It’s pretty common to run into some trouble starting a gasoline powered lawn mower after it’s been sitting for a while during the off-season. This is especially true in areas like Ottawa with our cold and damp conditions during winter and spring. So when it comes time for the grass to make its debut after the cold winter has ended, you are going to want to make sure your small engines are prepped and ready for their seasonal chores of maintaining your fabulous yard.
If you’re small engine lawn mower is not ready for the season then it will be hard to maintain that yard that makes your neighbour envious of your well-manicured landscape. This is where one of the first things to do is contact us for a summer preparation inspection and tune-up.
So what to do if your lawn mower is flooded? Is there something you can do to unflood small engines? Fortunately there are some steps you can take to fix your small engine and get it back up and running.
The tell tale sign that your engine is flooded is that you turn on the choke and pull the cord but nothing happens. In fact all that happens is you smell gasoline. Traditionally a good fix has been to give the carburetor time to completely dry off and this usually takes 15-20 minutes. This works most of the time however there are much quicker solutions to get your small engine back up and running.
Here are some things to try:
1) Take out your spark plugs and dry them with a cloth.
2) Crank your engine a few times. This will allow some air to enter your lawn mower to help dry the carburetor.
3) Put the plug back in then turn off the choke again and crank the engine a few times until it starts. It may help to turn the choke back on in order for the engine to turn over but remember to turn it off again once your engine starts.
4) If you discover that the engine doesn’t even sputter then you will need to remove the air filter. Once removed, spray the small engine air filter with starter fluid. Put it back in and quickly crank the engine one more time. If after this there is still no response then you should remove the air filter and crank the engine a few times while the air filter is out of the machine. This can help to empty the carburetor and if you find that the engine turns over while the small engine air filter is removed then this is a good indication that the filter needs to be replaced because it is very dirty.
Hopefully these tips will help if you experience some issues with your small engine lawn mower. Remember, we are always here to help keep your small engines running in tip top shape. Our service is easy and affordable and saves you a ton of time.
Give us a call to book your small engine repair, small engine inspection or lawn mower maintenance.