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Friend has a Troy Bilt walk-behind Mower with a 6.75 Briggs Engine. The only way he could start it was using starting fluid. He took it to a Mower notable shop and they said the Carburetor is bad. They put on a new OEM carburetor. He got it back Home and it wouldn't start any better. He took it back and they said the Engine compression was low so it needs a short-block. They didn't offer any compensation for the previous repair. Before tossing it, he asked me to take a look and I found Auto-choke was holding the butterfly wide open when Engine cold. Removed the Engine shroud and discovered the plastic Vane for the Auto-Choke was warped causing it to hit the underside of the Shroud. I heated it up with a Torch and lowered it a bit. Put the shroud on and it moved freely. Now the Mower starts on the first pull. It seemed simple to me as I fixed it while he waited. I'm assuming the Repair Shop tested the Mower with the Shroud off?

So your buddy took it to a no diagnostics parts changer center posing as a lawnmower shop. Just dealt with one of those this morning. Guy took his 3 year old Echo trimmer to two different shops, Symptom was engine wouldn't suddenly go to full throttle. One shop told him the carb needed adjusted but could get to it right now. The other shop told him it needed a new carb, but also couldn't work on it right now. So my neighbor called me yesterday to see if her friend could come by and have me look at it, was really in no rush for the repair because he didn't need it right now. But he fired it up in front of me, and I had him shut it off, and then I proceeded to remove and clean the muffler spark screen, and sent him off to use it.

Yes there is a lot of dealers with less than shade tree mechanics. I have been called a shade tree mechanic myself because I was working under shade tree. But that is different.

I got several dealers in my area that need to just close up shop too. The attempted ripoff was a Kawasaki FX1000V repair I did a couple years ago. The dealer told the customer he need a new $4000 engine. So the customer decided to give me a shot at it after hearing about my workmanship. It turned to just be a blown head gasket; a $300 repair job. The still buys his new equipment from that dealer but will not let them touch it when repairs are needed.

StarTech said:

Yes there is a lot of dealers with less than shade tree mechanics. I have been called a shade tree mechanic myself because I was working under shade tree. But that is different.

I got several dealers in my area that need to just close up shop too. The attempted ripoff was a Kawasaki FX1000V repair I did a couple years ago. The dealer told the customer he need a new $4000 engine. So the customer decided to give me a shot at it after hearing about my workmanship. It turned to just be a blown head gasket; a $300 repair job. The still buys his new equipment from that dealer but will not let them touch it when repairs are needed.

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I was being a shade tree mechanic yesterday. I was putting the deck back on a Simplicity in the shade of the pine tree in my backyard.

ILENGINE said:

I was being a shade tree mechanic yesterday. I was putting the deck back on a Simplicity in the shade of the pine tree in my backyard.

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You know that is called being a smart mechanic, not stupid mechanic. I am under the trees my today. It is 100F and humid, The asphalt is at 140+F right and the shop is close to 110F. Lots cooler under the trees but got put down a tarp in case I drop a screw or nut.

I’m not proud to say this but, it used to be 5% of the people working on small engines shouldn’t be allowed to handle a screwdriver. Today it seems to have grown to 25%. When I retired 18 years ago I expected my students to know how to deal with customers and when to know when they are over their heads. If you graduated not knowing these two skills they wouldn’t get a recommendation from me. Those that didn’t get a recommendation are now part of the 25%.

I have always said that being a mechanic is something that you have to be born with. To be a true mechanic you have it in your DNA. You will have the underlying mindset of wanting to know how things work, and that is not something that can be taught.

ILENGINE said:

You will have the underlying mindset of wanting to know how things work, and that is not something that can be taught.

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That's what my Dad preached & having common sense was important as well..

StarTech said:

You know that is called being a smart mechanic, not stupid mechanic. I am under the trees my today. It is 100F and humid, The asphalt is at 140+F right and the shop is close to 110F. Lots cooler under the trees but got put down a tarp in case I drop a screw or nut.

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Which invariably will happen

ILENGINE said:

I have always said that being a mechanic is something that you have to be born with. To be a true mechanic you have it in your DNA. You will have the underlying mindset of wanting to know how things work, and that is not something that can be taught.

