Yes i agree I got a completely functional Honda mower for free just because the people who gave it to me switched to a lawn service all I had to do was change oil
This is the best " how to" video I've ever watched! He explains everything so clearly audibly & visually so it makes it so easy to understand & to DIY!
I can't believe that with all the help on RU-vid afforded to us that someone would throw out a perfectly good mower without first troubleshooting a few things. With less than a few bucks in parts you got this mower running again. I do change my oil once a year. As soon a the weather breaks I go check it to make sure it's ready. You probably have to many mowers to check yours. Great video once again.
First time home buyer here, and after a year and a bit my mower died mid mow. Thankfully I found your video and appreciate how detailed you are with all of this. Thank you for this video
Air filter is almost always suspect on these things, that one was bad 😳 but believe it or not I've actually seen worse... I love these videos they help me to stay brushed up on good basic maintenance on top of troubleshooting!
I usually blow the dirt out from the inside of the filter with compressed air multiple times during the season, when it gets too dirty to clean I’ll replace it. I like to buy them in bulk since I work on a lot of equipment. It’s amazing how some folks won’t even do the slightest bit of maintenance and just throw a perfectly good mower to the curb. Great find there, AYP mowers with Honda engines are very nice indeed!
I was under the impression using compressed air was a no no. The air penetrates the pleats forming very small holes in which dirt is sucked through into the cylinder. What I do is knock off the excess dirt onto a hard surface like the driveway. After a few times it just pays at that point to replace it.
@@tedpergolizzi6455 blowing from the dirty side into the paper is definitely a big no-no. The correct way to do it is to tap it on a hard flat surface to get the loose dust out of the way then blow with compressed air from the inside (the clean side) out. You never want to hit it with compressed air on the dirty side or you will push the dirt into the filter and clog it up even worse.
Talking about cleaning filters I found a k&n filter that will fit my mower but I didn't buy it cause its about 50$ but k&n sells a cleaning kit for their filters , but I went with the cheap pleated 5$ filter that they all come with maybe one day my self-propelled mower will get an expensive lifetime filter lol
That's a very good mower. Nothing wrong with it. Just dirty carburetor.. Easy fix. Keep it. Don't sell it. I was given the same model & used it 3 years with no issues. Quality cuts... My brother borrowed it & sold it. I have not found any at all. I went with Honda mowers. I miss that Husqvarna..
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE very nice quality cuts is what impressed me from that mower. I contacted a lawn equipment company out of Illinois with similar model but they don't ship throughout the states. Too bad. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you young man for saving that mower .the Husqvarna walk behind mowers are great mowers but I've heard the riding mower,s are using thin metal on the frames so they don't hold up to well .plus they have a plastic transmission see you later young man who has saved another mower from the scrap yard 😃
Thank you for this very informative video! As a female, no one ever taught me how to use a lawnmower, let alone problem-solve one. Now that I do everything myself, it's nice to find videos like this on YT, so thanks again, it's appreciated!
I check it every Spring during the annual tune up session. Its replaced as needed. I don't have a dusty yard even though I live on a dirt (gravel) road.
My Briggs and Stratton lawnmower has a reoilable air filter which I clean & reoil every time that I change the oil which in my case is about once a year because I probably just manage to get up to 25 hours on it annually, Briggs and Stratton recommend changing the oil every 50 hours but I cut that in half. The grass actually grows in the winter time on the east coast of Australia more than it has done at summer time because we've been through a drought & hot scorching summers which kills the grass so there's no lawn to mow. The overhead cam Honda lawnmower engines has a compression release camshaft so expect to see a low figure of 60 PSI when doing a compression test,my dads is at 43 PSI now because it's 17 years old now & it needs a rebuild with new piston rings fitted !
On my Toro gas push mower, we used a wire brush and WD40 to clean off rust and corrosion from the ignition coil contacts near the flywheel. It would start for a few seconds, then shut off. Now, it runs fine.
