Lawn Mower stalling constantly

[HonoluluGirl]

We have a gas lawn mower, the kind you pull the string to start the engine, and you push it. As you can tell, I'm not an expert, LOL. When my husband mows the lawn, the mower starts well - the string pull starts the engine. He starts mowing, and one or two minutes later, the engine starts to slow down and eventually dies. He is able to keep starting the engine and mow. Every few minutes, it dies, he starts it back up and mows for a minute or two before it dies again. We cleaned the filter and changed the spark plug. What else could be the cause? Thanks!

[PaulF]

The carburetor probably needs to be cleaned or have parts replaced. This most likely would require a trained person to do or someone who has a bit of mechanical aptitude. There are rebuild kits available and on line instructions if you want to tackle the chore.

[imafan26]

I agree, it sounds like the carburetor needs tuning or cleaning. A lot of times the metering holes in the bowl nut gets clogged. It would be a good idea to clean the filters as well. Lawn mowers should be serviced annually or if you use it more often every 24 hours of use, it should at least have the filter cleaned and blades sharpened.

It is best to use ethanol free gas. Only put as much gas in the mower that you can use in one trimming. Old gas spoils, so run the mower until it is used up or use stabil so the gas stays good longer. Bad gas will also cause the mower to die out or not start at all. Old gas, especially ethanol based gas will gum up and corrode the carburetor sooner and shorten its life.

You could do it yourself and it is not hard to learn but if you are not mechanically inclined.

Harold's Lawn Mower repair on Waialae
Garricks in Wahiawa
Ace hardware in Wahiawa
Waipahu Lawn equipment and service

Servicing is not cheap, but a well maintained mower will last twenty years or so.

[HonoluluGirl]

Thanks Paul and Imafan! I'll pass this along to my husband!