My mower died!

[SCC9833]

I had a Troy-Bilt self propelled walk behind mower. I turned it in to a local mower technician because it had died on me last summer and I wanted to get it fixed and ready for spring this year. He performed all of the usual procedures that you get with a spring tune up. Charged me $119 and returned it to me saying it was like new. I began to use it as spring came on. It was always blowing lots of white smoke and seemed to want to die out. I used it for maybe 3 weeks and it died on me again. This time I called a more experienced mower technician. He stopped by and checked it out. After trying to start it he was able to determine that something was seriously wrong with the engine.
And that it wasn't worth fixing. I think the reason it died last summer is because I didn't keep up on it's oil level. And you know engines won't last long without oil. So I sat the mower out front by the street with a sign on it that said FREE. It was gone in 10 minutes. Now I have to buy a new one. Anyone have a reccomendation on a what brand to buy next? I was thinking of trying one with the larger wheels on the rear due to my yard having some rough terrain. The lesson I learned is that just because you get the oil changed at the beginning of the season it is not going to get you through the whole summer. You need to check it each time you put gas in it.

 

[Lawnranger]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm new here, too, but I have some experience that you may benefit from. I'd like to share a similar story with you. A friend of mine has a nice John Deere lawn tractor with a two cylinder Briggs & Stratton engine and he took it in to the shop to have it serviced for the spring season. The repair shop did all the usual part changes, checks and adjustments. When he got the mower back he started it up and proceeded to mow his lawn and all of the sudden his engine quit and wouldn't crank over. He called me and I went over to check it out. After a few minutes of diagnosis I found that the flywheel would turn about 350 degrees one way and about the same the other way. I removed a spark plug and inserted a small wooden dowel and the piston was not moving when the crankshaft/flywheel was turned. This equals a broken connecting rod which equals major engine damage. I checked the oil level and much to his surprise there was no oil in the engine. The repair shop drained the oil but NEVER refilled it with new oil. I pointed to the sticker on top of the engine right next to the oil dipstick that reads "Check Oil Before Each Use". When he saw that sticker he just hung his head low, realizing it was ultimately his fault for trusting the professional repair shop and not verifying the work. People make mistakes. We have two ways to learn - from other people's mistakes and our own mistakes. I'm just as guilty so don't think I'm pointing a finger at anyone, just sharing experience with you. A wise person once told me "when I know better, I'll choose better".

Fortunately this mistake is not extremely costly and you can go buy a new mower but I'll bet you check the oil before you start the engine from now on and if the oil is getting dirty, just have it changed or change it yourself. The owner's manual is a great source of information and tells you almost everything you need to do to properly care for your mower so make sure to read it cover to cover when you get your new mower.

As far as new mower recommendations go, any mid to upper grade mower will last you many years if properly cared for so if you like your old Troy-bilt, get another one or go the the dealer and try some other brands out and see how they feel to you. The most important factor in mower longevity is preventive maintenance with the emphasis on preventive and that means checking/changing oil regularly, using fresh gasoline with ethanol-treatment stabilizer (several brands of stabilizer to choose from), don't buy more gasoline than you will use in one month, cleaning the underside of the deck to get all the water-retaining grass off (if not cleaned it will rust the deck much sooner) and other steps you can take to make your equipment last longer. Learn how to check/clean/replace the air filter as this is one of the most overlooked items next to the engine oil.

I hope this information helps you and make sure to ask more questions as the arise.

Good luck,

Lawnranger

 

[Rivets]

I recommend that you stick to the major manufactures, Ariens, Toro, John Deere, etc. I would stay away from any unit manufactured by MTD. They are sold by the big box stores. I also recommend that you buy from a dealer. This way you have the support of someone who knows their product. Remember you get what you pay for. Which brand would I buy? See my profile.

 

[Briana]

Welcome to LawnMowerForum!

I moved your thread to the Mower Buying & Pricing Forum. :smile:

 

[SONOFADOCKER]

White smoke.... Your carb leaked gasoline into the oil and the oil gas mix was burning .
If you get it serviced again put a fuel shut off in the fuel line $2.00

 

[Rivets]

Wrong. In my area we diagnose smoke this way. Black---fuel mixture too rich, too much gas. Blue---oil being burned in the cylinder. White---moisture mixing with the fuel being burn in the cylinder. This is what has been taught to all basic mechanics in our area as a way to visually start a diagnosis process to solve a problem. Works on all four cycle engines.

 

[SONOFADOCKER]

Shop sees 2,500+ machines in a year - gasoline in the crankcase ignites causing white smoke and engine failure eventually from lack of lubrication

 

[Rivets]

Guess I have taught it wrong for 34 years. Hope you don't run into one of my mechanics. Bye, y'all.

 

[Lawnranger]

So SCC9833, what did you end up doing about your dead mower?

 

[SONOFADOCKER]

Rivets -wealthy idiots that won't use fuel shut offs my shop installs makes each machine a twice a year visit for crankcase filled with oil and a carb rebuild .
Maybe your customers are better.
Kept up the excellent help you offer the site .