Fixing A Yard Machines Mower That's Hard To Start When Hot

[@richardtaylor9798]

You did the right thing by fixing the problem. Mechanical problems don’t fix themselves they just get worse. The next owner won’t have to worry about this problem for a while!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you I appreciate that a lot

[@Idkx2ummm]

@@HomeGaragechannel you’re welcome 😊

[@mr1pearl]

I just recently learned how to adjust valves and did alright didn't know the engine heated up that much good to know !

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you !

[@999thenewman]

Love it when the work is simple. Good job. 💯

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you I appreciate it

[@jameshedrick605]

I recently started using NGK plugs in all my small engines except my generator. Changed the plug in it last year

[@HomeGaragechannel]

NGK makes a great spark plug!

[@posadist681]

Thanks I will try those plugs. Also I love your channel

[@Shawnee.Hills.Small.Engine]

These are so easy to sell. Great job on solving the issue.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Yes they are, hope to have it sold soon

[@hickorystx]

You did just as I would have done. Nice work, as usual!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks again!

[@mikon3270]

This was great knowledge for me. Just incase I ever run into something similar.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hickorystx]

Thanks!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you so much for the Super Thanks! I appreciate it a lot!

[@Willy7212]

Prevented maintanence is the way to go. You did the right thing for sure. Cheers.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for seeing it that way

[@williamsnow1531]

You done what should of been done. Good work!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you William Snow

[@jdrs4214]

I think you did a hell of a spectacular Job Señor. ……and you are so lucky, because that mower looked brand spanking new!!!! I’m having the same issues with my Craftsman M310 with a Briggs & Stratton mower with a collection bag (Hard to start while hot) First, I’m gonna get the basics out of the way, and throw some brand new common parts to it. Filter, Speak plug, oil change, cleaning the engine nooks & crannies with with shop air, cleaning the carburetor & fuel tank, and replacing its existing fuel with ethanol free fuel from a tin. If none of the basic jazz works, then I’ll look into opening the valve chamber, like you. I’m gonna have to buy a feeler gauge tool tho, and find the specs for the plug and valve clearance business. Thank you for sharing this.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

no problem and good luck with your project

[@frostieone]

Good clear explanation! The mower was worth saving! Thanks Ken

[@HomeGaragechannel]

You bet and thank you!

[@freddieagnir3138]

Definitely did the right thing. Now I’m going to do the same thing.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks and good luck to you

[@ChuckyandHelenshow]

yesterday I was cutting grass and I was mowing near the fence and I saw three lawnmowers. I didn’t know which kind of brand they were so I asked them about it and they said that only one of them works so I opened their back gate and I saw four lawnmowers. One of them was a Honda hex 217. In the other room was pretty rare to find, and it was a Murray craftsman, but inside the pool rope being on the side, it was in the middle, and then the other lawnmower was a Troy built with a Briggs flathead and the other one was a yard machines with the newer Briggs engine do you have any advice on fixing them?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

sure, go thru my videos, find a video that looks like the mower you're going to work on, and follow along.

[@ChuckyandHelenshow]

@@HomeGaragechannel Will do. Thanks for the advice.

[@EastinColl]

Good video. So many people throw mowers out because of a simple out of adjustment valve. Hey, more money for us.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you got that right

[@zinnstigertownmowers780]

Got a similar mower out back. It'd a bolens needing w cable a blade sharpen probably a carb clean and oil change

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I hope you can get it going

[@sleve_mcdichael_]

I bought my mom a push mower with the same engine. It's a great mower but I am not a fan of the air filter. It's a redesign that causes it clogs easily in my opinion. If you overfill the fuel, it will run down onto the filter housing and get on the filter resulting in a hard start until you let the filter dry out. Great mower, I would just rather have the foam filter.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it's not the best but for the price range it's in, it's makes sense

[@Differentthings2006]

I think you did a great job, explaining the issue and the possible causes. I don't think it was petty to adjust the valves and check things.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I see your point

[@Turningwrenches85]

Got that going on with another mower but has other issues but i didnt set the valve at .005 but have to go back over it again since it is doing basically the same thing

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's a good idea.

[@davidcoudriet8439]

That looks new, or darn close to it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it does doesn't it!

[@snoopysrc]

​@HomeGaragechannel is looks like a 2019 model mtd mower

[@lewiemcneely9143]

A fix is a fix but I thought it was going to be something worse like the thermostat coming loose from the choke or something like that and it loading up. Sounded like it was running better after you set the valve anyway. Happy weekend!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you , and yes, i was hoping it was be something a bit easier to do as well.

