This happens often. Sometimes your mower will start and run again and sometimes it won't. When it doesn't run it's because your timing is off, caused by a dented or sheared key. To replace remove top cover to engine, and any other side attachments, this should expose the flywheel. Remove the top bolt and look between flywheel and top of crankshaft, you will see a small square notch. This is where the shear key is placed. Remove the flywheel and replace the shear key. Replace all parts in reverse order and you should be mowing again. GOOD LUCK.
This problem is usually caused by the diaphragm unit needing replaced underneath the carburetor. I'm guessing you have the Briggs engine with the (plastic) carb directly on top of the gas tank and no float bowl on the carb. You remove the tank and carb as one unit (being careful to note the spring/linkage hookups). Then remove the 5 screws that hold the carb to the tank. Then remove the gasket and diaphragm that is between the two. The replacement kit will cost you about $4 USD. Be careful! there is also a spring under there. Don't lose it and make a note of it's placement. A pinhole or a weak diaphragm is usually what makes these engines 'surge'. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.If you decide to do this repair yourself, be sure to clean all the little holes and indents and the carb itself with carb cleaner too, but don't spray it on the gaskets. James
Make sure you have installed the blade on the right way, if it is installed upside down then it will "beat" the grass instead of cutting it and make a terrible cut, also make sure the blade is good and sharp.
The rough running may be due to trash in your carburetor, I would advise to clean your carburetor and also check you fuel tank for trash, water,etc. if there is any trash,water,etc in there then you need to also clean the fuel tank.
Do one more thing and check/clean/replace your fuel filter if you have one.
Please take time to rate me
If you are sure the oil level is correct then it sounds like it's about to die, unfortunately. A pine cone shouldn't cause any damage, but a large branch may do so. Was it smoking before you shut it down? The vibration could be caused from a bent blade. It could also be caused from a part breaking in the motor. I wish I could have given you better news!
Good Luck,
Jim
Over 90 percent of the problems are caused by a carburetor that needs a good cleaning. The new ethanol gas cannot sit in the carb or it gets clogged. If you do not know how to do it, then it's better left to a professional, due to the tiny parts when you take it apart. There are many Youtube "how-to" videos if you want to do it yourself. I believe the Poulan's use a standard Briggs and Stratton engine and once you do one carb successfully, you'll soon be a pro, if you're so inclined. I was afraid of them when I started and now I'm paying my bills doing them in my sleep. Best of luck to you. Here's a link to a basic carb rebuild video on an older Briggs engine. They're all a bit different, but the basics are the same: Best of luck to you. James.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArCAivgAyww
have you checked the oil and fuel. taken anything apart to see if its clogged. cleaned blades and shroud out? how does the pull cord look/feel normal, loose, etc. ? how long has this been happening? how long have you had the mower. how does it sound, normal, odd?
Maybe you turned it too far and the oil went into the carburetor and air filter. Check the air filter, change if oily. If still having difficulty you are going to have to drain the carburetor, if separate from tank (remember to clamp off fuel line). If carburetor on the tank, or is still only running at idle, may have to clean the carb. If on tank, check fuel in tank for oil.
The best way i found is to twist counter clock wise a dozen turns,hold the spool with vise grips,feed the roop through all holes you need to go through, into the reel knot, i burn the knot, keeps it from slipping out,then slowly let the spring bring the slak in when i release the vise grips!
If you used old fuel that could be the problem. Today's fuel with ethanol goes bad in about a month, the volitiles have evaporated away and what is left does not combust so easily. If you used old fuel you will need to empty the old fuel out into a container and you will need to get new fuel for it. If it has a float carburetor then you will need to drain it also before you put new fuel in tank.
If you do not know what I mean or how to do it, reply with the make and model number of the engine and I will look it up to see what you have and give you the right directions from there.
Check that you haven't the throttle control in the start position. Some mowers have a position on the control which turns on the choke and you have to move the lever to the run position for normal use. Check the spark plug cable is pushed fully onto the plug. The float valve in the float bowl may not be allowing fuel to flow freely into the bowl. Remove the bowl while holding a container underneath it to collect the fuel. The float bowl works like a toilet cistern and the flow stops when the float rises upwards on the fuel in the bowl. Check the fuel is running ok.
You can check for spark by removing the spark plug, reattaching the plug wire and grounding the plug to the head and having someone pull the starter while watching the plug. The start position on the throttle cable actuates the choke on the carb, which is pretty important for a mower with a throttle cable in order to get it to start. Get the model number off the back of the mower and take it to a small engine repair parts shop.
