Another Day In The Life, Part 2.

So it was Friday.  The mower still wasn't starting.  But the battery was turning over the drive shaft like crazy.  It should have started.  I mean, all that happened was that it was running fine, ran out of gas and I refilled it.

I'm not a gas engine mechanic.  I know the theory better than the reality.  But theory helps.  I can do some simple things.  So after trying to start it again, I went for the basics.  I removed the air filter and beat the dust out of it.  I checked the oil (fine).  I checked the throttle to make sure it was working (it was).  I looked at the manual to see the things that would prevent the engine from starting (blade engaged, brake not on, no gas, spark plug wires firmly attached, etc).  None of those.  Mower just wouldn't start. 

I tried a trick I learned from a mechanic about spraying some carburator cleaner into the carburator and then trying to start the engine.  I saw some drops of gas spitting out of the top of the carburator.  No go.

It was hot and humid and I was getting pissed.  I went inside and made lunch and drank a lot of water.

Later I went back out and asked the mower why it wasn't starting.  I pulled the spark plugs.  They were fine.  Very clean.  No deposits or oil.  The gap looked right.  Put them back in.  I decided the carburator just wasn't getting gas. 

So I took off the gas cap and looked inside.  There was a BUNCH OF DEBRIS ON THE BOTTOM!  HUH?

So I figured I had to get that stuff out.  As far as I could tell, you can't remove the gas tank with out removing the engine and I sure wasn't going to do THAT!  Far beyond my skills.  I was about to try crushing an aquarium net to "fish" around in there to collect the debris, but I remembered a weird little "grabber" gadget I had for retrieving lost screws around engines and under tool benches. 

I grabbed onto the largest piece and pulled it out carefully.  It was a piece of gasket!  I looked at the gas cap and saw it matched a stud to hold the piece.  OMG!  The gas cap gasket broke and fell into the gas tank after I filled it the day before.

I took several more pieces out.  And, to my surprise, some of them were bits of leaves!  I can't figure out how THEY got in there.  Long story short, I removed a dozen bits of junk out of the gas tank. 

So the mower started right up after that, right?  Wrong!  But I'll say one thing for Walmart batteries; they keep chugging.  I got weird sounds, hisses, and a slight thunk.  And all of a sudden, it started.  I was not expecting that. 

And you better believe I drove it all around the yard for an hour mowing the last parts of the lawn short and recharging my brave little battery!  I even got all the grass clippings piled into two 3'wide rows.

That was so I could rake them into piles and cart them to my compost bins.  You can't lay down grass seed on clippings because the emerging roots need soil contact.  I collected 3 trash barrels full of grass clippings. 

Success sometimes comes hard.  A bit of knowledge, a bit of "just trying stuff", a bit of looking for the odd problem, and a bit of luck makes a difference.

Now all I have to is rough up the bare spots with a rake and spread the grass seed all over the lawn.  I have fescue grass here.  It clumps rather than spreads, so it needs to be reseed every few years to stay looking full.  But it is a vigorous grass.  Bluegrass would look nicer, but it gets too hot here and I don't get enough sunlight for it.  I spread a sun/shade mix of tall turf fescue when I renovate.

And I read up on the procedures each time I overseed, just to make sure I don't forget good hints.  Apparently, my experience is better than many internet sites, because you wouldn't believe some of the nonsense I read this week!

And THAT is tommorow's post...