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Basically that is it. What some call a God given talent. I have been good figuring equipment but as much as love to learn to play piano I just can't get it for some reason. There are other that don't know a single about repairing an engine but can play music by ear just by listening to a piece of music. Yet another some have. I personally enjoy fixing things and helping others

Rivets said:

I’m not proud to say this but, it used to be 5% of the people working on small engines shouldn’t be allowed to handle a screwdriver. Today it seems to have grown to 25%. When I retired 18 years ago I expected my students to know how to deal with customers and when to know when they are over their heads. If you graduated not knowing these two skills they wouldn’t get a recommendation from me. Those that didn’t get a recommendation are now part of the 25%.

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cheap aftermarket chinese parts have made alot of "part swappers" but I bet none of them could yell How or why or what the specific issue was.

Yesterday a guy brought in an older water pump with a 5hp briggs that wouldn't start. Nobody else would work on it. Turns out the points plunger was stuck so no spark. Fixed it in about 20 mins. He told one of the shops what was wrong and they told him it didn't have points.
Had a stihl string trimmer a shop said was burned up and bad compression. Cleaned the spark arrestor and good as new.
Had one where another shop changed starter, ignition switch and battery and still won't start. Turns out the ground cable was bad.
There is a difference between a parts changer and a diagnostic technician. You would be suprised how many technicians really don't know how to do real electrical trouble shooting. Asked a tech at a dealership if he did a voltage drop test and got the blank stare.

Hammermechanicman said:

Yesterday a guy brought in an older water pump with a 5hp briggs that wouldn't start. Nobody else would work on it. Turns out the points plunger was stuck so no spark. Fixed it in about 20 mins. He told one of the shops what was wrong and they told him it didn't have points.
Had a stihl string trimmer a shop said was burned up and bad compression. Cleaned the spark arrestor and good as new.
Had one where another shop changed starter, ignition switch and battery and still won't start. Turns out the ground cable was bad.
There is a difference between a parts changer and a diagnostic technician. You would be suprised how many technicians really don't know how to do real electrical trouble shooting. Asked a tech at a dealership if he did a voltage drop test and got the blank stare.

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Since I was young, I have always wanted to know “why”. I have always been thirsty for knowledge. The DIY mindset I got from my Dad, but didn’t exercise it for many years because a job and life got in the way.

I believe some shops just don’t want to take the time to figure things out on some equipment, so they say they are too busy, say it is “low on compression “ without knowing, or throw parts at it. Everything doesn’t actually need a carburetor cleaned or replaced. Take pride in yourself and the work you do. Show respect to your customers.

Tiger Small Engine said:

believe some shops just don’t want to take the time to figure things out on some equipment, so they say they are too busy, say it is “low on compression “ without knowing, or throw parts at it. Everything doesn’t actually need a carburetor cleaned or replaced. Take pride in yourself and the work you do. Show respect to your customers.

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I think in todays world, many places don't care anymore.. Used to be a Pride in workmanship.

Nobody getting into OPE repair and working at a dealership is going to get rich. Tractor dealer near me just had their old 40+ year mechanic retire. He was the highest paid guy at the dealership. They won't work on anything more than a few years old now. They can't keep good new help because they don't pay well.
Young guys ask me what schools I went to to learn to fix small engines and equipment. I just kinda laugh to myself.

Hammermechanicman said:

Nobody getting into OPE repair and working at a dealership is going to get rich. Tractor dealer near me just had their old 40+ year mechanic retire. He was the highest paid guy at the dealership. They won't work on anything more than a few years old now. They can't keep good new help because they don't pay well.
Young guys ask me what schools I went to to learn to fix small engines and equipment. I just kinda laugh to myself.

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Several years ago my local community college taught a small engine and mower repair course. The only prerequisite was you had to be an inmate at the local state prison.

ILENGINE said:

Several years ago my local community college taught a small engine and mower repair course. The only prerequisite was you had to be an inmate at the local state prison.

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Pretty sure I saw Scrub in the back row.

