So I was visiting folks on this resort island. Their landlady didn't mow before she left and the tiny yard was something of a hayfield. Undaunted, bored, and full of hops and barley, I wandered over to the town dump and picked up your archetypal 20" 3 hp B&S junky mower.
Brought it back, found the 1/2" bolt by the gas tank/primer bulb was loose, hand tightened it. Would run on the primer but then die.
Armed with a cheezy 4-in-1 screwdriver, a crescent wrench, and a bread tie stripped of its paper, I dove into the carb. Found a "small pool of gas" on top of the tank that was full of yellow fuel and clear water bubbles. A slit let me dunk this back into the tank. Wiped it with a paper towel. Stuck the bread tie through any jets and holes I could find. Put it back together sans air cleaner and held the throttle wide open against the governor's wishes. Did I mention the crank case breather thing into the carb was missing the rubber boot? Big dusty skid mark inside the carb from that unfiltered leak. (I plugged this leak with an old bolt.)
Eventually, the high vacuum from the valve floating RPM fracas slurped something through the carb and I was able to mow the grass. The blade was so dull it had all the effectiveness of beating the grass with a broom handle, but the place eventually looked nice.
Brought this one home, as it has adjustable wheels. Unfortunately, next mow event it pulled the same stunt. I drained the possibly funky gas, got it running again (the same overrevving way) then put about a 1:30 mix of MMO in the gas. Mowed the lawn. OMG the deadman control still works on this thing! And the engine is rated in torque and cc's not HP. The future is here! Anyway I was stopping and restarting semi-cold... son of a gun, the shock treatment worked.
Only thing about the wheels, are the two modes one click apart: Golf course and normal. About 3/4" difference.
Golf course is too short for my slightly bumpy lawn.
Brought it back, found the 1/2" bolt by the gas tank/primer bulb was loose, hand tightened it. Would run on the primer but then die.
Armed with a cheezy 4-in-1 screwdriver, a crescent wrench, and a bread tie stripped of its paper, I dove into the carb. Found a "small pool of gas" on top of the tank that was full of yellow fuel and clear water bubbles. A slit let me dunk this back into the tank. Wiped it with a paper towel. Stuck the bread tie through any jets and holes I could find. Put it back together sans air cleaner and held the throttle wide open against the governor's wishes. Did I mention the crank case breather thing into the carb was missing the rubber boot? Big dusty skid mark inside the carb from that unfiltered leak. (I plugged this leak with an old bolt.)
Eventually, the high vacuum from the valve floating RPM fracas slurped something through the carb and I was able to mow the grass. The blade was so dull it had all the effectiveness of beating the grass with a broom handle, but the place eventually looked nice.
Brought this one home, as it has adjustable wheels. Unfortunately, next mow event it pulled the same stunt. I drained the possibly funky gas, got it running again (the same overrevving way) then put about a 1:30 mix of MMO in the gas. Mowed the lawn. OMG the deadman control still works on this thing! And the engine is rated in torque and cc's not HP. The future is here! Anyway I was stopping and restarting semi-cold... son of a gun, the shock treatment worked.
Only thing about the wheels, are the two modes one click apart: Golf course and normal. About 3/4" difference.