[@jr-pl9kj]

with these cheap mower decks with this wheel adjustment method, its always a good idea to add large metal washers on the inside and outside of the deck this prevents that flimsiness and bowing out of the wheels.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for the tip

[@tdumford1]

5 mowers brought in this week alone, 3 of them with the older flat head briggs engines and stuck closed chokes.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Nice start to the season!

[@jct300m]

Nice fix!!!!!!!!!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you

[@sarnold1277]

You did the right thing.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you

[@Fix_the_mess.]

do you think is the gap on the rocker arm was to lose what will happen?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

not much will happen if the gap is a little "looser" than normal. However if the clearances get well over 0.020" things will go south pretty quickly. First the rope will be tough to pull and second it should put quite a load on the engine even at idle

[@kirbyvanduzer6565]

Even small problems can become serious eventually I want my machines to run at their best even small problems would irritate me too so your not alone in that situation including when you are selling it you don’t want to sell a machine and then it gives the person problems then you would get a bad review if it runs at its best then the owner who buys it will give you a good review and then they will recommend you then more people will buy you projects it’s always good to make sure it’s at its best

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Very well said, thanks for seeing it that way.

[@stephenkippen3558]

What courses a pull cord to ding when a lawnmower is running... thanks

[@HomeGaragechannel]

most times, the handle moves a bit, causing the pull rope to move with it. The recoil is trying to partially work when this happens and the pawls are hitting the starter cup.

[@liljoeii6091]

THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO

[@HomeGaragechannel]

anytime

[@thisnamebegreat]

When you're dipping the engine for oil, I'm pretty sure all briggs and stratton engines say to not screw in the dip stick to get the level, just dip it and pull it out. Some bigger engines have that written on the stick.

[@sleve_mcdichael_]

Briggs and Stratton lists on their site "To ensure an accurate reading, reinsert the dipstick completely. If the dipstick cap is a screw-in type, ensure an accurate reading by screwing in all the way before removing it to check the level." Some are like that though. Usually, I've noticed Hondas. But it is something to look out for sure.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I'm sure on Briggs it say to seat the dipstick all the way in.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for the information

[@georgenovotny4421]

This name egret, you are dead wrong! Lol

[@applianceman6009]

How can I test the health of the engine on my mower? I got my uncle’s 25 year old Toro Recycler with a 6 hp Briggs motor.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

sure, get a compression tester and install it into the spark plug opening. Remove the recoil assembly to get access to the nut for the starter cup. Then clamp down the brake handle and then turn the engine with a drill and see what kind of reading you get.

[@jerrygillette854]

Its been my experience and training, that valve adjustment should be done on a "cold" engine. Not one that's hot. This was an inforative video.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks, but have you tried it before. If not, you're going to be surprised by the results.

[@ADro-automation]

Good to know

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you

[@badbob]

Nice job. I would have done the same thing.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Right on

[@JCT442]

Might have went for the coil as part of troubleshoot.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are correct, bad coils can certainly act this way

[@jibnerjuarez4288]

I picked the same model on the app free and posted for 100 usually in the weekend it sells

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Hey nice work!

[@Ethan_the_Railfan]

Hey man. I was wondering, I saw a video about one of your weed eater trimmers and I can’t remember the name of the video. All I can remember is that it had really high compression of 175 psi. Do you happen to recognize what video that was?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

man you're asking the impossible, I've must have made over a hundred trimmer videos between both channels in the last 6 years. I couldn't tell you which one you're referring to.

[@Ethan_the_Railfan]

@@HomeGaragechannel ok. Thank you though. And keep up your hard work!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you and I will.

[@jeffgibson184]

🇺🇸👍 You should always do the very best you can do it reflects on yourself 👍

[@HomeGaragechannel]

agreed!

[@welcomeherelena]

Hello!😊Have a nice weekend! How is it going? Great channel and nice videos.👍299👈

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks and welcome, going good so far here.

[@Idkx2ummm]

4:05 maybe that’s why my pressure washer rope gets yanked out of my hand I thought it was just because I was old😅

[@HomeGaragechannel]

LOL!!!

[@libraeotequever3pointoh95]

Glad the valve cover dent could be fixed. That explained the valve being out-of-specification, eh? :-) I wonder how it got dented in the first place? :-)

[@HomeGaragechannel]

unfortunately the clearance work themselves out of tolerance

[@MazichMusic]

It's no fun having the pull cord whacked out of your hand. You did the right thing by adjusting the valve lash.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you, I appreciate it.