Hammermechanicman said:

Pretty sure I saw Scrub in the back row.

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So what was your inmate number?

StarTech said:

So what was your inmate number?

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8675309

Hammermechanicman said:

Pretty sure I saw Scrub in the back row.

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I hit you with a few spitballs

Scrubcadet10 said:

I hit you with a few spitballs

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I wondered who that was

There's some people whose idea of "troubleshooting" is to just "shotgun" in new parts until the problem goes away, then charge you for all the unnecessary parts along the way.
The trick is how to avoid these types.

Hammermechanicman said:

8675309

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Jenny? Why won't you answer???

Scrubcadet10 said:

cheap aftermarket chinese parts have made alot of "part swappers" but I bet none of them could yell How or why or what the specific issue was.

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The main trouble with cheap Chinese parts is that the OEM manufacturers are using them. I bought a new garage chest freezer recently. A Frigidaire. Made in China. Refrigerant? Isobutane/propane.

edporch said:

There's some people whose idea of "troubleshooting" is to just "shotgun" in new parts until the problem goes away, then charge you for all the unnecessary parts along the way.
The trick is how to avoid these types.

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I had a vision that goes something like this....You professionals on here need to fill a bucket full of old parts, carbs, bearings,etc and when someone comes in with a problem mower, throw this aforementioned bucket of (small) parts at the mower. Then, when that doesn't fix the problem, say well, your way didn't work. Now we'll try it my way!

Another starter generator/voltage regulator problem. Third one this month. Maybe I should throw some parts at it.

SamB said:

You've gotten her number wrong. It's 867-5309. I forgot the area code.

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There is an 867 exchange in the 315 area code... How many others know about the song?

Hammermechanicman said:

View attachment 69033
Another starter generator/voltage regulator problem. Third one this month. Maybe I should throw some parts at it.

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Love the custom exhaust! Lowe's special!!!

SamB said:

I had a vision that goes something like this....You professionals on here need to fill a bucket full of old parts, carbs, bearings,etc and when someone comes in with a problem mower, throw this aforementioned bucket of (small) parts at the mower. Then, when that doesn't fix the problem, say well, your way didn't work. Now we'll try it my way!

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What normally happens with my customers is they don’t even try, or try very little to repair their equipment. They don’t fire the parts cannon, and neither do I.

StarTech said:

Yes there is a lot of dealers with less than shade tree mechanics.

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I notice the shops don't really open up the item to accurately diagnose the problem. Some of the best is a Kawasaki ignition came loose and jammed the flywheel. Moved it back and done... if they just turned it by hand and noticed something is hitting something else and it is not inside the motor. Just remove the cover and they would have found the problem and be done in less than 10 minutes.

Stuff like that.

Then again, I got a lot of my toys from shops because of them. Their incompetence fuel my guilty pleasure....

upupandaway said:

I notice the shops don't really open up the item to accurately diagnose the problem. Some of the best is a Kawasaki ignition came loose and jammed the flywheel. Moved it back and done... if they just turned it by hand and noticed something is hitting something else and it is not inside the motor. Just remove the cover and they would have found the problem and be done in less than 10 minutes.

Stuff like that.

Then again, I got a lot of my toys from shops because of them. Their incompetence fuel my guilty pleasure....

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What about the poor SOB who had to buy new equipment due to the incompetence? They are probably pissed!

We had a shop burn down a few years ago

Had more than one new customer tell me they had equipment there and their equipment wasn't insured, only the building and tools not customer equipment. I don't know the whole story but there are still bad feelings with some folks.

Hammermechanicman said:

We had a shop burn down a few years ago

Massive fire destroys Neff’s Lawn Equipment in Germantown; cause still under investigation

Fire has destroyed Neff's Lawn Equipment in Germantown on Wednesday night. The cause is under investigation, the German Twp. police chief said.

www.whio.com

Had more than one new customer tell me they had equipment there and their equipment wasn't insured, only the building and tools not customer equipment. I don't know the whole story but there are still bad feelings with some folks.

