Guaranteed to Start - Toro Recycler Repair

I recently picked up two generators and a lawn mower for $100 each. According to the seller, they should run with a little TLC. The price was right and others were lined to buy the equipment behind me. The generators have been repaired without too much effort. Will I make out as well on the Toro Recycler Lawn Mower? Lets find out.
Part 1: (Honda EU2000i): • Honda EU2000 Inverter ...
Part 2: (Ridgid RD903600): • Rusted Ridgid Generato...
Part 3: (Toro Recycler 20378): (this video)
Toro Mower Model: 20378
Kohler Engine Model: PH-XTX675-3013
Belt: Toro 117-1018
Deflector: Toro 115-8449
Discharge Chute: 115-8447
I no longer use Harbor Freight Super Heavy Duty Degreaser in my ultrasonic cleaner. Harbor Freight changed the recipe. The bottle previously stated "NON-CORROSIVE". Now it says "CORROSIVE", "do not user on Aluminum". It now damages most carburetors. Recently I have been using Simple Green PRO HD with good results.
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#Toro #Kohler #SmallEngineRepair #SmallEngine #DIY #Fixed #Troubleshooting #HowTo
Backfiring, Balance Blade, Belt Fell of Pulley, Blade Adapter, Damaged Blade Adapter, Damaged Key, Deflector, Discharge Chute, Drive Belt, Drive Wheels Not Working, Fixed, How To, How-To, Kohler, Rear Baffle, Recycler, Repair, Sharpen Blade, Shredded Belt, Small Engine, Stays Running, Troubleshooting, Won't Shut Down

[@thomasszilagyi7445]

I went out for my usual jog, and there on the side of the road was this exact mower. The homeowner was out and I asked if it was for trash. She said it won't start and I am welcome to it. I interrupted my run to wheel it home. (I probably looked hilarious walking down the road pushing a mower). The air filter was the factory filter and was never changed, No air was getting into the engine. It had been outside. The blade was trash, so i bought a new blade, a new drive belt for the front wheels was needed, a new coil (the old one was really rusty and terrible), and a new carb (again a lot of rust in the bowl). Nice mower. Very powerful, goes through thick grass with ease. And, as usual, I still learned something new watching a James Condon video. 👍 thank you!

[@geoffmolyneux9173]

Just come to Canada. Everybody has a Robertson square drive in their tool box. Green #1 for #6 machine screws, Red #2 for #8/#10 machine screws, and #3 black for larger Machine screws. Some people even have a #0 yellow one for really tiny square drive heads. The Robertson does not cam out very easily, it will hold the screw on bit while getting the screw into the hole. Long live the Canadian Robertson Screwdriver.

[@WJCTechyman]

Some Americans would have seen Robertson drive screws before, it's on NEMA electrical sockets and switches throughout North America. They wouldn't know it was Robertson because for some reason they call it Square.

[@gjohnston281]

Robertson is the best 👍

[@jcondon1]

First time I have seen is used on power equipment.

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

I have Robertson, JIS, MorTorx, Tri-Wing, whatever you want.

[@geoffmolyneux9173]

You should check where the Toro lawnmower was built. If it was from Canada, then there is your answer why you have Robertson on it. When I use to work for a sawmill machinery supplier, we would have to supply a Robertson screwdriver set so maintenance personnel in the USA could get into the electrical boxes.

[@andrewwalsh531]

I don't know what I find more engaging....watching the videos or reading the comment section afterwards....either way great stuff!

[@johncourtneidge]

Yes!

[@ansia8785]

Man! Seeing that RadioShack logo on that multimeter brought back memories. I miss that store. It was my Toys-R-US.

[@jcondon1]

Two of my favorite stores

[@robertcochran7103]

I too have a Radio Shack multimeter, although a quite small one.

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

I too was sceptical about that "start first time" claim, but it's both amusing and satisfying that it turned out to be true. It's also satisfying to see that all that mower needed was a little care and attention, and a few relatively cheap parts. As Bob Cratchit said to his wife after tasting the Christmas dinner: "Another triumph!" 😆

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

You can't win them all but you saved one from the scrap yard! Thanks Jim!

[@frankwrogg2515]

Something satisfying about mowing with a push mower, even better self-propelled. Maybe just childhood memories of mowing on a saturday and then watching scobby do and Johnny Quest. 😊😊

[@evilredBoris]

Sin sin salabim

[@YukonHawk1]

Definitely!

