Troubleshooting Lawn Mower Problems

For proper lawn care, mowing is necessary and your lawn mower should always be in a good condition. Troubleshooting it is difficult because there are a number of reasons related to each problem and finding out the exact reason is quite confusing. Before you start troubleshooting and repairing your lawn mower, you need to follow some safety steps. Wear eye protection gear and gloves. Turn off the engine and disconnect the spark plug while repairing the machine. Let us discuss some lawn mower problems and their solutions.

Problem # 1: Engine Won't Start

Possible Reason	Solution
Lawn mower has run out of fuel.	Fill the fuel tank.
There is water in the fuel tank.	Drain the fuel from the tank and refill it.
The fuel in the tank has become stale.	Drain the fuel and refill the tank with fresh fuel.
The engine is flooded.	Turn off the fuel, start the engine and then turn on the fuel.
Disconnection of spark plug.	Connect it.
Spark plug is dirty.	If possible clean the spark plug or replace it.

Problem # 2: Engine Makes Sound / Vibrates

Possible Reason	Solution
Blades are worn out, loose, bent or out of balance.	Tight the blade bolt. Sharpen or replace the blades.
Grass and dirt is accumulated on surface of blades.	Clean the blades.

Problem # 3: Poor Cut

Possible Reason	Solution
Loose blade disc.	Tighten the nuts of the blade.
Blades are worn out, loose, bent or out of balance.	Tight the blade bolt. Sharpen or replace the blades.
Wheels are uneven.	Place the wheels at same height.
Grass, dirt, leaves are built up in the lower side of the mower.	Clean the lower side of the mower.

Problem # 4: Poor Engine / Engine Problems

Possible Reason	Solution
Dirty air filter.	Replace the air filter or clean it.
Dirty spark plug.	Clean or replace it.
Too much grass is cut.	Increase the cutting height.
Grass, dirt, leaves are built up in the lower side of the mower.	Clean the lower side of the mower.
Excess oil in the engine.	Fix the oil level.
Engine is worn out.	Contact a service man and get it replaced.

Problem # 5: Difficulty in Pulling the Starter Rope

Possible Reason	Solution
Engine crankshaft is bent.	Contact a service center.
Blade adapter is broken.	Replace it.

Problem # 6: Mower Operating Problem

Possible Reason	Solution
The grass catcher is full.	Empty it.
The height of the wheels is too short and that of grass is too high.	Increase the height of cutting.
The height of the handle is in wrong position.	Change the height of the mower to a suitable height.

Given below are some maintenance tips that will avoid the above problems:

• Once in a month sharpen the blades of your mower.
• After every mowing, wait till the engine cools down and later with the help of a hose spray remove the grass clippings and dirt stuck on the underside of the mower.
• Never use the mower to cut wet grass as this harms the working of the lawn mower.
• Every time you mow the grass, use a new direction of mowing.
• Change the oil, replace the spark plug and clean the air filter before every mowing.

So, with the above discussion, we can see that lawn mower troubleshooting is not so easy, with a number of factors associated with each problem. But now that you are aware of the possible reasons, troubleshooting should not be that tough. See that you do only minor repairs, and contact a professional to fix major problems, especially those related to the engine.