Brought home a free mower

[ford46guy]

A Husq self propelled with a GC160. Couldn't resist. Was able to spin the engine and there was oil, so I took it. It didn't live a good life... Oil is pretty black, changed right away cold with some pp 5w30 for now, it has to clean up anyway. Plug was sooty and black (dry, likely rich) Air filter missing Gas in the tank, who knows the condition. Didn't drain yet. Going to get some E0 tomorrow. Poured seafom in the carb, ran very nicely, smoked up the block. Then it stopped. Won't start with the gas it has. Guessing a new carb is next?

 

[Whipcitywrencher]

Drain the tank and put some new stuff in there . maybe all it needs

 

[CKN]

Carb needs replaced. It's what happens when you don't put any stabilizer in a gas tank that has some Ethanol/gas combo. This is the number one cause of free give-away-lawnmowers because they go buy a new one.

 

[ford46guy]

Originally Posted By: CKN

Carb needs replaced. It's what happens when you don't put any stabilizer in a gas tank that has some Ethanol/gas combo.

I may be able to "borrow" the one off my pressure washer. Carbs are cheap though. Aftermarket 15, honda 27.

 

[ford46guy]

Looking at reviews, it may be a POS :lol:. But all small engine equipment is usually 3.5-4*

 

[spasm3]

I'd take the carb apart, clean it , you might not need a carb.

 

[skyactiv]

I brought home a free mower this weekend myself. A Craftsman high wheel front wheel drive, rear bag, mulch with a Briggs 190CC Quantum engine. I poured a little gas in it, hit the primer bulb three times and it started on the first pull! It runs good and the oil was at the full mark and clean. The blade is sharp and it cuts good, too. But the transmission is out, the rear wheels are wallerd out badly and one front wheel has no tread. Needs about $145.00 in new parts, so I'm taking it to my old house for the trash pickers.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: spasm3

I'd take the carb apart, clean it , you might not need a carb.

yeah this, just poke something up through the main jet. It doesn't have to idle, it's a lawnmower that runs full out. If you can get it to sorta run, it'll run that seafoam and clean itself.

 

[Merkava_4]

Start with a new carb depending on what the cost is. I heard Honda carbs are fairly inexpensive. At minimum, you'll have to clean it; but disassembly means new gaskets which means a new carb kit. Sometimes the carbs are less expensive than the carb kit.

 

[The motor guy]

I never get good mowers. Lol

 

[justintendo]

i dont know about that..thats a good motor in a pretty decent mower. parents have had a rwd husky with that engine for over 10 years. swap in some new mobil 1 leftover oil every year or so. thing runs and mows like a champ. had to weld the height adjustment solid as that did suck..it has the stupid tab n slot setup. the mower isnt the primary unit but some years it was and they have a good chunk of property.

 

[bubbatime]

New carb for those is about $15.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I got a free one earlier this year. Didn't run without starting fluid. Gas tank was full of water and varnish. It would run good for about 25 minutes each time I would take it off and clean it. Everything was corroded and it just kept dropping corrosion pieces into the jet. Ended up dumping in a lot of MMO. That seemed to help. Haven't had it off in 4 months now! And it sat for a month and still started on the first try! Other than a fouled plug from the MMO, the free mower has run pretty darn good! Now just needs a blade.

 

[Panzerman]

I would clean the old carb. I am sure that's all it needs. Those $15 carbs on eBay is about all they are worth. Not factory direct carbs. Lightweight junky carbs.

 

[ford46guy]

It runs fine, neighbor had a few carbs in a box and gave me one, he keeps clean spares. He took my core. Cleaned up nice with the pressure washer. Not brand new, but maybe 2 or 3 seasons of use. An OEM carb on ebay is 25 bucks. The knockoffs are 15. These mowers cost around $400 new! It is RWD. I have seafoam and pp 5w30 in the oil now. Going to change it after two runs. I have an older ride on but I like the exercise sometime. Shame how people just toss things and buy new. I guess though if you can't repair it a place is going to charge at least 200$ and you are probably better off getting new at that point.The retail on the carb is around $80, and that is what you would pay a shop for the part alone. Then at least an hour for diag and repair... Needs a blade too, maybe one more sharpening life left.

 

[bubbatime]

I’ve used HUNDREDS of those “junky $15 eBay carbs” when I had my small engine shop and found them to be as good or better than OEM carbs. Never fear.

 

[ford46guy]

Only issue are two plastic front axle clips. Cost $15 each and they have terrible reviews. I will rig something else up. I think wireties would be an improvement. What a joke for a $400 mower. A folding piece of cheap plastic that wraps around the axle.

 

[Tundragod]

I have a Honda HRR216K9VKA. Ran but sounded like it was breathing hard; slow and faster. I took the carburetor apart and clean it with carb cleaner in every holes. I did this twice over the summer and it ran the same. I got frustrated so I was going to buy a new carb from ebay. Before I did that a coworker told me to take the main jet out and clean it good with carb cleaner. I did and now it runs perfect. I'm going to run it dry before I put it away this year. It has a fuel shut off valve so It shouldn't take too long. Sta-bile didn't work last year or it didn't get to the main jet so fuel got jelled in the main jet.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: ford46guy

Only issue are two plastic front axle clips. Cost $15 each and they have terrible reviews. I will rig something else up. I think wireties would be an improvement. What a joke for a $400 mower. A folding piece of cheap plastic that wraps around the axle.

Yup, I've seen many expensive mowers with cheap garbage holding them together. Mostly issues with the self-propel system or automatic chokes, plastic gas tanks, recoils, etc. Lately I've had about 6 new mowers that hit rocks or stumps, bending the crank shaft. Hundreds of dollars spent only to hit something and have the engine be junk. Now whenever people ask me what mower to buy I say the best condition used mower you can find at a reasonable price.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071

Now whenever people ask me what mower to buy I say the best condition used mower you can find at a reasonable price.

^ Amen to this. One blade whack against something solid and an $800 mower is destroyed just as quickly as a $120 Walmart special. I'm assuming it's the same reason I've never seen an expensive 21" pusher/self propelled machine on a commercial landscape trailer.