[@kellyleathers8806]

Yes I remember those days…

[@alfredocuomo1546]

Don't you mean Johnny Quest & Space Ghost or Mighty Mouse? Lol Either way those really were the good old days but we just didn't know it.

[@coltsjason]

Yeah didn't know what a riding mower was from about the time I was 9 till I went in the Navy mowed my parents grass every Saturday

[@bitsurfr46]

He repairs these machines with all the care and precision that a surgeon uses with human flesh.😂

[@P_RO_]

@@lauriekittle9459 Glad you said this so I didn't have to. My first surgeon made a mistake which has caused me a life of suffering, and needed a corrective surgery done three days after I got out of the hospital so it didn't kill me.

[@boondocker7964]

@@P_RO_ One more reason to try to avoid anything to do with any surgeries, if at all possible.

[@HDKoolKilla]

I’m must be getting old because I enjoy these videos

[@alfredocuomo1546]

Na. it's just a guy thing that women never understand. Lol

[@dogdue4588]

😮

[@PatrickFaricy]

You made me laugh in another of your videos James. When replacing the side discharge cover and you put up the text on the screen that said, "hammer is 3 feet away." It is nice to know that I am not the only one who has issues like this. lol

[@generessler6282]

Great that you caught and fixed that hub problem. 👌 The thought of a blade coming off and going in search of its destiny is truly scary.

[@sgtbrown4273]

They seem to always find their destiny in my neighbors window's 😂

[@wjodf8067]

that loose blade will grow eyes and go right for your leg

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

17:41 Good old Robertson Screws, the screw that made Canada Famous!! Best screws for cabinetry and woodworking.

[@jcondon1]

That is where I normally see them.

[@waexplorer]

RVs are full of them too.

[@clarencebrown3256]

All we use here 🇨🇦

[@hansh5140]

Robertson screws are even used on electrical connections on electrical outlets

[@d1gardner]

Thanks for another great video! I have the same model. It's 10 years old and LOW maintenance, including starting on the first pull every time. I refuse to use harmful ethanol gasoline in my small engines. Regular maintenance has included oil changes, blade sharpening, and only one air cleaner filter (I use a compressor to blow out air filters). Also, the mower is garage kept. Last year, I replaced the drive belt and the throttle cable. Side Discharge Cover: My only complaint about the mower is how poorly it mulches, leaving lots of clumps of grass especially when making turns (I never cut wet grass). Keeping the discharge cover open has eliminated 95% of the clumps of grass because the clippings get evenly distributed. Because I keep it open, I am careful about not running the mower if anyone is in the potential path of the discharge. I bet the previous owner had the same problem and used a coat hanger to hold it open. I use a bungee cord....you are right about the plastic distortion it causes....mine will no longer close. Worn Drive Wheels: The hard plastic drive wheels would hardly pull the mower because they became "bald" and very slippery. Rather than replacing the wheels, I chose a less costly option. I bought a mountain bike tire and cut it into two pieces long enough to wrap each wheel. I secured the "retreads" with scavenged wood screws. The traction is amazing!!! I can't take credit for the novel idea....found it on KZbin.

[@AbcDef-iq4no]

From 2006 until 2011 I maintained a sizeable rental property with an early to mid-90s Toro 6.5 Recycler push mower and could not have been happier with it. This mower was an absolute beast. It always started up, ran well and cut beautifuly. I was diligent about keeping this mower clean and maintained. As a matter of fact when I moved from this property I sold this mower for exactly what I had paid for it five years earlier.

[@redmondjp]

I just spent the past 1.5 days working on four walk-behind mowers (all very basic push models; no self-propelled which can add hours of repair time), managing to get only two of them back to perfect running condition. People don't understand how much labor you can put into what appears to be a very simple machine. Yesterday I was doing a wheel alignment, on a lawn mower! It sounds ridiculous, but when all four wheels are pointed in different directions, not only is it much harder to push, but it wears out the wheels much faster as well. And taking each wheel off, and then unbolting the adjuster, mounting it in a bench vise (you can't do this on the machine because the deck will bend), using a large crescent wrench to apply just the right amount of bend, remount everything on the mower, then lather rinse & repeat this entire process until all four wheels are done. That can take easily an hour or two right there.

[@life_of_riley88]

I'll never get the hours back that I've spent messing about with small engines.

