The Basics of Lawn Mower Repair

During the mowing season, most of us pour some gas in our mower, turn the key, and hope the blades spin just as they did last year. What happens when they don’t? Well, you could take it to a lawn mower repair center, but why not try to repair the lawn mower yourself?

There are several things to consider when repairing your lawn mower, depending on the problem you are having. First, if your mower fails to start you should immediately check to see if there is gasoline in the tank. Repeatedly, some people will dismantle an entire engine before they come to the realization that there is no gas in the tank, ripping out spark plugs and blowing out the carburetor. In addition, if you are using your lawn mower for the first time in a season you may want to replace that old gas with fresh gas.

Another staple of lawn mower repair involves cleaning the spark plugs. Remove the plugs from their sockets and use a wire brush to clean between the contacts. Often corrosion will occur here, robbing the engine of the necessary spark required to ignite the gasoline. The abrasion will remove any corrosion.

Another simple lawn mower repair technique is the replacing of the oil and air filters. By replacing the oil filter, debris is removed from the inside of the lawn mower engine, allowing for smoother operation. It is also a good idea to change the oil every season. The air filter, on the other hand, allows the lawn mower to “breathe” better and creates a better air to fuel mixture for the engine to burn.

One of the most neglected aspects of lawn mower repair is the tendency for people to avoid sharpening the blades on a mower. We all know that with age and wear a blade will become dull, though it is not that difficult a problem. To repair the blades, you should file the edge of the blades, moving with the grain. This will reveal new metal and create a sharper edge for easier cutting.