mowin'

"puddler" (Levithelandseal) 03/05/2014 at 12:12 • Filed to: None

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with my 5.0, got the grass chute closed so the blades can mulch.

dug this out of the trash. PO said he'd sent it to the shop for an oil change/blade sharpening, and it took too long so he bought a new one. won't run, but the oil is indeed clean, and the blades are rusty but sharp. so today, i'm gonna make it run. something tells me i need to paint it white.

quarterlifecrisis > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:13

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Grass grass baby..to mow, to mow

pdx107 > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:25

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Mine still has a vacuum leak and wont start.... little bastard is only 2 years old and refused to work at all last year

puddler > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:27

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step 1: air, fuel, & spark.

i checked the airfilter, which is cleaner than usual for trash mowers, but not new by any means. then, i pulled the plug, which is a bit oily, but the electrode is still square, and the ground strap isn't bridged. then i drained the old gas, and blew through the fuel line to make sure nothing is clogged. i sprayed the plug down with degreaser, then blew if off with compressed air, then freshened the electrode and ground strap with a bit of emery cloth. if this works i'll be happy, but was kinda hoping to get to tear into it a bit...

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:30

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Tear into it anyway! It's an engine on wheels that you got for free, experiment a bit. I mean you haven't had a chance that motor made by that company now have you...

DONT ANSWER JUST DO IT!

Baskingshark > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:32

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I'm old school I use one of these...it is the Mercedes Benz push reel mowers

deekster_caddy > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:33

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It's amazing what fresh gas can do for an old mower. Good luck!

Frank Grimes > puddler 03/05/2014 at 12:56

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I find something extremly satisfying about reading about finding a good mower and bringing it back to life!

First things first is build a header for moar powahr.

B. Paint it in gulf livery.

puddler > puddler 03/05/2014 at 13:03

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umm, the end of step 1 is to test the coil. while the plug it out of the engine pop it onto the plug-wire and with a sock tied around the brake-bar (no clue what the real name for that thing is) spin the engine over while grounding the threads to the head & look for spark. i haz it.

so, step 2 was to put some fresh gas in, i hit the fuel line and carb throat with a bit of carb cleaner (just enough gunk in the port to make me wonder if this thing spent a season or two without a filter) and after reinstalling the plug, gave the tank a sprinkle of fuel, and gave the rope a tug. gentlemen, my engine started...but only for a second. primed the carb a bit and tugged again, it fired again, but only for a second. i did it a few more times for S&G's.

beware of wishes lest the manifest. so the carb gets to come off. my immediate thoughts are that the needle and float might be stuck.

Corson Currently Coupein' It > puddler 03/05/2014 at 13:05

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Mowin' with a 5.0???

puddler > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom 03/05/2014 at 13:06

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i've been in flathead mower engines since i was about 6. my dad and i used to torture trash mowers for fun. which is a likely possibility for this one, too.

puddler > Corson Currently Coupein' It 03/05/2014 at 13:09

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yea, replaced the front bumper with a buncha saw blades. kinda hard to carry enough speed without hitting the neighbors house. haha

puddler > Frank Grimes 03/05/2014 at 13:12

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if i can talk dad out of torturing it we might find someone around here that needs a good mower and give it to them.

Vizzini > Baskingshark 03/05/2014 at 13:17

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I grew up using a push mower like that (thanks, Dad). We had a couple of apricot trees in the lawn area. If I wasn't diligent in finding every piece of dropped fruit, especially the gooshy rotting ones that were no longer recognizable as fruit, the mower would stop dead when it picked up a pit, driving the handle of the mower into my gut. Good times...

puddler > puddler 03/05/2014 at 13:29

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i'm gonna take this moment to cuss ethanol gas right about now. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...

puddler > puddler 03/05/2014 at 13:36

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carbs are just restrictors. sparkplug from zetec focus directly into fuel line. all the power, all at once.

you can see the gunk on the rag (kinda & probably not on a phone) cleaned the needle, half expected the float to be broken, but the engine gods are smiling in my favor (perhaps expecting a sacrifice).

puddler > puddler 03/05/2014 at 14:04

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button'd back together & spins like a top.

first, made a rookie mistake by attaching carb to engine before throttle linkage. don't do that.

second, since this thing has a primer bubble, a choke lever is unnecessary. so i bent a few things around so it's a throttle control now. it'll low idle & shimmy, and throttled up it'll ignore the governor. so, now i'll test it by mulching the pile of leaves on the side of the house. if i blow it up, i'll pull it apart and get pics of the carnage.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > puddler 03/05/2014 at 14:38

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Hmm, well, lets pretend it's your first then, TEAR IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And if you do take pictures!

puddler > quarterlifecrisis 03/05/2014 at 14:47

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i see a possibility of a million youtube hits if we pull it off right...wonder if vanilla wants to be in on it?

quarterlifecrisis > puddler 03/05/2014 at 14:49

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Check it. Word to your mother.

puddler > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom 03/05/2014 at 14:51

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i'm thinking about putting the engine on my kayak.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > puddler 03/05/2014 at 15:00

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Dude, that is some awesome stuff right there, I'm down to test your new invention!