Fixing A Mower That Won't Start, Toro

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Thanks for watching. This mower wouldn't start because the choke wasn't working. Fixing it wasn't too bad, unfortunately our luck finally ran out.

[@pit4955]

Your explanation and well thought out advice is superb. Yes time is money but with that also comes self satisfaction to see a job to its completion. Again great vid, thanks for sharing 👍

[@HomeGaragechannel]

well said! Don't worry the project continues on and hopefully i can find out why it's running this way .

[@jesterr7133]

My favorite is the Briggs 6.25hp engine. I have three mowers with that engine right now, and two of them are over 15 years old. They all run great, and those engines are super simple and easy to work on.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Nice, those are great engines

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

I don't know if I would take that carburator apart looks a little intimidating. But with this video and patience I think I could do it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I like your attitude

[@GrowingLittleCountryhomestead]

You always make it look so easy my friend! Thanks for the videos

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I try and thank you!

[@seanschuler1700]

I can’t wait to see the video on why it’s hiccuping and blowing black smoke. It’s more content I guess! Hope the video comes out soon

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I plan on it unless something else more intriguing or pressing shows up

[@tjclarke4604]

"I've started using other words to describe it". I love it. I know exactly what words you mean, I feel the same way. Kohler really should have stuck to making toilets and faucets. Good work as always. I just had one of these in the shop that was also missing the choke linkage. Not sure if they just fall off randomly or if it is a manufacturer oversight.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I know right, this is the first time I've seen it fall off and most times it's because someone took It off and didn't hook up the u shaped side correctly.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Not if I'd gone this far. Good fix on the choke and I liked the 301 cast iron 12 horse Kohlers but my pick is still the flathead Briggs. Happy weekend

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@HomeGaragechannel U 2!

[@robcole332]

Nice fabrication

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you!

[@mattwickert736]

You can use the other Kohler carb without the vacuum pump part and it would work. It was mostly designed to help smooth out the choke transition, although, I find the other choke sometimes takes FOREVER to open lol

[@HomeGaragechannel]

ah thank you for the bit of information

[@garyhiggins4333]

Great video 📹

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you Gary Higgins.

[@0852657luis]

I remember working on a carburetor that was severely water damaged that I had to get a new one

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Yes, If I find one of those now, I know better than to try and fix it.

[@MixingGBP]

Nice work on this one. Hey at 7:26 there is a screw with a Phillips drive and a bolt on the bottom. What is the function for that Phillips head screw? My carb has only one bolt on the bottom of it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you and the other bolt is used only as a bowl drain to remove fuel before storage or for flushing the debris out of it.

[@MixingGBP]

Ah, ok thanks.

[@liljoeii6091]

Thank you for the video

[@HomeGaragechannel]

You're welcome

[@ph1l-1]

Those Kohlers are my least favorite too.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I know right

[@ramadinsookhoo6141]

Hey bro what's up? Knowing you so far, my guess is that you'll continue investing your time and probably money into this mower to get it working properly again.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are correct

[@matthewwearsch242]

I have not had the pleasure of fixing that particular Kohler in the recycler yet I've had the old techumseh and I prefer the Briggs and Stratton.Yes I would fix it right because your already "balls deep" and they have fair resale value

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you got that right, I plan on continuing the repair

[@snoopysrc]

​@@HomeGaragechannel I don't agree with you the 91 is better then that 87 shit any good given day

[@HomeGaragechannel]

good.

[@TheKnowHowSisters]

Good evening I have been watching your videos and it has helped me on quite a few things but I have a Honda push mower that won’t keep the power. I changed the air filter and cleaned the carburetor. It will start but when I start mowing it stutters and then shuts off. Any suggestions?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks for watching I appreciate it. Is it a self propelled mower and if so, are you using it when you begin to mow? How tall is the grass and are you cutting it low? Thanks

[@TheKnowHowSisters]

@@HomeGaragechannel ​​⁠ yes it is self propelled and when I start it I start it on the concrete and let it run for a minute then start cutting. The grass I was cutting wasn’t too tall it was not tall but not short and I have it on high setting on my mower (tallest)

[@scottjohnson5449]

yes time is money but.... knowledge will make up for lost wages.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice one!

[@jesterr7133]

On the idle set screw, does it need to be tighter or looser to make the engine run faster?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

turn the screw clockwise, to make the engine run faster.

