lawnmower

[mistybreeze2]

it is a gas lawnmower, yes there is oil in it. The grass it not too long, and i don't know if the engin is flooded, any other thoughts on why my lawnmower won't stay started?

[Personica]

Sounds like a carburettor problem but there are so many things to go wrong with even the simplest of engines, the only sure way to sort this problem is to have someone with a little mech background look at it first hand.

If funds are tight or you fear being ripped off, ask your local school if they run a motor repair lesson. The teacher will be glad of aparatus for his pupils to work on and he won't send you back a dud mower out of pride!

[Personica]

Oh I just thought.

If it is running ok for a few minutes then stops, only to start easily after a few more minutes. Check the breather hole in the fuel filler cap is not blocked. If it is, as fuel is used, a vaccum is created in the tank and the fuel cannot run down to the carb.

If this is the case, even after cleaning the cap, air bubbles may have been introduced into the fuel line and it may take a few stop-starts to clear them.

[jake-the-peg]

My experience is this is often the spark plug getting oiled - take it out and clean it or better still replace it if it's a few years old.

[Trillipse]

i too have had spark plug problems many years ago. is your mower very old? i seem to remember always having to reset the gap in my parents' mower's spark plug, but have never had the same problem with my own mowers.