Thank you sir, I appreciate all your information. I have a 12 year old craftsman that runs not great but it does the job. Lately it’s been running high. Not sure why. Also in order to stop the machine I have to pull the plug on spark plug.
Your best video yet! Prime example of what lack of maintenance will do to a small engine. I change the oil, air filter and spark plug usually, every year. I do not have issues. My push mower is over 20 years old! A plug, filter and oil can be purchased for around 15-20 dollars. Compare that to a new, premium mower of around $400-$500. Cheap maintenance!
I just changed mine last year after about 10 years. I do shake it out throughout the season and blow it out good in the start of spring. I only changed it because it was running rough and I cleaned the carburator.
I don't replace anything unless it's needed unless I run across something and see it's time. I don't mind a Husky mower but I can never keep the travel speed steady like a Snapper. They cut fine but I can't handle the speeding up and slowing down so much. I was hunting your other half of the mower that nobody wanted about the electric start fix. The one I'm getting has the battery on the deck and is older than that one. I can get what parts I need since it runs fine and I think I have a new catcher for it. I'll just have to drain the gas and start from there. Seems like it has a primer bulb that I replaced when I got it and the mower had been flipped or stored wrong because the air filter was full of oil and dirt. WAS is the key word. So THANKS and BLESSINGS!
good luck with it. I like electric start but sometimes the parts are just pricey. The battery Is the one that kills me, but I have a way to get around that, when it comes up next time. Thank you Lewie McNeely
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE I was looking for the #2 video about the electric start one you got, to see what you did but couldn't find it in the archives. Oh well. It'll be for here so parts will be bought once and the mower will be well looked after. BLESSINGS!
I have three push mowers and 3 riding mowers that I use on a regular basis. None of them get a ton of hours put on them, so I usually do it every other year. I will usually do it every year on my primary mower. It just depends on my mood.
One of the best practices for mowing, is to always keep the blade sharp. I like to sharpen a bit better than blade comes from factory, mower runs easier and cut is cleaner. To do this, one needs a slap bastard file and a decent vise to hold blade in right position, a vise where blade can be held flat would be best I guess. Went to hardware and asked for a bastard file, clerk showed me a fine grooved file that would barely file fingernails. I told him that wasn't a bastard file, but he argued it was. So much for Florida city types.
Not until there is a problem but I think I need to start doing more preventative maintenance. Not sure how much their new mower cost but I bet it was more then a spark-plug, new filter and a hour or two.
You know that start-stop cable attached to lever that folds down on handle? That was the problem with mine. Cable was not pulling arm to motor mechanism far enough, preventing starting. And if I pushed arm farther, it started but then while mowing the lever would slip back and stop engine. I fixed by wiring lever to on position. I never used the safety feature anyhow, always tied folding lever to handle to prevent stopping. A nuisance for me. Maybe it's needed for some people. Now with start lever held in place to start/run position, I pull plug wire to stop. Old farm boy, always availed of field expediency. None of the videos I watched on YT covered this, but I haven't watched them all. I'm sure the safety fanatics [city slickers] will condemn my method; it works for me. So sue me.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Oops! After fixing that problem, then mower still died when I went to mow. What was it? The gas cap! This happened before. On some mowers, if gas cap is screwed on too tight, it kills the motor -- maybe a vapor lock or something. I loosened the cap, but then it vibrated off and lost it. Replaced with another mower's cap. But also screwed on too tight and so was killing engine. Loosened and finished mowing. It's always something. Experience helps but one needs a good memory as well.
Takes two people to do these things. I'm a single woman who isn't afraid to work on my lawnmower. My lawnmower doesn't start unless I put it in the sun for a while, even this doesn't always help. It's a 4 year old Husqvarna with a Honda engine
sound like the choke isn't working and that's because a warm engine doesn't need a working choke. Have you ever taken the air filter off to look to see if the choke flap is closed when the engine is cold?
While the dirty filter was definitely a problem, the oil overfill was the main cause of the carbon build-up on the spark plug. The overfill was nearly 1/2" high when viewed at 1:35 in the video.