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Business liability insurance doesn't cover customer items. And tools, inventory, real estate is a separate rider. Don't know of any business liabiltiy that covers customer items left at the dealership.

A guy had a new $20k mower in for service that burned. He was just out $20k

Hammermechanicman said:

We had a shop burn down a few years ago

Massive fire destroys Neff’s Lawn Equipment in Germantown; cause still under investigation

Fire has destroyed Neff's Lawn Equipment in Germantown on Wednesday night. The cause is under investigation, the German Twp. police chief said.

www.whio.com

Had more than one new customer tell me they had equipment there and their equipment wasn't insured, only the building and tools not customer equipment. I don't know the whole story but there are still bad feelings with some folks.

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Those fires are tough to put out. They also pretty much destroy everything.

Hammermechanicman said:

A guy had a new $20k mower in for service that burned. He was just out $20k

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Still better than your whole home and memories! I have personally had that happen to me.

davis2 said:

They are probably pissed!

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I'm sure they would be, if they knew...

Ignorance is bliss...

Welcome to the new generation of YouTube graduates. Yes, skip through a few videos from clown shows, old Couger flaunting her wrinkled cleavage or drunks in ye ole mower saloon and you become a professional at anything you desire.

ILENGINE said:

I have always said that being a mechanic is something that you have to be born with. To be a true mechanic you have it in your DNA. You will have the underlying mindset of wanting to know how things work, and that is not something that can be taught.

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So many 'mechanics' (paid or shade tree) ignore the KISS principle - jump to conclusions without observing and testing adequately. I worked on my own motorcycles for many years and small engines as needed. Probably 95% or more of the problems are the easiest, simplest, cheapest thing to fix but you have to understand each system and how they interact as part of the whole.

One aspect I haven't seen mentioned here is the economics of it. Labor rates are very expensive. A replacement carb is cheap. Why pay someone to take a carb apart, rebuild it, then put it back on when a new carb is $20 and can be replaced in 20 minutes?

That the OP had an experience where the carb was replaced and still had a problem is the result of a cheap China (Taiwan?) carb. Perhaps the shop should have known not to use such a cheap carb, but he also didn't mention whether he took it back to the shop to have it fixed properly.

ChuckBJr said:

So many 'mechanics' (paid or shade tree) ignore the KISS principle - jump to conclusions without observing and testing adequately. I worked on my own motorcycles for many years and small engines as needed. Probably 95% or more of the problems are the easiest, simplest, cheapest thing to fix but you have to understand each system and how they interact as part of the whole.

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The KISS method works most of the time when the failed component is the cause of the failure. KISS method doesn't apply to electrical because a simple solution is normally part of a complex problem. The KISS method of electrical is you have to understand and work the system, and you can't jump into the middle and swim your way out most of the time.

Just had another service center call me the other day. He was working on a Toro Z turn and had lost the ground to the solenoid, hour meter, pto, and fuel solenoid on the Kohler engine. If he jumped the solenoid the engine would crank but not start. Basically he had lost the frame ground. Which seems odd considering the frame ground would grounded through the engine with the ground wire attached to the engine. So while we talked on the phone I pulled up a wiring schematic so I could see were everything went. And started tracing ground circuits, and found that everything in question terminated at a relay. He said it clicks when the key is turned on so appears to be working. Asked if they could be tested and I said yes, but would need both a 12v battery source and a meter to properly check function. He said I have a spare relay I will just plug it in a see what happens. Immediately everything started working. But without a working understanding of electrical systems and the schematic would of been a parts cannon scenario.

StarTech said:

You know that is called being a smart mechanic, not stupid mechanic. I am under the trees my today. It is 100F and humid, The asphalt is at 140+F right and the shop is close to 110F. Lots cooler under the trees but got put down a tarp in case I drop a screw or nut.

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The tarp doesn't help because the screw sees it on the way down, aims for your foot and bounces 10 feet away.

