# Lawn mower repair



## ellisredfish (Jul 5, 2005)

I have a Toro lawnmower that is five years old. The last two years I have had it in the shop to have a new carburator kit installed. This week I tried to start it and it will turn on for a minute or two and then shut off. Sounds like a carb. problem again. How hard is it to install a new kit or just to dismantle the carb. and clen it?


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## bassguitarman (Nov 29, 2005)

ellisredfish said:


> I have a Toro lawnmower that is five years old. The last two years I have had it in the shop to have a new carburator kit installed. This week I tried to start it and it will turn on for a minute or two and then shut off. Sounds like a carb. problem again. How hard is it to install a new kit or just to dismantle the carb. and clen it?


You have probably already done this, but when my toro has done that it was a little gunk and water in the bowl on the carb. Just undo the nut beneath the bowl and take a look. One time I had to drain the fuel tank because of condensation in the tank.


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## BullyARed (Jun 19, 2010)

2x above. Spray starfoan into the carb and those visible jets. Remove the bowl and spray into it. Apply few times and retry. BUT FIRST, drain all the old fuel including fuel in the carb bowl and use "fresh" gas and try it. I didn't run my lawnmower for two months and the gas in the tank and carb just turned into water! Thanks to ......ty corn gas. Suck!


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## deckh (Jul 23, 2010)

ellis, Every year in the spring when the grass starts to get high I remove the spark plug on the mower. I then spray 2 short squirts of engine starter (ether) , reinstall the sparkplug and it usually fires right up. If not, repeat. Only when the carb and filter get full of fine dust do I tear the carb apart.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

If there is a wire on the bottom of the carb bowl,it has a switch that shuts off fuel when you turn the key off.Those swithes are cheezy and get weak.You can do away with the switch,but have to plug the hole with a bolt and rubber washer.Take the bowl off,with the wire still plugged in and turn the key on.It should click and pull down.If it moves while cranking,it's shot.It was a California stupid safety thing.You know how some engines back-fire a little when you kill the engine,that's what it's suppose too eliminate.All you have to do is throttle all the way back a few seconds before turn the key to off.


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## ellisredfish (Jul 5, 2005)

Thanks for the advice.
Cheers, Ellis


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## Hooked (Oct 15, 2004)

With it only 5 years old there's no reason to need a carb kit. I have a Toro which is 8-10 years old and only last year did I put a carb kit in. And that was only because it was a little difficult to re-start after having run for 20-30 minutes then sit for a few minutes.
The above advice about cleaning the bowl is the best thing to consider. Mine starts immediately even after sitting through the winter months.


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## Pablo1 (Feb 10, 2010)

*Check gas cap vent!*

I bought one a couple of years ago that would only run about one minute then die. Turns out they had accidently put vented cap from mower on gas can and non-vented cap on mower.
Easy fix if that is the problem.
Good luck!
Pablo


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## ellisredfish (Jul 5, 2005)

Thanks again. My son said that he had had the same problem with his mower and replaced the spark plug, sprayed carb cleaner in the carb and put new gas in the tank. Now his mower is working fine. I will try what he did.


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