won't start

[kama]

my honda lawn bot won't start, I've replaced the plug and gas. it turns over but I just can't get it to fire. what am I not doing?

 

[Lawnranger]

You may already know this but for an engine to start and operate properly it needs the right amount of fuel, the right amount of air, compression and spark at the right time. From my experience most no-start conditions are fuel related and usually gasoline from last year was the culprit. You need to perform a few diagnostic checks to determine what part of the equation is missing. Spray a little carburetor cleaner in the carburetor and try to start the engine. If the engine runs for a second or two and then dies after spraying a little carburetor cleaner in the carburetor, this indicates that the engine is not getting fuel. One of the most likely reasons the engine is not getting fuel is that the carburetor jets are plugged and the entire carburetor needs to be cleaned.

Check for spark using an approved spark checker. Does the coil produce a blue spark?

After cranking the engine several times, is the new spark plug wet with fuel? If so, then the engine is getting fuel but no spark.

Is the air filter completely plugged with debris?

Check the above, report back with your findings and we'll go from there.

Good luck

 

[kama]

so I understand what your saying, not so sure about spark testing. I'm not a mechanic, also I'm not really sure where one would find the coil? i haven't gone out yet to check out the rest of it yet but will do tomorrow. if turns out to be not so simple I'll have to take it to someone who can rip it apart I think. more because I don't want to rip it apart for fear of not being able to put it back togeather properly. it's not old gas I just put new stuff in so that's off the list. so is the air filter it's clean.

 

[DaveTN]

With all this plastic on mowers it's sometimes difficult to get a good ground to the engine block to check for spark. Take a piece of wire and wrap around the base of the removed spark plug. Take the other end and clamp or hold it to the engine block someplace , say the cooling fins, or a bolt. Then lay the spark plug where you can see it in a shaded position so you can see the spark. Some sparks are difficult to see in broad daylight. You can pull it over and see if there's a spark. That's a cheap spark tester and works. Just leave enough copper wire to wrap around the threads and twist together for a tight connection. Could use an alligator clip on the other end to clamp to the cooling fins for instance. The long wire lets ME put the spark plug where I want it in order to check fire. Hope this helps

 

[Lawnranger]

so I understand what your saying, not so sure about spark testing. I'm not a mechanic, also I'm not really sure where one would find the coil? i haven't gone out yet to check out the rest of it yet but will do tomorrow. if turns out to be not so simple I'll have to take it to someone who can rip it apart I think. more because I don't want to rip it apart for fear of not being able to put it back togeather properly. it's not old gas I just put new stuff in so that's off the list. so is the air filter it's clean.

Probably the simplest way to learn how to check for spark is to search Youtube and watch as many different videos until you think you can duplicate what you've seen. You can make a simple spark checker from an old, working spark plug by clipping off the side electrode and that makes the gap much larger which makes a larger, more audible spark. You can also watch more videos on how to repair the problem you are describing. It comes down to this: you either pay someone to fix your mower or you pay yourself and what I mean is that if you decide to pay yourself you will have to invest some time to learn the subject and possibly some money for tools but once you do, you will not have to keep paying someone else when another problem arises. My advice is to get more educated on your particular mower and learn to fix it yourself but if you don't mind paying someone else you can do that, too.

Do yourself a favor and watch as many different videos (already stated) so you can see the same thing from different perspectives. As far as your fear of not getting it back together properly goes, lawnmowers are among the simpler machines out there but get your digital camera out and start taking pictures of everything and you may even want to draw a diagram or two of linkage and parts of that sort. Lay out the removed parts in a logical order and be aware that bolts of the same thread pitch & diameter can be a different length. I had a honda with the coil bolts of different length and they could be installed in either place - just be aware of what you are doing and document what you do. If you get into trouble just ask questions until you get it fixed.

 

[robert@honda]

it's not old gas I just put new stuff in so that's off the list. so is the air filter it's clean.

That's good, but there might have been some old fuel leftover still in the carburetor; this is where old fuel can cause problems, debris and slime can form inside the carburetor, causing it not to work properly. The fix is either to replace the carb completely or tear it apart and clean it, install new gaskets, etc. Sometimes, depending on the engine, it's cheaper to just replace the carb. Suggest you get it to a dealer to confirm the actual problem, and they can give you a good estimate of what it will take to make it right.

I'm sure the situation with dealers in Canada is the same as it is here; they are VERY busy this time of year, and most have dozens of other mowers waiting for repair in front of yours. Please be patient; a good dealer will do a good job right the first time.

 

[SONOFADOCKER]

Went on a house call for NO START on the push mower - sandwich bag full of chopped up leafs in the air breather .... No engine will start without AIR.