I had an 84 year old lady call me the other day and said she had killed her motor on her Troy Bilt riding mower, her son had checked it and she needs a replacement mower. I told her I had one she could use until we found her one and what was she going to do with her old one? she said I could have it for parts claimed the motor made a squalling sound and smoke came out of the side of it, I was scratching my head on that one so I picked it up carried it home and the motor cracked right up so I replaced both drive belts and carried it back to her and retrieved my old loaner. I'm thinking I'll be her mechanic for life

You take the guy to small claims court. Be sure to bring pictures and any other proof even the mower just to make your point. It doesn't cost much and you will win if you can prove your case.

I had a 33” troybilt walk behind. Would not start <60f. But, who would mow @<60f? I don’t think it had a choke.

ILENGINE said:

Business liability insurance doesn't cover customer items. And tools, inventory, real estate is a separate rider. Don't know of any business liabiltiy that covers customer items left at the dealership.

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Not quite as bad... big dealer/shop bankruptcy. I used to live in Springfield VA and took my mower and snowblower to a place off Backlick Road, where I bought the snowblower (in 2003). December of 2013 I picked up my snowblower and dropped off the mower for repair and winter storage (only room enough in garage for one or other). In late February I called them to say I needed my mower. I called for several days in a row over the next few days. Nothing. So Saturday I drove my truck over there to find about 20 other customers (immigrant lawn service guys mostly) and a sign saying the dealer has been in bankruptcy since November! Since I was the only one who could both read and write well in English I collect names, phone numbers, e-mails and for a list of everyone's missing equipment. I e-mail the trustee. Turns out this person is 100 miles away in Richmond and has never seen anything more than a piece of paper from the court telling her she'd been appointed trustee. This person seems like the public defender of bankruptcy law. This happens the first week of March. None of us saw our equipment until Memorial Day, when we all got a number and time to pick up our stuff. There were hundreds of mowers, trimmers, snowblowers in their storage building and it took days to empty it. And if you didn't have your drop off receipt, you were screwed. No mower for you. The landscaping dudes (spanish speaking to a man) were f-ing pissed. The hilarious part was they decided to sue. My neighbor was really tired of me borrowing his pusher. I was really tired of cutting 3/4 acre of hills with a push mower.

Lesson learned: Never leave equipment in dealer storage. Insist on a drop off receipt, whenever you leave equipment with someone for repair or storage. About half of the independent lawn jockeys didn't.

gossamer said:

One aspect I haven't seen mentioned here is the economics of it. Labor rates are very expensive. A replacement carb is cheap. Why pay someone to take a carb apart, rebuild it, then put it back on when a new carb is $20 and can be replaced in 20 minutes?

That the OP had an experience where the carb was replaced and still had a problem is the result of a cheap China (Taiwan?) carb. Perhaps the shop should have known not to use such a cheap carb, but he also didn't mention whether he took it back to the shop to have it fixed properly.

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Where are you getting a real $20 carb that's not a Chinese knockoff these days?????

There is such satisfaction in being able to successfully solve a problem. It's a feeling that goes beyond money or reward

That seems to be the standard of many dealerships.My sister took a JD garden tractor to the dealer for repair.It would get very weak after running a few minutes,and after it cooled,it was ok for a few minutes.
The dealer changed the air filter,cleaned the plugs,replaced an intake gasket and sent her on her way.
Same thing next time she mowed,no improvement.After several trips to the dealer,she asked me to look at it.
First thing I did was check the plugs.I put my socket on one,and it was only finger tight.Same with the other one.They were tight enough to run till it got hot,then they would fail.You could not engineer a better failure to increase shop visits if you tried.They are preying on people with no mechanical knowledge or experience. I tightened up the plugs,and it has run flawlessly for years now.I never take my car to a dealer except for a recall, I do all of my repairs myself,including timing belt or electrical problems.
I have tires rotated and balanced at a local tire shop that is honest and reliable,and I can watch them work.
I service my A//C and plumbing systems on my own home and vehicles.
I have saved more money over the last 50 years than I have made.
Education is expensive,but ignorance is more expensive.

Very true, sad but true.

