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We purchased a Brute walk behind mower with B&S 7.25 EXi Series mower Saturday, 5/7/16. Filled with fresh gas purchased less than 2 hours before and correct amount of oil before first use. Fired up first try and used less then 30 minutes and put away in shed.

My wife went to use it a few days later and it fired up second time. The motor just would not restart after being stopped briefly. Tried usual suggested trouble shooting fixes, like check/replacing air filter. Also checked/replaced spark plug. The carburettor smells like it's getting gas. Tried a small shot of quick start, and other then backfiring a few times not much else happened. The pull cord seems to resist an unusual amount. When it does pull, motor turns over and does not start. After the spark plug which was installed in the mower when it was first run was removed and inspected it looked blackened.

Again I put it together and set it up according to the included instructions letter for letter. I'm not very happy with this product. We spent $300.00+ on a lawn mower that now flatly refuses to start after being used less than 45 minutes.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Best Regards

Joe D

Do not mess with mower, return it & get your money back. Look at mowers with Honda engine at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. you'll be glad you did.

I'm sorry to hear that, not good business. Do you give them a loaner while theirs is being repaired & bill them for loaner or do you let them choose a new mower of equal value? Time & money are equally important for everyone.

mechanic mark said:

Do not mess with mower, return it & get your money back. Look at mowers with Honda engine at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. you'll be glad you did.

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Mark returning the unit to the store isn't always an option. My local Menard's store will only expect returns on items that are not repairable, and has to be preapproved by me. I have authorized 0 returns on items other than handheld in the past 2 years.

In any case, take it back.
Part of the profit margin on the mower is the first warantee service.
The dealer will then fix or replace the mower .
You can force them to refund but it has to have a written history of major problems.
This one sounds like a flodding carb or a broken flywheel key but if the engine comes in wih marks on the corners of the bolts the dealer can evoke the "non authorised repairer" clause and you then hae a mower that does not work and no warantee.

Sounds like your flywheel brake/stop switch assembly is not working.

Hello!:

Thanks for all the great responses. Sorry I didn't post an answer yesterday but I was still pretty annoyed with the mower. Forgot to mention my wife and I also messaged Briggs & Stratton customer service twice about the problem.

Either the customer service representative did not read the entire synopsis of the issue or did not understand the issue before responding. Her advice about "checking to make sure the air filter is clean...the spark plug is still giving spark...typically this issue is due to stale fuel", etc., was useless since we clearly explained the mower and fuel were both newly purchased.

Anyway, I've been a good and loyal purchaser of Briggs And Stratton products over the years. After this I would be a little nervous about purchasing other B & S products. What upsets me the most is it seems like there should be a lot more someone, someone at Briggs And Stratton could do and should do more to fix a clearly out of the ordinary issue. *

Werewolf One said:

Hello!:

Thanks for all the great responses. Sorry I didn't post an answer yesterday but I was still pretty annoyed with the mower. Forgot to mention my wife and I also messaged Briggs & Stratton customer service twice about the problem.

Either the customer service representative did not read the entire synopsis of the issue or did not understand the issue before responding. Her advice about "checking to make sure the air filter is clean...the spark plug is still giving spark...typically this issue is due to stale fuel", etc., was useless since we clearly explained the mower and fuel were both newly purchased.

Anyway, I've been a good and loyal purchaser of Briggs And Stratton products over the years. After this I would be a little nervous about purchasing other B & S products. What upsets me the most is it seems like there should be a lot more someone, someone at Briggs And Stratton could do and should do more to fix a clearly out of the ordinary issue. *

Click to expand...

Briggs and Stratton's EXi series was only introduced in 2014-15, so there are still some bugs that haven't been worked out. In a few years I think it will be a very nice push mower engine, but for now I would suggest going with a Honda engine. :thumbsup:

If I had the mower, I would take it to an authorized B&S repair shop with your reciept and explain your problem to them. Unless you have some very old fuel, this is a warranty situation and they should be able to help you with no money out of you pocket.

Hello!:

Sorry I haven't posted any news before about the eventual outcome of my little saga. I work shifts in a hospital so there is sometimes a lag between posts and replies...

Anyway, my wife called Menards. After explaining how unhappy we were with the situation, they very nicely agreed to take it back. It helped we told them we just wanted to exchange it for another. The new one, also a Brute with B&S 7.25 EXi Series 7.25, fired up first pull and has continued to do so...

Joe D