Export thread

Ive fixed so many push mowers, this one, no.
It's the stupidestly-built push mower I ever worked on...

-It had a broken flywheel key which I replaced.
-it gets a nice blue spark.
-The piston does move up and down, so the crank shaft must not be broken. I sprayed starter fluid in the piston after lowering it so the fluid would be in the combustion chamber. I sprayed starter fluid in the air intake after removing the air filter.
-I cleaned the carb like new.
-I tried cleaning the muffler I read might help, but there's nothing to really clean and I can't break it open and put it back together which I dont think would even help.
-the blade is on (because I have tried to fix a mower before without a blade not knowing it would never start without a blade).
-the gas and oil are changed and fresh. I picked this mower out of someone's bulk pick up.

I had a mower that the only way to get it to run was adjusting the govenor screw, but this one is a different design I'm not sure if adjusting it will even make it run.

Only thing I noticed was that on the carb, there's that little channel in the gasket that allows a small amount of gas to enter the carb from the primer bulb. well this had an embossed side of the gasket and also a clear plastic film that I'm guessing the plastic film contained the gas stream from the primer bulb. When I took the carb out to clean it, this plastic sheet was basically fully deteriorated, so I threw it out. but I'm hoping the embossed part on the black gasket itself is enough to allow the primer bulb's stream to enter the car, but still, I think it should have started with starter fluid in the piston chamber anyway, so I'm not sure if this clear plastic carb gasket is necessary to get it to start. I'd probably be better off selling it as is or scraping it instead of buying a 30$ gasket.

I'll upload the make and model shortly. It's about a 2001 model I guess.

any suggestions? thank you.

Read more: push mower won't start after many potential fixes - DoItYourself.com Community Forums

You've probably gotten many engines to start with starter fluid but there is a problem with that. For combustion there is a correct air to fuel ratio. Did you get the right squirt? Maybe, maybe not. A better method, in my opinion, is to put a teaspoon of gas in the carb throat and allow the vacuum to pull the gas air mixture in on the intake stroke.

Check the compression and timing simultaneously by placing your finger over the plug hole while grounding the plug and watching for spark. If the compression is sufficient to start you won't be able to hold your finger on the hole and if the timing is correct you'll see spark at the same time you finger is blown from the hole. Unless you are really good at this procedure you'll need a helper to crank.

thanks man, but I think I'm giving up on this one, selling it as is for like $20 hopefully instead of potentially $100 if it ran. I don't know what you mean by teaspoon of gas in the carb throat. And I have no idea how to make sure the spark is in synch with the combustion chamber (I could check it like you said, but if it's off, I don't know how to adjust it since the magneto can only be in one place and same with the flywheel magnets due to the flywheel key.