This might shock you but I never changed my air filter on my chainsaw or wacker at all and the chainsaw will be 31 years in November and my wacker is 17 or 18 years already. I just make sure and clean them regularly
I have same brand mower, but different model, it looks slightly different. It is amazing! Similar issue except my filter is clean. How do I know what spark plug to buy? Or is safe bet to just take it out and bring it with me to the store? Whats the best oil to use? I lost my manual a long time ago.
sure I would take the plug out and take it to the auto parts store, or to your local hardware store and they should have it. Use the best oil you can, synthetic oil is best but regular oil is okay 10w-30
I have a Husqvarna with the same engine, don't be fooled by the low compression, the cam has a decompression valve that holds a valve open at low RPM making the mower easier to start, once running the decompression valve closes and the engine runs normally, no matter how hard you pull the rope you will not get a proper compression reading. The best way to get a proper compression reading is to remove the valve cover and remove the rocker arm from the exhaust valve and then test it.
That was funny,, an easy fix to get it going just simple care needed.😀 Perhaps the oil level may have attributed to fowling of the plug. Honda sat change oil 25 hours Victa/Briggs & Stratton 50 hours Honda as a standard don’t have a pre-filter before air filter as Briggs & Stratton do,
Have an old black max with Honda gcv 160 and was trying to shut off the fuel to take out the carburetor, but when I did, I found that the gas was still flowing. Is it possible to remove and fix the shut off valve or should I just replace it?
Hi, my Troy-Bilt Tuff Cut 230 stalls while cutting grass. I put a new spark plug, new filter, and cleaned carburator. The sell propel feature works until it starts cutting grass. It starts sounding like it's struggling and then dies if i keep cutting the grass. I checked that small lock pin in the axle and it looks fine. Any ideas on what to look for? Thanks
cutting tall thick grass with a dull blade, will put a huge strain on the engine. As far as hesitation, only when cutting the thick parts, not in the short grass
Conclusion- owners who don’t even do $30 in mastic maintenance once a year shouldn’t own lawn equipment. Change oil plug and filters at start of every season. Sharpen blade too and avoid 75% of the problems.
I'd have to admit, I am kind of like you... I don't change mine as often as I should either....lol Good video, however I noticed that the fuel shut off was in the closed position when you were trying to start it up at test and I am curious if you noticed this later on after everything you did to fix the problem. Not trying to be a bad guy or anything just trying to figure that out and wonder if that was all that the problem was when the original owner got rid of it because they overlooked it and said oh well I'll just go buy a new one.
Yep I've been called out on it so many time to. The engine will still start with the valve closed as Long as theres fuel in the bowl and line up to the valve. So when I film, even if it won't start, I have to make sure the valve is open otherwise people will point it out. Thank you Rob Kercheval
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Right I get it, hate when people think they are better than someone else and go and do things like that. I'm sure when they call you out on it they're not very polite about it. I personally was just curious if you had over looked it as did the previous owner and that was why it wouldn't start, that is why I asked. I know there usually is residual fuel left in the bowl but if the valve was turned off before you got then they may have ran it out of fuel and just got rid of it. That's all I am really getting at here because we've all been there and done things like that and were just frustrated... we all have bad days... lol
@@MrGattor33 it's funny because most people didn't even realize that there was a fuel shut off valve. So, no the fuel valve isn't off when they have they're problems. I also have to remember to turn the valve ON in front of them so it will run for them when they get it home.
so this engine has a compression release so it makes pulling the rope very easy, and while pulling on the rope, I felt more than enough "fight" from the engine. I probably should have done a compression test but when it was described to me how it "died" while mowing, I was already moving away from a compression problem.
that an oversimplification but yes, they bought it 3 or 4 years ago, never serviced it, and because of a clogged air filer, the engine ran rich, carboned up the spark plug and that didn't allow the engine to start. That's when they decided to throw it away.