[@christophermarshall5765]

I would persist with it, and iron out the bugs I find. This is just me. I’m a retired auto engineer who has a lot of time on my hands to do this. That being said, I run my mowers out of fuel before storing them, and the oil is changed every 24 hours of running time. 10w30 oil is the recommended oil required for them.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you and yes I intend on continuing the repairs

[@williamwelch7]

Thanks. I guess this is turning into one of those 'in for a penny, in for a pound and a half' projects. Might as well finish it so you can sell it and get some money back. Maybe it would be worth storing until next spring, and maybe get top dollar for it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are correct and yes I intend on continuing the repairs. Thank you!

[@charlesduboise5198]

After putting that much work into it and it's still not working the way it is supposed to, I were fixing it for someone else and they were paying the bill , I would call them and tell them the problem and they would probably not want to send any more money on it and just get a new mower

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's very good advice

[@robertmailhos8159]

Auto choke issues 😮

[@HomeGaragechannel]

oiling issues

[@robertmailhos8159]

@@HomeGaragechannel ouch 😳 that is not a great thing

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

Why does the valves loosen up? Thanks Kyle

[@HomeGaragechannel]

If I had to guess, the valve seats start to build up with carbon, or the moving components start to wear.

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

@@HomeGaragechannel now if you change the oil every year would that help so you would not have to do that.

[@scottgibson807]

When I was a kid, our mower had a throttle which I have noticed have pretty much disappeared on modern gas mowers. It goes straight to full throttle which cannot be good for it. Would you agree? Have you seen reduced lifetime in modern engines in general?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes, if I had a mower with a throttle, I would let it warm up for a minute or 2 at low speed, before going full bore.

[@IvanOchoa461]

What do you prefer better, Briggs&Stratton or honda?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I prefer honda but the older briggs is a close second.

[@IvanOchoa461]

@@HomeGaragechannel in my opinion, I prefer the older Briggs engines for sure I feel like for Honda, parts are more expensive and harder to find

[@HomeGaragechannel]

hmmm.. . you must be looking at some very old honda engines then?

[@mikon3270]

Never came across a Kohler engine before but Tbh I would swap out this engine for a briggs. If you have some laying around swap it out. Keep the Kohler for parts.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's a really good idea!

[@jesterr7133]

Nope. Once I start a project, I have to see it through as long as it's repairable. That's my Achilles' Heel when it comes to projects, lol.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I like your way.

[@wangjohnson4531]

Hi there, been following you for a while now but haven’t really appeared much (I started watching since I was 12 Cus of the same line trimmer and now I’m 16) I have a husquvana 327ls straight shaft line trimmer and I have brought a new carb for the machine as it was running rough and didn’t want to buy a rebuild kit since it’s actually cheaper to get a aftermarket carb,but the default adjustments on the carb was set to the most seated position and the machine is not starting at all now. Is there anyway I could set it to the factory setting to at least get it running properly before fine tuning the carb (including the idle screw as well if you can)? Is there a set position for factory setting? (I’ve tried to set it to 1 1/2 turns for both h and l screw and the idle screw was just left there but is still not running well). Thank you and congrats on almost 100k!❤❤

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks and unfortunately because it's an aftermarket carb, the factory setting may not apply to it. I'd recommend getting another carb but a different vendor, and this time try getting one that's a bit more expensive

[@wangjohnson4531]

@@HomeGaragechannel I also have the original one that has its diaphragm replaced that is ready to go onto the machine which also needs to be reset. Would it be possible to find the setting online? (tried but haven't seen one) thanks!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you might find the setting from a thread on a message board but as far as I know there are no official postings for the stock settings.

[@deebee3901]

I wonder what happened to it?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

not sure, it started to blow oil out the emission hose. I'll have to dive into the engine to find out.

[@Colton-fv4gh]

Where do you get your weed Wacker

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I get my used from Craigslist or FB marketplace

[@mjg263]

I’m not a big fan of these engines either, least of all this version. I’d keep working on it but some Kohlers just don’t run smoothly no matter what you do.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

don't worry, I plan on basically taking it apart to find out the problem.

[@owenrobertson-n6o]

I would trash the engine and keep the deck and do an engine swap. Kohler engines are not the greatest and are known for leaking oil (as you probably already know)

[@HomeGaragechannel]

very good option!

[@dfields9511]

yah I hate that carb. their is 1 that is worse and that is rare and made by Tecumseh , called the Vector Carb you don't fix those you replace them.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I know right!