Lawnmower woes

Merlin5 · 30 Aug 2013 at 02:50

My trusty lawnmower that I've had for years is not well. Here it is

http://i.imgur.com/UM7bNQM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gKhmHK4.jpg

The problem is that the engine tickover sounds like someone revving an engine up and down rather than one consistent smooth sound. Could it be the spark plug needs cleaning or replacing? It takes much longer to start from cold these days, it used to start very quickly.

What happens now is that the engine cuts out whenever I move the mower over anything slightly difficult to cut.

Here's a video I made today where you can hear the inconsistent sound and it nearly cutting out. Best heard with headphones. A rather overgrown garden which doesn't help my ailing mower

Shortly after recording the video, the starter pull cord jammed, it won't pull more than 4 inches anymore and I've no idea how to unjam it. Any suggestions? I managed to finish the lawn all but a few small spots before the engine cut out and the cord jammed for the first time ever

edit: Just thought, I never checked the blade. I'll check it tomorrow. Perhaps it's gotten obstructed with clumps of grass and is stopping the cord? I'll be careful though, I'm still quite fond of my hands.

Merlin5 · 31 Aug 2013 at 02:13

Thanks guys. Didn't get a chance today so hopefully tomorrow I can at least try and get the cord going again. The engine is a Vantage 35. I found the manual with various diagrams and explanations. I'll have to see if I can figure out what screws are where that need taking out for access.

About the cleaning of the carb and air filter, do I need carb cleaner fluid for the carb, and anything in particular for the air filter?

When removing the spark plug, am I meant to unscrew that big nut surrounding it, or should the white spark plug unscrew itself quite easily by hand?

Which shops would I get a DIY kit with diaphragm in?

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 18:26

I think I'm going to have to do that, Nightglow, I'm stuck as to how to proceed and am not confident or even knowledgeable how to take the carb apart or clean any possible fuel blockage, which is what seems to be suggested elsewhere on googling this problem. I can do DIY to a point, but engine stuff is beyond me. I've no idea what screws to remove. This is what I've done today. First, the cord was an easy fix, it was clumps of dried grass blocking the blade. So that's working. The engine idle has gotten worse now and stalls in under 30 seconds.

I've bought a new spark plug for £4 but haven't bothered trying it yet. I bought a sparkplug wrench and you can see the condition of the plug, very black.

I cleaned it up a bit with an old kitchen scourer, and used a metal nail file to scrap under the contact.

Hasn't made any difference. Should I bother trying the new spark plug or get it refunded, as it does seem it's more likely to be a carb or fuel flow issue?

I removed the sponge air filter which was shredding and very black and dirty. I rubbed it off and turned the sponge and rubbed some engine oil in it. Do you think that would be acceptable?

Old side of sponge

Turned over

I'm wondering if I should buy a can of carb cleaner spray and spray it into the hole under the air filter which should flow into the carburetor, where I've marked a yellow line. Should I try that or would it be a waste of time and a few quid?

Otherwise, anyone know where in north london I should take it, and how much would it cost to rebuild the carb or whatever it takes to get it running, smooth again? Don't mind spending £50 to £60 but if it's much more, I'm wondering if it will be sensible considering new ones can be bought for £110 to £150.

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 18:42

Nightglow said:
Gives either of these chaps a ring, they can give you a a quote for a service.

http://www.gardenmachinery.gb.com/

http://gardenmachinery-middlesex.co.uk/

Thanks for that. Are they the people you used and how much do you reckon I could expect to pay? I like your idea of having the blade sharpened at the same time.

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 19:03

Nightglow said:
F&M must be 10+ years ago, when I was doing a job in Hackney.

Well, I'll give F&M a call tomorrow, they're in barnet which is where I am, so that's good.

Depending how much it costs to repair, like if it's over £40, I'm wondering now whether I should cut my losses and change to an electric mower? My garden is only small, about 30 foot long by 15 wide. I bought a petrol mower because it's fun and I know it's more powerful. But electric would be maintenance free and can be bought new for around £70. What do you reckon?

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 19:13

Nightglow said:
Well you can use a petrol mower when the grass is damp, & you can't electrocute yourself if you cut through the cable.
Also if your lazy & miss cutting grass for a week or two, petrol will mange longer grass with ease, whereas electric may struggle.

