Recent content by The Maintenance Guy

Does anyone honor PowerCraft, the old Montgomery Ward brand which was supposed to be a lifetime guarantee also? I have a set from back in the 1970's which I still use. They are good quality and I haven't broken any, lately anyway.

I don't know about other states but at least in Minnesota every county is required to have a household hazardous waste facility. Now that I'm retired and don't bring my oil to work to dump, I just bring it to the local county site. This is just for consumers though, not for businesses. I'm...

I used to be in charge of the used oil at my company. We sent it out to a company that worked with used oil and special wastes. When the price of oil was $120 per barrel, companies were falling all over themselves to buy it from us, at $1 per gallon or more. When the price collapsed to $50...

Like the old Pennzoil commercial…motor oil is motor oil 😂. At least when it comes to lawnmowers for me. I pour in whatever I have leftover from oil changes. If it’s a machine dear to your heart and pocketbook though, do whatever the manufacturer recommends. 😊

Check the 15 amp fuse holder for corrosion. The fuse might be good but the fuse holder could be corroded and not making contact. I've had that happen to me, similar symptoms.

Check the 15 amp fuse holder for corrosion. The fuse might be good but the fuse holder could be corroded and not making contact. I've had that happen to me, similar symptoms.

I've never been a big fan of plastic gas containers but I guess it is the reality today. The early "spill proof" containers were a complete failure. You couldn't give me one of those. They have been improved somewhat now. I have found you can still order steel gas cans on Zoro. Overall I...

Is there any way you can get a puller on it? I've always been partial to pulling instead of pounding when it comes to this sort of thing, along with some heat applied.

If it's one of those all plastic things, just replace it. They're cheap enough.

Evil spirits...

Probably, or obviously, a short of some kind. I had a similar problem with my Yard Man Tractor. After replacing every component, solenoid, starter, ignition switch, Neutral safety switch (you may want to check this) it turned out to be a corroded fuse holder. Sometimes it made contact...

Batteries seem to be the wave of the future, at least for now. I've been considering slowly changing my equipment over but I'm waiting for two things, first, the old equipment to wear out to the point I no longer want to, or can, repair it. Second, I would like to see some improvement in...

Just plain old corrosion, nothing melted. The connection was intermittent, and in addition the starter was bad. Makes it tough when a couple things wear out at once.

I use the Harbor Freight battery tender and it works well for me. I keep all my summer batteries up to snuff over the winter using them. Also, I'd like to add, that if your tractor is a bit older, and has an issue turning over, even with a fully charged or new battery, suspect the condition of...

Just thought I’d share this for anyone out there who may be experiencing trouble with lawn equipment, particularly a lawn tractor having starting problems. After a long tussle with the machine, a 20 year old MTD 13 HP, I believe I’ve solved all the issues with it not turning over. I tried new...