[@markf6743]

Thank you for this video! However, I have been unable to properly diagnose my similar problem after much effort - gets spark, gets fuel, good spark plug, good coil, etc. After researching all the KZbin videos describing similar problems, I have found one commonality. Most are troubleshooting mowers with Briggs & Stratton motors. I hate the thought of dropping another wad of cash, but I hope to lower my future life cycle costs by staying away from these motors.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I agree, pick an engine brand you like and stick with it

[@ibswin3744]

You dont need to check the gap on spark plug as long as its not touching the electrode or sticking out far enough to hit the piston it should be fine but you can if you want to just saying 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for the tip

[@cptyler150]

Test compression and adjust valves

[@HomeGaragechannel]

great idea

[@circlepfarm9729]

Why was it sitting by the side of the road?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

they were clearing space up by the looks of the stuff that was there with it.

[@philliphall5198]

I call theses grave mowers because there light and easy to load to take to cemetery

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice description

[@owenrobertson-n6o]

Haven’t you fixed a couple of these on the channel before?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

probably about a dozen and some on the other channel too. They made tens of thousands of these.

[@owenrobertson-n6o]

I have seen a couple on Facebook market place in Abbotsford too

[@WJCTechyman]

Dirt cheap engines. I guess that's why a lot of budget machines still use Briggs. Although I find it funny that on some of its premium, top of the line or commercial machines Briggs companies use Honda like Snapper and Ferris, unless a Vanguard fits those machines which is unlikely for the size of the machines there like a Ferris 32" FW15 and the Snapper Ninja commercial 21" walk behinds. That's gotta say something about a company that claims 9/10 brands use B and S engines, even if a good number of those companies are actually owned by Briggs. I mean, Murray, Snapper, Ferris, Simpicity, Billy Goat....you get the idea.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for sharing that information. I'm sure they have their reasons for choosing the engines they do

[@christophermarshall5765]

I would have gone through it like a fine tooth comb.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

great choice!

[@rickthelian2215]

Would of did the same😀

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I knew you would!

[@JosephLarosa-u8u]

Don't need 91 octane fuel

[@HomeGaragechannel]

no you don't

[@dfields9511]

Those 125cc have their problems. The 140cc or bigger is better

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I agree

[@RussellBooth1977]

No I don't think that you went too far because you didn't fire the parts cannon to fix the problem. It's like some people are wondering why I'm not marrying a woman whose a Green sort of them in my local area, last year I replaced the starter motor solenoid in my car because I had a slow cranking issue with my car when the engine was hot. I have a battery load tester which I tested the battery with & it passed with flying colours so when I did an oil change I gave the starter motor cable on the solenoid a wiggle & sure enough,it was loose. While tightening the nut on the solenoid fixed the problem it was only temporary so I thought,oh bugger it & I bought a new solenoid for the not very old starter motor,once I replaced it, that fixed the problem. Now a woman who I went to school with walked into my local post office which I do a bit of business with & blew up at the staff there asking "why didn't he replace the battery ?" So she's wondering why I'm not working for their people & I think that I have pissed her off when she's a woman who has used a lot of guys, had a lot of children to them, she's used all of those guys because she has collected child support payments off them & she has earned herself the reputation of being a prostitute in her local area which is about 20 kilometres or 13 miles or so away from my nearest local town. So she is after a man who will fire the parts cannon & she came into that town just because she's very angry with me, apparently I don't marry one of them whose 45 years old or even a 25 years old Low whose like that !

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I like the way you put that

[@jamespritchett1886]

Absolutely not super job well done. About $150.00 worth

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you!

[@naziahafiz6653]

1

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks

[@BruselskySluzebnik]

Lol, this is reason why Honda is best, B&S lawn movers falls apart after 5 years and looks like Chinese snails.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

LOL!!

[@libraeotequever3pointoh95]

I'm thinking that denting the valve cover isn't quite "normal use" or "normal wear & tear". Possibly an accident. Oh well. Given the cost of a repair at a small-engine repair shop versus the cost of a new mower with the same capabilities, the original owner probably did the math and chose the path of least resistance and greatest peace of mind (especially if they're not "mechanically inclined", eh?). That said, as this video demonstrated, a little mechanical know-how enabled someone to trash-pick and repair this mower for future use. Personally, I have a Walmart variation on the theme of 20" simple lawnmowers (the Hyper-Tough, with adjustable wheels) purchased new for $149.99 dollars a few years ago that is still going strong. The only upgrade I've done is to replace the OEM blade with a high-lift blade. Made a nice difference (improved air-flow under the mowing-deck and smoother engine operation). Annual oil changes, air-filter and spark-plug replacement and stabilized gasoline are part of my routine. I feel they're a decent value.