No bueno

"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker) 10/30/2016 at 16:39 • Filed to: None

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The lawnmower was tipped over by a gravity assisted four year old. It wasn’t running, but in the time it took me to walk over and right it, oil began pouring out of this little fellow into the air box, throgh the filter, and onto the deck. Now it’ll only run with starting fluid.

What to do? These things are black magic. Seems fitting this weekend...

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 16:43

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Maybe get some carb cleaner and clean it up as best you can without disassembly...?

If oil has been through it, it might need to be taken apart to properly clean though...

I know little about them as well...hoping that will change when I can pick up a 126 down the road! :)

The Lurktastic Opponaught > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 10/30/2016 at 16:49

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My only real thought right now is just soak it in carb cleaner for a few hours. I really, really want to avoid disassembly.

Seat Safety Switch > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 16:55

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Taking these little carbs apart is super simple but yeah I’d try to avoid that too.

Soak it in gas before you try carb cleaner. Gas is an amazing solvent.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 16:59

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This is pretty well the exact same scenario that lead to me pulling apart my parent’s lawnmower when I was about 13 or 14 maybe, one of the first times I undertook a project like that by myself. Only the kid who tipped it over was also 13 or 14 maybe. I think I was trying to clean out a jam of grass clippings after overfilling the bag, but I’m not sure.

At any rate, for oil to get into the carb, it means it’s come up through the cylinder. I actually popped the head off and cleaned it out, but you would probably be okay to just clean out the intake as best you can and pull the spark plug, probably just change it, but you could clean it I guess. While it’s out you could probably turn the engine over a couple times (spin the blade, pull the cord) to pump as much oil out of the cylinder as possible, instead of pulling the head and all. It’ll be smokey the next time you fire it up. Make sure the level of oil is okay before running it for too long.

My parents are still using this mower over ten years later, so I guess I didn’t do the worst job putting it back together.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 17:02

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Pull it apart and learn about how carbs work.

someassemblyrequired > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 17:07

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These carbs are pretty much garbage if you take them apart, but luckily very cheap (like $20-30). Gas/carb cleaner is a good idea, worst case scenario new carb. Checking the plug is probably also a good call. Make sure it’s not fouled too and check oil level.

bingham123 > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 17:13

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if the bowl has a screw/nut on the bottom, take it off and soak in petrol.

they are super simple and you could probably put it back on and it would work.

honestly soak it and put it back on and try it.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > Seat Safety Switch 10/30/2016 at 17:28

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Good call. Non-polar solvents FTW.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 10/30/2016 at 17:32

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I pulled the plug, which is on the low side of the cylinder. I hand cranked it and got most of the oil out of the bore. It was briefly smoky when running on starting fluid, but cleared after about 5 seconds.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > someassemblyrequired 10/30/2016 at 17:33

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I pulled the bowl off and am currently soaking it in gas. I’ll get around to it in the next few days. Worst case is a new carb.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > bingham123 10/30/2016 at 17:35

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I followed your advice. I pulled the bowl and am currently soaking the whole thing in fresh gasoline. I’ll get around to pulling it and reassembling it in a few days. All the plastics and elastomers on it are compatible with hydrocarbons, so I don’t think I’m risking damage by letting it soak.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/30/2016 at 17:38

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That’s what my KE175 is for.

Edit: I just need the damn mower to work.

bingham123 > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 17:45

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i used to race/build and generally mess around with little 2 stoke and 4 stroke engines. the carbs are so simple to fix/play with, and they are also a perfect way to learn how they work. if you need any help with it just let me know.

bingham123 > bingham123 10/30/2016 at 17:46

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also any oil in the cylinder is not the worst thing to happen, if you get it all out and then get it running it will clear it all up. it will be smokey though

The Lurktastic Opponaught > bingham123 10/30/2016 at 17:52

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Thanks for your offer, I appreciate it.

bingham123 > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 17:55

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no problem, allways happy to help a fellow oppo member

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 17:59

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How was the plug looking? They don’t usually take well to getting soaked in oil, especially if they’ve been run like that. It kinda cooks on.

If it’s running on starter fluid, it’s probably not a spark issue, though. What’s the chance oil went through the carb and into the fuel lines/tank? Otherwise yeah, give it a good soak down with carb cleaner.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 10/30/2016 at 18:25

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After the smoke cleared while running on starting fluid, I shut it down and put in a new (and gapped) plug I had in a tune up kit. The new plug also ran just fine on starting fluid.

deekster_caddy > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 19:01

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So far every lawnmower carb repair I’ve attempted and been successful at has involved taking it all the way apart, cleaning, putting it all the way back together without changing anything that’s adjustable. Go for it!

deekster_caddy > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 19:01

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It really shouldn’t need to soak for long. Just wipe it out and spray everything else out with carb cleaner, then reassemble. They are so simple it’s silly and mostly just work.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > The Lurktastic Opponaught 10/30/2016 at 19:14

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Well, try it and see how things go! :)