[@redmondjp]

@@life_of_riley88 For sure! This is somewhat related, but just last night I met up with a former neighbor, whose mowers/trimmers always required my help to get running every spring. I kept preaching to only use alcohol-free (E-zero) fuel and most of his issues would disappear. Well here it is 15 years later, and NOW he finally gets it! From what I have seen this seems to be a regional thing, as many people on various forums don't seem to have fuel issues, but where I live you can have fuel go bad in a machine in only a few months. My personal time working on my own equipment has gone down by 75% by switching to E0 fuel, stored in tightly-sealed steel cans (vintage Jerry cans with good lid gaskets on them, that I use a pry bar to tighten). No joke, now I use fuel that is 2-3 years old, both straight gas and 2-cycle mix, and it still works perfectly. Word to the wise: if you have E0 fuel available in your area, try it and see for yourself.

[@dogdue4588]

Geeze...thought I was the only one to do that.😢

[@jamesmcmanamy4704]

I love how you can hear an engine run for a couple of seconds and have a very good idea of it's health.

[@goofe.washington953]

That mud dauber remnant on the flywheel blade is killing me

[@robertsimpson7113]

Fasteners on drive are called Robertson Drive screw. Only used in Canadian Manufacturing. Much easier to use than Philips drive screws and less likely to strip out if corroded. Not used in USA because of Henry Ford's refusal to admit that they were better than what he used!

[@hieyeque1]

Wikipedia states that the reason that Ford didn't use them was a licensing issue with Robertson. With a questionable license agreement, he didn't want to be beholden to a questionable supply chain. But you are correct, according to the article they were better!

[@P_RO_]

There was more to it than Ford. Robertson made his design free to use in Canada, while Phillips was still trying to make money licensing his. In the end Phillips had to follow suit. Electrical supplies made for the North American market have screws which can be driven with either system, and often straight-blades too.

[@markchatman9583]

Robertson screws, that unit was built in Canada 🇨🇦

[@richardphelan8414]

The More you know with James Condon is well worth the hour of your time His content is always interesting and spot on ,well done Sir ,well done

[@mrgreaser123]

i spray fluid film on the underside of the deck to minimize rust

[@EssGeeSee]

The sign of a truly professional KZbinr- Turns WD-40 can around so you can’t see the label. “No Product Placement without payment”.

[@stephenhaslam680]

Had a similar model that I had to change the drive belt on and ran in to the same square drive screw type that I had never actually seen before. It required a trip to the hardware store to get the correct bit. I think you lucked out this being a front drive unit. The rear drive type is way more fun to take apart and put together. Good video James.

[@WJCTechyman]

Square drives are called Robertson drive here in Canada. If you ever do any electrical work with outlets or switches, they use a size commonly called green Robertson. Smallest to largest are yellow, green, red and then black. In many ways they are superior to both Allen (hex socket screws) and Phillips.

[@bazangelopoulos]

In Canada that is very common.

[@Ken-Muir]

@stephenhaslam680 I'm in the UK with a rear-wheel drive Toro Super Recycler, and I can confirm that changing the belt is a pain in the neck! The first time I did it, I couldn't find a Robertson No2 bit in my 1/4" collection to remove the belt guide (since square drive screws are pretty uncommon here), but tracked one down in my Leatherman bit kit. I ordered some proper square drive bits and was better prepared for when it threw a belt again.

[@Snooooozel]

speed up the flywheel cleaning by disconnecting the ground wire and run the engine while applying the brake slightly

[@c.hundley9714]

Most videos I FF through. I put your videos on and relax and learn. Somehow you manage to keep my attention. Not an easy task. Great presentation

[@jcondon1]

Thanks

[@bruceyoung1343]

You brought back memories. I had that exact same mower. What did it in was the transmission gears broke. Don’t ask how. But for new transmission was better spent toward new mower. That one didn’t owe me anything it was 12+ years old. The grass shoot you got is installed by lifting up on the door and placing down the new shoot on two placement pins then the spring action of door keeps everything in place

[@mattlitton8066]

you really know your small engines James. You may be one of the only other people on earth aware that impacts have a variable speed trigger lol. most folks i see just hammer down. great work as always

[@jameslarson6555]

Best to use a little air hammer to remove that pulley, it works surprisingly well. Often when changing a belt, it’s less work to remove 3 of the 4 bolts holding the engine to the deck, pivot the engine to allow the new belt to be installed and pivot it back in position. It’s easier than fighting a rusted shaft.

