Since the season began, I've been having difficulty getting my lawnmower to start and then stay running.
I narrowed it down to fuel delivery.
I've been tinkering with small 2 and 4 stroke engines since I was a kid.
They aren't supposed to be complicated, but they are trending that direction.
Do some checking and there is solenoid attached to the bowl of the carb. WTH
Normal operation:
When key is on, the plunger retracts and allows fuel to flow to the main jet.
Key off, plunger extends, blocking the flow of fuel.
The reason for the fuel shut-off solenoid is to eliminate back-fires and the potential to flood the motor with fuel after it's shutdown.
Really?
I thoroughly clean test the plunger and it works intermittently.
Time for a new one ... $130 !!!!
Google it and apparently this item is considered a consumable, sort of like a spark plug ... $130 spark plug
I was already trying to figure out how to rid my mower of this evil addition when Google shows numerous ways to bypass, alter or eliminate it altogether.
I chose elimination.
A $12 bowl gasket kit gives me the gaskets I already needed after carb removal plus a new bowl with a bolt to hold the bowl in place instead of the solenoid housing.
I also added a fuel shut-off valve for those times when I over-fill the gas tank. I typically try and run just enough fuel to mow the yard so that any kind of stuck needle valve won't flood the engine with fuel.
Been using carb cleaner as starting fluid to get it start and finally run. She lit off after just breathing on the starter.
I narrowed it down to fuel delivery.
I've been tinkering with small 2 and 4 stroke engines since I was a kid.
They aren't supposed to be complicated, but they are trending that direction.
Do some checking and there is solenoid attached to the bowl of the carb. WTH
Normal operation:
When key is on, the plunger retracts and allows fuel to flow to the main jet.
Key off, plunger extends, blocking the flow of fuel.
The reason for the fuel shut-off solenoid is to eliminate back-fires and the potential to flood the motor with fuel after it's shutdown.
Really?
I thoroughly clean test the plunger and it works intermittently.
Time for a new one ... $130 !!!!
Google it and apparently this item is considered a consumable, sort of like a spark plug ... $130 spark plug
I was already trying to figure out how to rid my mower of this evil addition when Google shows numerous ways to bypass, alter or eliminate it altogether.
I chose elimination.
A $12 bowl gasket kit gives me the gaskets I already needed after carb removal plus a new bowl with a bolt to hold the bowl in place instead of the solenoid housing.
I also added a fuel shut-off valve for those times when I over-fill the gas tank. I typically try and run just enough fuel to mow the yard so that any kind of stuck needle valve won't flood the engine with fuel.
Been using carb cleaner as starting fluid to get it start and finally run. She lit off after just breathing on the starter.
