I've been having problems for the past couple of years getting my mower to start when I am ready to mow the lawn. In something like 80 percent of the time, when I go out to start the mower it will not fire up on my initial attempt. The battery is strong, the starter is strong, the plugs are clean and there is a healthy spark from each plug. The fuel is reaching the carburetor (always ethanol free fuel and treated with Startron fuel stabilizer). Choke is working properly. In my attempts to start the mower, I never engage the starter for more than 5 or 6 seconds each time but usually give it 8 to 10 attempts before I give up.
Here's how it usually goes. I go out to start the mower (no particular time of day) and climb aboard, fully engage the choke and place throttle fully forward (full throttle), turn the key and engine turns over strong but will not fire. After several attempts over a few minutes, and without the least bit of fire, (choke on, choke off, choke at mid point) I give up and when I return later that day or the next, the engine (most of the time) fires up like it should. On rare occasion, I have gotten the engine to start in as little as several minutes after my initial attempt. If you've been following along, and particularly with my last couple of statements, you might conclude (as I did) that the engine is flooding but I'm nearly for certain that this is not the case, at least when I have checked or inspected for this cause... no unusual strong smell of fuel, spark plugs not wet, with all parts removed from around the carb, choke and throttle seem to be working properly with fuel entering carb and with the carb exposed, it's quick and easy to dry out the carb of any excess fuel when I've even remotely suspected this to be the case.
I have experimented with the throttle and choke over these many months, with no clear advantage one way or the other, except that I can remember one time (only) that the (cold) engine started on a warm day without full throttle and/or fully engaged choke. I have, on more than one occasion, removed the parts surrounding the carb (flywheel cover, air cleaner housing, etc.) to inspect the carb, carb linkage, choke, and basically clean the surfaces with carb cleaner, followed by spraying a bit of WD-40 on the movable exterior parts surrounding the carb.
I'm familiar with the basics of how combustion engines work and have pretty much been able to maintain and service my vehicles and small engine lawn and garden equipment over the decades. Having said that, I do not consider myself a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination. Because this is an intermittent problem and I have (so far) always been able to eventually get the engine started, I have been unable to track down and correct the problem. At this point I'm thinking the problem has been and continues to be electrical in nature though I'm stumped that the problem has gone on for so long and it still will fire up after a period of time between attempts.
Additional Info: I use my mover every week to 10 days from April thru mid November. Takes about 45 minutes to cut the lawn each time. Use is less than 50 hours per year.
Here's how it usually goes. I go out to start the mower (no particular time of day) and climb aboard, fully engage the choke and place throttle fully forward (full throttle), turn the key and engine turns over strong but will not fire. After several attempts over a few minutes, and without the least bit of fire, (choke on, choke off, choke at mid point) I give up and when I return later that day or the next, the engine (most of the time) fires up like it should. On rare occasion, I have gotten the engine to start in as little as several minutes after my initial attempt. If you've been following along, and particularly with my last couple of statements, you might conclude (as I did) that the engine is flooding but I'm nearly for certain that this is not the case, at least when I have checked or inspected for this cause... no unusual strong smell of fuel, spark plugs not wet, with all parts removed from around the carb, choke and throttle seem to be working properly with fuel entering carb and with the carb exposed, it's quick and easy to dry out the carb of any excess fuel when I've even remotely suspected this to be the case.
I have experimented with the throttle and choke over these many months, with no clear advantage one way or the other, except that I can remember one time (only) that the (cold) engine started on a warm day without full throttle and/or fully engaged choke. I have, on more than one occasion, removed the parts surrounding the carb (flywheel cover, air cleaner housing, etc.) to inspect the carb, carb linkage, choke, and basically clean the surfaces with carb cleaner, followed by spraying a bit of WD-40 on the movable exterior parts surrounding the carb.
I'm familiar with the basics of how combustion engines work and have pretty much been able to maintain and service my vehicles and small engine lawn and garden equipment over the decades. Having said that, I do not consider myself a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination. Because this is an intermittent problem and I have (so far) always been able to eventually get the engine started, I have been unable to track down and correct the problem. At this point I'm thinking the problem has been and continues to be electrical in nature though I'm stumped that the problem has gone on for so long and it still will fire up after a period of time between attempts.
Additional Info: I use my mover every week to 10 days from April thru mid November. Takes about 45 minutes to cut the lawn each time. Use is less than 50 hours per year.