What is wrong with this engine.

[Mickwhitt 4,134]

Last night I saw a mower sitting at the side of the road waiting for a scrap collector to pick it up.

I knocked on the door and asked if I coukd take it. The guy was very happy for me to get it out of his way. I could see the recoil spring was out of its cassette so a simple fix.

He asked if I knew anything about mowers, he has bought a brand new one from Amazon to replace this one and it would not run.

I took a quick look but it wouldn't even offer to fire.

I brought both mowers home and put the new one on the bench.

It has a B&S OHV engine, checked spark, no problem.  No fuel getting through though.

Took off the fuel line, OOPS! engine oil drips out.

Dipped the oil and sure enough, sump full of ⛽ petrol.

So a thorough clean out and fresh oil and fuel in the right holes and the problem was solved.

The guy was lovely, he had suffered a brain injury after being badly assaulted a few years ago so struggled with some things, hence getting the fluids mixed up.

He was delighted I had fixed his mower and I was happy I'd been able to help him out.

Rewound the starter spring and the old one runs like a good un.

So all in all a good day for someone who doesn't fix lawn mowers lol.

Mick 

 

[WHNJ701 4,164]

years ago I got a chain saw for free where the fluids were filled the other way, bar oil in the gas tank, and gas in the bar oil

[wallfish 15,905]

Thanks for sharing the story Mick !

Makes you feel good huh? Back in the day I used alcohol (maybe some other things as well) to "feel good" but now that I'm getting older, it's the simple little things like that. Sending out free parts, helping a neighbor, lending or giving money, etc. etc. and that good feeling is stronger and last much longer, plus there's no hangover and it's cheaper. Don't get me wrong, enjoying a good cocktail or two or three every once in a while still works too!

[ebinmaine 62,936]

1 hour ago, Mickwhitt said:

He was delighted I had fixed his mower and I was happy I'd been able to help him out.

Well done sir!!

[Mickwhitt 4,134]

He did ask what he owed me but for what it took to fix i hadn't the heart to charge him. 

And yes it did make me feel good, the poor guy was doing his best and just needed a helping hand. 

Funny thing was there is no sump drain plug on this engine, just an extended filler neck that you pull out to tip or suck out the old oil. 

Progress I suppose, but the extended oil filler was what caused the confusion in the first place.

 

[WHNJ701 4,164]

story #2 , I actually just remembered very similar to yours, a free push mower on the road, looked to be only a few years old., I stop to pick it up, the guy comes out and says it has very little power and bogs out.  seeing it was very dirty and dusty from cutting up leaves, I took the airfilter off, gave it 1 pull and roared into life.  I handed the guy his very dirty airfilter as he thanked me and took his mower back

[SylvanLakeWH 24,078]

Nicely done!

 

[Tractorhead 8,569]

You have the heart on the right Place Mick.

 

👍

[953 nut 51,464]

9 hours ago, Mickwhitt said:

Funny thing was there is no sump drain plug on this engine,

Briggs and Stratton have done away with oil changes.   Guess they figure the "Check and Add"  policy will keep it going until the warranty expires!     

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/innovations/push-mowers/just-check-and-add-technology.html

• No Oil Changes

  The automotive-style paper air cleaner element and the improved oil fill tube protect the engines from debris, keeping the oil clean, eliminating the need for an oil change.

• 

  Easy Maintenance

  Tool-less access makes changing your air filter a breeze - Snap off the cover, replace the filter, and snap the cover back on, no tools needed.

• 

  Easy Starting

  ReadyStart® Starting system with Our Starting Promise™* for no prime, no choke, no worries - just pull for power.

• 

  Light Weight

  Lightest in class for easy maneuverability

[Mickwhitt 4,134]

Hmm?  Wonder if we would still be rebuilding old Wheelhorse models if that policy had been adopted years ago?

[Tuneup 1,416]

Yeah, the trend here seems to be using less disposable fluids, regardless of the repurcussions. Ford says 10K on oil. Mine really can use a change at 3-5K. Change it when it's dirty and check often. Today's auto trans fluid is so thin for mileage that is burns at 30K. Ford says life change or 150K. Brown fluid is normal. Now, Briggs. We pay the price.

[Mickwhitt 4,134]

An addition to this story popped up today.

Geoff, the guy who put gas in the sump and oil in the gas tank rang me to say his own mower had stopped working. 

I had a look at it, he said all he had done was topped the oil up.

Yep, topped it up to level with the neck of the filler! 

So I had to drain it and clean out breathers etc. To get it running again.

Im now responsible for servicing his mowers so he can't slip up again. Bless him.

Mick 

[Lagersolut 613]

On 7/26/2020 at 8:40 AM, jabelman said:

years ago I got a chain saw for free where the fluids were filled the other way, bar oil in the gas tank, and gas in the bar oil

 

Last year I got my Stihl saw out to cut some wood ( only need my saws periodically ) it would pop off 2-3 times and quit - I threw everything I knew at this thing for 45 minutes nothing changed it . After calming down from being totally ticked off thought ....look it up on YouTube maybe I'm missing something ......sure enough found a vid with my issues and the repair .....Stihl put a fine spark  arrestor screen in the muffler ( prob in the owners manual I never read ) after removing it ran like a top .