Near the back of your mower deck should be a label with your make and model number. Record these and search "poulan parts" and go to a website that will allow you to enter that information. You should be able to view an illustrated parts drawing for your mower and then when you look at it find the missing part. Take the number that is on the drawing for the part and go to the table to the right and look that number up and you will find a name for the part and its part number. You should be able to order the part.
Also, if you are not comfortable with that, you can take the make and model number to the local lawn mower repair parts shop and they can look it up. They would be looking at the same drawings that you would using the above method. They should have no problem ordering the appropriate parts for you.
Sounds like you have dirt/debris in your caburetor jets,fuel passages or a diaphgram that is becoming non-flexible. Check/Clean/Replace your Air Filter, a dirty air filter can make your engine run to rich with fuel.
Note: ALWAYS USE COMPRESSED AIR TO CLEAN YOUR JETS AND PASSAGES, VERY IMPORTANT.
Note:Before you disassemble the carburetor: Mark each piece with a awl, or some kind of instrument that will make an alignment scratch before you disassemble the carburetor into separate pieces. That way you will know which way it goes back together when you reassemble it.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or by using starting fluid and letting it run a few times like that, and it will flush the gunk out of the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor. Be sure to check your fuel tank for water and dirt/debris, if there is water/debris then you need to clean your tank. Check you fuel line condition after a while they will degrade and need replacment.
Check/Clean/Replace your fuel filter if you have one. Make sure you are using fresh fuel.
If the mower/weedeater is over a couple of years old, then I recommend that you buy and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard and that will cause it to be hard to crank. The diaphgram may look good and flexible, but it can be deceiving and not act as a fuel pump as it should because it has become too hard and will cause hard starting,start and run and shut off, etc.
When you clean your carburetor, I recommend that you use a laquer thinner type cleaner to clean and dissolve the laquer build-up in the float and needle jet passages. Be sure to remove all plastic and rubber parts before using the laquer thinner because it can dissolve the plastic parts and render them unuseable. Be sure to use COMPRESSED AIR to blow out all the fuel and air passages.The higher air pressure is needed to blow some of the trash/debris from the fuel or air passages. Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages. Keep in mind that the float (if you have one) for the carburetor must be level when you go to reassemble the carburetor or follow the instructions you get with the carburetor kit, or you could also ask the parts man that you get your kit from. When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need to lightly seat the jet screws. But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes to seat the jet screws from their original position. Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper. That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first and then turn them back out to their original position before you started.
Free answer...Please take time to rate me
There is probably debris that made it through the gas cap and into the
tank, and is now clogging the fuel pickup tube. Had this something
similar
with a Poulan after my first use. Use a suction bulb or
vacuum tester to
draw contaminated gas out of tank, and rubber band a coffee filter over
the cap in the future. You may have to slosh the fuel around, and
perform this a couple of times on subsequent uses to get it all out. May
want to clean the spark plug with a wire brush to get rid of the carbon
deposit that has accumulated. DO NOT put a piece of coffee filter under
the cap
above the cardboard, it will get splashed with gas and stall the
engine. Trust me on this one. After I performed this repair, the mower
cut like a champ again, and the fuel consumption dropped in line with
the old mower.
There is probably debris that made it through the gas cap and into the
tank, and is now clogging the fuel pickup tube. Had this something similar
with a Poulan on my first use. The carburetor will run the engine rich trying to make up for the artificial restriction. Use a suction bulb or vacuum tester to
draw contaminated gas out of tank, and rubber band a coffee filter over
the cap in the future. You may have to slosh the fuel around, and perform this a couple of times on subsequent uses to get it all out. May want to clean the spark plug with a wire brush to get rid of the carbon deposit that has accumulated. DO NOT put a piece of coffee filter under the cap
above the cardboard, it will get splashed with gas and stall the
engine. Trust me on this one. After I performed this repair, the mower
cut like a champ again, and the fuel consumption dropped in line with the old mower.
There is probably debris that made it through the gas cap and into the
tank, and is now clogging the fuel pickup tube. Had this same problem
with a Poulan on my first use. Use a suction bulb or vacuum tester to
draw contaminated gas out of tank, and rubber band a coffee filter over
the cap in the future. DO NOT put a piece of coffee filter under the cap
above the cardboard, it will get splashed with gas and stall the
engine. Trust me on this one. After I performed this repair, the mower
cut like a champ again.
