carburetor, but when I did, I found that the gas was still flowing. Is it possible to remove and fix the shut off valve or should I just replace it?
I have never taken one apart, to fix it, so I'm not sure. I would replace it with an OEM part, or get an aftermarket one.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE thanks!
Hi, my Troy-Bilt Tuff Cut 230 stalls while cutting grass. I put a new spark plug, new filter, and cleaned carburator. The sell propel feature works until it starts cutting grass. It starts sounding like it's struggling and then dies if i keep cutting the grass. I checked that small lock pin in the axle and it looks fine. Any ideas on what to look for? Thanks
sure, have you confirmed that the blade is on correctly and if it is, is it sharp?
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE the blade is in correctly but the blade may not be sharp. Does the sharpness of the blade cause the lawnmower to hesitate ?
cutting tall thick grass with a dull blade, will put a huge strain on the engine. As far as hesitation, only when cutting the thick parts, not in the short grass
I thought it was because of bad compression but nope it was a spark plug
Yes I did too. Thanks again for the comment
How did you know the Compression was ok again
so this engine has a compression release so it makes pulling the rope very easy, and while pulling on the rope, I felt more than enough "fight" from the engine. I probably should have done a compression test but when it was described to me how it "died" while mowing, I was already moving away from a compression problem.
What engine oil did you use?
regular 10w-30 oil.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Thank you, I figured but I wanted to make sure 👍
So I've changed the oil, changed the filter, and put in a new spark plug but I still get nothing. Do you have any idea what else it could be?
Never changed a airfilter in my life on any vehicle or small engine, blow them out at least twice a year though.
that' works too.
If only we could smell how rank-stank that dirty oil is.
I'm sure you seen oil like this before. It's not that bad just looks terrible.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Not often. Most of what I've had is either fuel or water contamination. Only a few were original oil with metal.
She runs like a top
yes sir.
They just threw away a couple hundred dollars over a spark plug
that an oversimplification but yes, they bought it 3 or 4 years ago, never serviced it, and because of a clogged air filer, the engine ran rich, carboned up the spark plug and that didn't allow the engine to start. That's when they decided to throw it away.
Ounce a year.....
thank you Uni Sol
Kinda reminds me of my ex-wife. Just put gas in it. It will take care of itself. Somewhere there’s a car graveyard with her name on it…
nice.