JD14SB said:

Friend has a Troy Bilt walk-behind Mower with a 6.75 Briggs Engine. The only way he could start it was using starting fluid. He took it to a Mower notable shop and they said the Carburetor is bad. They put on a new OEM carburetor. He got it back Home and it wouldn't start any better. He took it back and they said the Engine compression was low so it needs a short-block. They didn't offer any compensation for the previous repair. Before tossing it, he asked me to take a look and I found Auto-choke was holding the butterfly wide open when Engine cold. Removed the Engine shroud and discovered the plastic Vane for the Auto-Choke was warped causing it to hit the underside of the Shroud. I heated it up with a Torch and lowered it a bit. Put the shroud on and it moved freely. Now the Mower starts on the first pull. It seemed simple to me as I fixed it while he waited. I'm assuming the Repair Shop tested the Mower with the Shroud off?

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It's possible they done that way to scam people. I had fair share of dealership ripoffs my dad's hustlerturf raptor SD. They charged him $1400 for a new PTO and figured out the engine shakes. I have rebuilt metal and plastic carburetors. I will never run E10 or above fuels for the plastic only E0. E0 to E10 is for the metal carburetors.

Hollingerw19 said:

It's possible they done that way to scam people. I had fair share of dealership ripoffs my dad's hustlerturf raptor SD. They charged him $1400 for a new PTO and figured out the engine shakes. I have rebuilt metal and plastic carburetors. I will never run E10 or above fuels for the plastic only E0. E0 to E10 is for the metal carburetors.

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I don't think it was done that way to be a scam. I suspect that it was assumed that the no start was due to a carb or fuel issue, which in a very large portion of no starts would be a true statement. Now basing on that statement the fix would be a new carb due to time and cost considerations. Depending on how the engine was disassembled to install the new carb the issue of the choke not being closed for a cold start may of be overlooked because when certain parts were removed it would of allowed the stuck choke to close, and unless it was noticed that the choke was stuck open would of resulted in a faulty diagnosis, Since the choke would of closed on disassembly I suspect after replacing the carb the mower started on the first pull, but the allowed the choke to open and then get stuck again, which at that time they considered the issue resolved.

Most repair shops don't have the time or don't take the time to just play with a customer product. I have had customers get upset with me because their item takes so long to repair and want it back yesterday.

Here is an example of an issue I have come across multiple times and can only be diagnosed after basically parts cannon it because you have to eliminate every other possible cause first. . Blower runs about 20 minutes and starts bogging down and sounds like it running out of gas and if you hold the trigger will die, but will idle all day long. Or a chainsaw that basically shutoff when the trigger is pulled but will start back up on the first pull every time and will idle until the tank runs dry. Let me know what you think the issue is with these two examples,

StarTech said:

Yes there is a lot of dealers with less than shade tree mechanics. I have been called a shade tree mechanic myself because I was working under shade tree. But that is different.

I got several dealers in my area that need to just close up shop too. The attempted ripoff was a Kawasaki FX1000V repair I did a couple years ago. The dealer told the customer he need a new $4000 engine. So the customer decided to give me a shot at it after hearing about my workmanship. It turned to just be a blown head gasket; a $300 repair job. The still buys his new equipment from that dealer but will not let them touch it when repairs are needed.

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That's like rewarding criminals.....

StarTech said:

Yes there is a lot of dealers with less than shade tree mechanics. I have been called a shade tree mechanic myself because I was working under shade tree. But that is different.

I got several dealers in my area that need to just close up shop too. The attempted ripoff was a Kawasaki FX1000V repair I did a couple years ago. The dealer told the customer he need a new $4000 engine. So the customer decided to give me a shot at it after hearing about my workmanship. It turned to just be a blown head gasket; a $300 repair job. The still buys his new equipment from that dealer but will not let them touch it when repairs are needed.

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I'm certainly not making excuses for the repair shop (especially if they are selling FX1000 for $4K) but, as I'm sure you know, low compression isn't always as simple as a blown head gasket. Their "techs" are getting paid pretty well and anything beyond a very minor repair runs the risk of running up quite a bill. The risk is too high when many shops can make more $$ with oil changes and spark plugs, especially during busy season. For guys like you who are comfortable opening an engine up, and know what to do once in there, it's a great deal for all involved.