Yeah, those are good points. Though I'm not too bothered about cutting damp grass, I do it when it's dry. I do miss cutting it for weeks, hence why I need a complete new lawn. If I got an electric one, it would need to be powerful. Would this be good? http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...ay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=223620

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 19:21

Hyburnate said:
We had Petrol ~9 years ago (when fuel wasn't so expensive, never looked at a Petrol v Electric scenario cost wise), honestly I'd go Petrol all the way, cables really are a PITA.

The thing is, all the maintenance I should be doing just for a small garden. Changing oil, air filter, draining fuel while in storage, spark plugs, etc. I never really worried about that when I bought it but now it's become apparent that it needs as much TLC as a car. Electric would be so much easier on that score. But as Nightglow said, depends if electric will be as effective. Guess I'd need to keep on top of the cutting more regularly to compensate. Yeah, the cable would be a pain. Anyway, guess I'll wait and see what F&M recommend tomorrow.

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 19:35

Nightglow said:
Stick with petrol.

I have Qualcast petrol mower, would never go back to electric.

Mate of mine reckoned he spent only £35 to repair his mower. He said
" I think he cleaned the petrol tank as it had bits floating in it and did something to the carb"

Sounds like what mine needs. I love this mower and if it can be brought to perfect running condition for around £35, I'd keep it. After all, it's never had an oil change or any servicing in the few years I've had it, so it's done pretty well.
But he's up north and so no doubt repair costs in London will be more costly.

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 23:07

I just watched a couple of videos on cleaning the carburetor. Actually looks easier than I thought. Unclip fuel hose, drain the fuel. Unscrew one bolt holding the carburetor cap, hold a cloth to soak up excess fuel. Spray the bolt and the little fuel jet hole on the side of it with carb spray or compressed air, and put it back together again. Gonna try that tomorrow and change the spark plug. I suddenly feel confident I might get this working.

Merlin5 · 1 Sep 2013 at 23:29

Hyburnate said:
You've pretty got nothing to loose, you're very unlikely to screw it up beyond fixing.

Yeah, I think you're right. Would it be ok to flush the fuel tank with water while the hose in unclipped, to clean out any bits?

Merlin5 · 2 Sep 2013 at 12:39

Thanks guys, I thought so. I won't flush with water then. Ok, I've disconnected the fuel hose and drained off the excess fuel. I've removed the carburettor cover and this is the inside of it. Loads of crud.

Here is the white carb float exposed and the needle just behind it.

I'll go buy a can of carb cleaner and spray everything, inside the cap too and then wipe it with a cloth. Then I'll put it back together, rinse the tank with some fresh fuel while the hose is off then fill it up and try it. The new sparkplug didn't improve anything btw.

Merlin5 · 2 Sep 2013 at 14:43

Nightglow said:
That float bowl is in a bad state, once you have petrol in there as well, all that crud will be floating around blocking the needle jet, etc.

No wonder it struggle to go.

Yep. Well, just brought these home

So will have a go. Just rang F&M. Guy was unhelpful, miserable and couldn't tell me how much. Also said I'm looking at 2 weeks as he has hundreds of machines to fix. However, just rang EGM and the guy couldn't have been more friendly and informative. He said if I get stuck, to remove the whole carburettor, take photos of where the springs clip on, bring the carb into him and they'll do a sonic clean for just £10!

He also said if I decide to change to an electric mower, to avoid qualcast and any mowers under £100, and to get a Wolf induction mower, which they sell, which cost around £160. I'll cross that bridge though if I can't fix this. Oh, he also told me that since there's a float in my carb that there will be no diaphragm. Just as well cos he said they stopped production of this engine 4 years ago and parts are hard to get.

Merlin5 · 2 Sep 2013 at 17:39

Well now...

I'm so chuffing chuffed.

Merlin5 · 2 Sep 2013 at 18:31

Shimmyhill said:
Good news

mine was same issue and same fix - just looked and i stuck a YT vid up too, 3 years ago - wow how time flies!

I too need a lawn

http://youtu.be/qxqVVk7l5qc

Lol, yea, my lawn is ******.

Yeah, your machine sounded like mine did.

That carb cleaner is great stuff. I sprayed it around the carb, the float chamber, inside the carb cover that I'd removed, the cover bolt and it's side jet holes, and also into the air filter intake hole. I also pushed a thin wire through the bolt jet holes as well, and then I sloshed some fresh fuel around the tank while it drained out of the disconnected pipe, to clean out debris. I want to change the oil now. I found my half empty 500ml bottle of SAE30 hiding in the shed, so I know what oil is in there now. No drain plug on this machine though, so I guess I'm gonna have to tip it on it's side and empty via the fill up hole.