[@BruceBoschek]

Doing a 3-hand task with just 2 hands. "I'll try to make it look graceful." I nearly choked on my brownie. 🙂

[@lv_woodturner3899]

As you said, a lot of little things added up to a good amount of money to fix correctly. I have a number of sizes of square drive screws so I have had the relevant drive bits for decades. Good video as usual.

[@user-ui4iv8dz3w]

James I never knew how to change the oil on my push mower, your a good man. I could learn alot not only from you, but definitely your videos.

[@Sea-forest]

Another nice piece of equipment ready for use, as always great work and Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate your episodes and your knowledge

[@dannyj5688]

I have a mower exactly like this one...Great machine! Showed me a lot of fixes, in case I have problems in the future. Thanks for your time and effort!!!

[@Jmz488]

Video quality is amazing Jim!!!!!

[@Sea-forest]

Another nice piece of equipment ready for use, as always great work and Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate your episodes and your knowledge, thank you 🌲

[@johnsalmon2501]

Great video! You are so good at what you do, details matter.

[@tomwolf9420]

The lawn definitely looks better than last year!

[@alfredocuomo1546]

I have a group of old timers in my neighborhood that drive around garbage pickup the night before and repair old discarded equipment and sell them for $20 bucks for lawn mowers and power washers & I help them out when they get a stubborn carburetor issue they can't resolve. It's good keeps us old guy out of Trouble. LMFIAO

[@williamwallace8994]

Another successful project. Thanks again James.

[@dandanthemechanicman4678]

It’s more common than people think on their Kohler s. I had the same problem, so I took sandpaper to it, readjusted the gap in the coil and had no more issues.

[@DanKoning777]

Excellent video as always. 👍👍👍 I still have my 21" [late 80's] Toro Recycler with the Suzuki motor. The most amazing motor on anything I've ever owned. I'll never understand why they stopped making those. Again; great video/content James. God bless.

[@wjodf8067]

Yay Son in law mower exact model There was a carb issue and once cleaned it ran well . That carb is really quality But it kept popping and backfiring on shutdown.. Now we know what to do so out comes the dremel to clean the flywheel. Thank you so much so now he gets his really strong mower back.

[@paullangenkamp]

I have that exact mower. It has worked well for many years.

[@larrykelly2838]

Nice little mower, great restoration.

[@SLED649]

Great tutorial on the Toro! I’ve got two of them. Got them free because of the carburetors clogged up! Been using them both for 8 years now . They are very fuel sensitive. Been running leaded NASCAR 110 fuel & no more carb problems!

[@dogdue4588]

Aviation fuel works too!

[@mikepettengill2706]

I picked up one of these on the curb next to someone's trash cans. It has a noisy transmission and the rear wheels were destroyed by the sun. 17 bucks later it runs fine and is a great mower actually. Thank you for all the examples of what to look for and how to diagnose problems.

[@robertcochran7103]

Thank you for posting this excellent video. Watching this is a good way to learn how to replace the plastic components. I was interested in seeing how you would change the oil. I am pleased to see I used the same method for draining oil out of mower engines long years ago when I was a teenager. You did a nice job cleaning up the flywheel with the Dremel. I am a little surprised you didn't cover up the spark plug hole while using it. That is a really nice general repair for the mower.

[@G-Force_70]

Awesome segment

[@shoptalkwithbrett6572]

Very nice video, James. That mower came out great!

[@jeffclark2725]

Those are great projects when it only needs a few bits and pieces to get it going again,those those grass chute springs usually need 3 hands, great video, thumbs up

[@brianwood5220]

Excellent job, James. Thanks for sharing.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks

[@ablelock]

Another great repair James 😊

[@BrucesShop]

Great video James !!!

[@RC-fu6hg]

This has me wanting to start my Honda push / self propelled mower project. 👍

[@joeschlotthauer840]

17:45, someone's uncle who worked for Toro, was a supplier of those Robertson screws.

[@jameshelton7458]

Good job!😊

[@Midwest-small-engine]

Had a recycler come thru my shop had that blade adapter split down the shaft. Have another currently almost the same as the one in this video just needs the temperature sensor for the auto choke there a pretty well built mower made to last with general maintenance. Appreciate your videos always look forward to watching every Thursday!!

[@wildefox1478]

That mower just needed a little tlc, very nice work fixing it up James!

