The mechanics shop; DIY, how-to's, etc

[gaseousclay]

I'm no mechanic but i'm sure someone here is mechanically inclined, whether it be with cars, motorcycles or whatever. I started this thread mainly to ask a question about some mower problems i've been having. I own a Toro Recycler mower which I bought 2 yrs ago. Unfortunately, it sat during its first winter and it ended up not starting. So, we hired a local small engine repair guy via Angieslist and he fixed the mower. This was last year. It has since sat in our garage and we're experiencing the same problem as before, namely that it's been sitting and now it won't start. I'm guessing the carburator is clogged up or something, or maybe it even needs a new spark plug. When the repair guy came to get my mower yesterday he said I should be using ethanol gas instead of your standard unleaded. I found this confusing because according to the Toro website they recommend using unleaded gasoline with an 87 octane rating, or unleaded gasoline with no more than 10% ethanol. Also, my coworker swears by a product called Sea Foam which is basically a fuel additive that helps your engine as well as prolong the life of gasoline (I think).

So what say you? Is this guy blowing smoke up my @ss about the ethanol? His advice is counter to what Toro recommends on their site. I went out and bought a can of Sea Foam just to test and to see if my coworker is right about the stuff. I've already sunk $100 in repairs on this damned mower and i'll likely sink another $100 for this repair.

[bentin]

A fuel stabilizer is a good thing for yard tools. I don't know enough about ethanol to know if it's more stable or not. Just throw a can of creamed corn in there and call it good.

[davelewis]

One of the worst things you can do to your power tools/mower, is leave fuel in them over the winter. Stihl recommends that you should swap out gas every 3-4 months, as it looses it stability over time. Gas will laquer up over time, and will harden up, and clog your fuel lines.

Another trick to try, since it was running last season, is to take out the spark plug, and look it over to make sure it is not fouled, and gapped correctly. Dip the electrode end of the plug in gas, insert the plug back in the mower, and give it a pull. This always does the trick for me, after the mower has sat during the winter. Good luck!

[DigDug]

I think (and I'm no expert), the problem began when ethanal (biofuel) was introduced as a Blend to gasoline at the pumps (I think around here it 10% Ethanal). I think it was mandated by the Fed that it be at least 10% (but that's only what I've been told).

The problem with Ethanal is that it is a strong solvent. So any Orings, hoses, gaskets deteriorate. Also Ethanal absorbs moisture, a lot. So letting it sit in your gas tank all winter/year gives it plenty of time.

The best way to store your equipment is to drain or run it dry. Also if your getting 5 gal. of gas, it may sit for months before it's used. So I add a fuel stabilizer/treatment (Star-Tron)

[DigDug]

[DigDug]

Also. If your mower/carb is gummed up.
If your handy enough to get to the carburetor. Buy a can of engine starter fluid and spray that down the carb. then give it a try.

[bentin]

May 18, 2015 15:03:28 GMT -6 DigDug said:

Also. If your mower/carb is gummed up.
If your handy enough to get to the carburetor. Buy a can of engine starter fluid and spray that down the carb. then give it a try.

Or just point it away from your face and hold a lighter up to the stream. Oh, poor wasted youth...

[metals37]

If you don't view yourself as handy, I would strongly recommend staying away from the carburetor. It's not complicated, but it can be intimidating.

Whenever I have issues with my lawnmowers or any equipment in my garage really, my first stop is to google it and see if I can find a YouTube video to help me figure it out. It is truly amazing the things people have posted. I'd say 95% of the time I find my solution within 20 minutes this way. The other 5% are always harder anyway.

And yes, ethanol in gasoline is a terrible thing. I try to run all my equipment dry in the fall before I put them away. I always replace lawnmower spark plugs in the spring and I get a new battery for my rider every spring as well.

[benjaminpersitz]

Ethanol is awful for everything. Use fuel stabilizer or better yet drain your gas if it's going to sit. Usually, you just need to clean the fuel system or just change your sparkplug, although it sounds like a clog in this case.

Taking apart the carb isn't hard, just go slow and make sure you pay attention to how it was assembled. Some tiny parts in there. Also, sometimes you just need a bit of starting fluid to burn off the "rust".

[gaseousclay]

May 18, 2015 20:24:27 GMT -6 metals37 said:

If you don't view yourself as handy, I would strongly recommend staying away from the carburetor. It's not complicated, but it can be intimidating.

Whenever I have issues with my lawnmowers or any equipment in my garage really, my first stop is to google it and see if I can find a YouTube video to help me figure it out. It is truly amazing the things people have posted. I'd say 95% of the time I find my solution within 20 minutes this way. The other 5% are always harder anyway.

And yes, ethanol in gasoline is a terrible thing. I try to run all my equipment dry in the fall before I put them away. I always replace lawnmower spark plugs in the spring and I get a new battery for my rider every spring as well.

Good advice. When our washer gave us problems a few years ago I googled the make/model and came across a youtube video on how to fix it.

As to my mower, i'm just trying to figure out if the repair guy is dicking me around and giving me false information. I find it odd that he makes no mention whatsoever of using a fuel stabilizer, which is what my coworker recommended.

[metals37]

May 20, 2015 6:48:21 GMT -6 gaseousclay said:

May 18, 2015 20:24:27 GMT -6 metals37 said:

If you don't view yourself as handy, I would strongly recommend staying away from the carburetor. It's not complicated, but it can be intimidating.

Whenever I have issues with my lawnmowers or any equipment in my garage really, my first stop is to google it and see if I can find a YouTube video to help me figure it out. It is truly amazing the things people have posted. I'd say 95% of the time I find my solution within 20 minutes this way. The other 5% are always harder anyway.

And yes, ethanol in gasoline is a terrible thing. I try to run all my equipment dry in the fall before I put them away. I always replace lawnmower spark plugs in the spring and I get a new battery for my rider every spring as well.

Good advice. When our washer gave us problems a few years ago I googled the make/model and came across a youtube video on how to fix it.

As to my mower, i'm just trying to figure out if the repair guy is dicking me around and giving me false information. I find it odd that he makes no mention whatsoever of using a fuel stabilizer, which is what my coworker recommended.

Fuel stabilizer is going to help things. Just do your research on what you buy. There are a lot of shady companies out there selling something without any science to back it up. This website www.bobistheoilguy.com is a wonderful resource for any questions on internal combustion engine fluids.

[gaseousclay]

I finally got my mower back and all is good. The repair guy said it was the gas that caused the problem. I've been using 87 octane rated gas (standard unleaded) but because most gasoline has ethanol it creates moisture not to mention can be bad for the engine. He told me to start using non-oxy/non-ethanol gas from now on. I also went out and bought some Sea Foam fuel stabilizer so I don't have to worry about the gas sitting for long periods of time. I found this neat website called www.buyrealgas.com and it basically shows you all of the gas stations in your area that sell ethanol free gas. Came in pretty handy yesterday when I needed to fill the gas can.