The true mark of a great mechanic is one that you enter the shop and see and think what a mess.....tools lying around everywhere, but he needs a certain tool, he can easily find it in the mess.

I am very lucky at my mechanical skills. I was raised up around heavy equipment, racing dirtbikes, cars, and working on small engines. I can diagnose and almost fix anything mechanical and can diagnose most electrical problems. My dad didn't even have to inspire me to learn about the skill. I wanted to learn. Many times I've seen people trash good equipment with the simplest of problems. Many problems I've seen were "Had they only done proper maintenance." kind of things. When I was racing dirtbikes and cars, we worked on our own stuff. We had to. We couldn't afford to race otherwise. Most small engines are simple and if you do the simplest of maintenance work, most will last for years. Now when it comes to today's cars, the engines are the simple part. It's all the electronic crap that tells the engine what to do that's the headache. With all this EPA required junk nowadays, it makes things so much more complicated than it needs to be. And that's to include most current heavy equipment. Most current technicians can't diagnose what's wrong without a scanner and if the scanner doesn't tell them where to look, they're lost. It's sad that today's generation has lost so much basic knowledge and common sense.

On a lot of new "stuff" without being able to scan for error codes you will never be able to diagnose and properly troubleshoot it.
Been working on stuff for half a century and made a living carrying a toolbox for over 40 of it. The problem is usually not the scanner but people trying to out think things and won't follow a diagnostic flowchart

I can attest to shady repair people. I just stopped going any at all. found it cheaper to consult the interwebs and DIIY repairs. parts aren't that expensive anymore so a DIY repair is way better for me, I also like a few here have had equipment brought to me before it being junked, some I won some well lets just say challenging. I watch a YT guy James Croden, a little boring at times but he is thorough, I mean thorough, picked up a couple of his tricks as he himself has gotten better equipment. over time and a nicer shop layout.

CaptFerd said:

Welcome to the new generation of YouTube graduates. Yes, skip through a few videos from clown shows, old Couger flaunting her wrinkled cleavage or drunks in ye ole mower saloon and you become a professional at anything you desire.

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Sometimes those videos help refresh my memory on stuff I can do for myself. Nothing wrong with that.

Small engine or car mechanic, there are the truly great ones, those that dare I say have a great deal of common sense, (rare commodity these days), who can think, diagnose and repair. Who want to be paid a fair wage and earn a living as they should and well those, who either just want to rip people off, or who have no idea of what they are doing despite the certification on their wall

JD14SB said:

Friend has a Troy Bilt walk-behind Mower with a 6.75 Briggs Engine. The only way he could start it was using starting fluid. He took it to a Mower notable shop and they said the Carburetor is bad. They put on a new OEM carburetor. He got it back Home and it wouldn't start any better. He took it back and they said the Engine compression was low so it needs a short-block. They didn't offer any compensation for the previous repair. Before tossing it, he asked me to take a look and I found Auto-choke was holding the butterfly wide open when Engine cold. Removed the Engine shroud and discovered the plastic Vane for the Auto-Choke was warped causing it to hit the underside of the Shroud. I heated it up with a Torch and lowered it a bit. Put the shroud on and it moved freely. Now the Mower starts on the first pull. It seemed simple to me as I fixed it while he waited. I'm assuming the Repair Shop tested the Mower with the Shroud off?

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JD, I'm assuming the shop does not know wtf they are doing. Only taking peoples money. They can bend the auto-choke linkage when putting the shroud on.

Stealerships are all the same anymore. Doesn't matter if it's automobiles or outdoor equipment. It's cheaper and more profitable for them just to be parts replacers rather then actual mechanics. You have to avoid the stealership as much as possible.

This does not mean that independent small engine shops are always better. In my area they are also just parts replacers but they are cheaper than the stealershipa and less shady.

I try to fix my own when I can.

Tiger Small Engine said:

What normally happens with my customers is they don’t even try, or try very little to repair their equipment. They don’t fire the parts cannon, and neither do I.

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I read time after time where "I replaced this and that and also this and, yes, that part and my mower still will not start!
(out of gas) :-D