[@andrewgrace4410]

Nice find and fix 😊

[@selkywaters]

Thanks for this James! Anytime i'm working on small engines around my house now I always ask myself "What Would James Condon Do"? WWJCD? LOL.

[@GNX157]

Omg, I can’t believe how lucky you were with that blade adapter.

[@arthurbiringer5676]

That Toro Recycler mower is expensive brand new! Great resuscitation!

[@DeadKoby]

I know some people aren't fans of Kohler motors, but I've had very good success with them. That Recycler was scheduled to be recycled, but you changed that to Repair and Reuse, which is a better option IMHO.

[@MikeGervasi]

You made this one like new. I would say there's no better guarantee than buying a machine from you.

[@rwinstanley8668]

🤦‍♂️ Oh man…. I’ve been waiting for this Kohler Toro work as I have one. I really really needed the carb part, but the rest was very relevant to my needs. Especially the side discharge cover and rear baffle! Thanks!

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

I have that exact mower to get running this weekend! Very popular around these parts.

[@jcondon1]

Decent mower. Easy to work on. Not a fan though of the way it kills ignition.

[@curtisking2962]

Enjoyed the video as usual. Just an fyi, I watched several KZbin videos about generator repair and general maintenance. It's amazing how many times your name came up in the comment section of the videos. You have quite the following. See you next week.

[@martyb3783]

Another interesting and entertaining video. Thanks for making it!

[@paulbowers7343]

Have a Toro, just like your "deal" machine! Mine is a bit older, but same Koehler engine. My problem was with the pilot jet as, apparently, the tiny O rings perished some time back. Not having any idea where to get them locally, so I substituted a dab of silicone sealer around the top of the pilot jet piece, replaced it and the set screw and, once again it makes good on the guarantee to start, first pull, every time! Also have put a fuel filter and shut off in the fuel line. That tiny pilot jet can be a real pain, otherwise, a good mower. Fastened chute in place with a couple of sheet metal screws as it kept falling off. Thanks for the good videos. PB, Kansas

[@tonygriffiths2485]

Lovely job, but give me a Suffolk Punch anyday, or even a Dennis, but that lawn isn't really big enough. It was a form of promotion to work the ride on Dennis we had at boarding school, just about the only job I ever volunteered for :) Thanks for the memorys.

[@peterouellette3874]

Good job, James

[@bear101897]

Excellent video - THANKS!!

[@bsweasel74]

Was a little shocked when it started on the first pull......I was expecting the normal carb cleaning. Good find on the adapter, I think I would have just run a wire brush around the pulley and never would have taken it off.

[@jcnwillemsen]

Thank you for the great content, learning allot and its a joy to watch

[@jcondon1]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@db130]

Nice workshop! I just replaced that rear baffle on a similar front wheel drive Toro Recycler earlier this month.

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

I learned something new today - a kill wire system using the brake pad. Must have some metallic inserted into the pad. Seems like an odd but effective method. The only negative is flywheels always rust. That said, I suspect this one was malfunctioning only because the mower hadn’t been used frequently enough to rub any surface rust off.

[@user-ff2bj9wc1e]

Nice job keep it up my friend 👍

[@user-mm3nn1dz8c]

Great video. Thanks for sharing

[@outlet6989]

Hi James, Before I start any DIY project, I consider Time, Effort, and Cost. I never let myself become frustrated when I run into problems. Frustration often leads to anger, and that is a place you want to avoid. I bought two devices to prevent frustration when sharpening my mower blades. I use an AllAmerican Mower Blade Sharpener and a Tecomec blade balancer.

[@andymora5595]

It would always be interesting how much money you invested for the repair, how much time spent and for how much you sold it. I always love to repair things. If everyone would repair things like you - we will never need to built new machines in industry anmore ;) Hint for cleaning flywheel from rust: I opened the brake, connected the cordless screwdriver on the top (There was a nut on my machine so it was easy) and with the other hand I hold some fleece paper or sand paper on the flywheel. It was very fast to clean and it was very even all around it.

[@Jim-ie6uf]

Another great video, the parts are bad enough, but the multiple shipping charges add up.

[@richardtaylor7199]

Great job.

[@barryhardington1523]

Nice job

[@chipsatterly4902]

Another great video w excellent content!!

[@rwoods6132]

I have a 2011 22" Toro Recycler. All I have done to it is keep the oil changed, cleaned the carp last year and keep fresh fuel in it! Oh, I did change the wheel drive belt and control cable. Mine is a rear wheel drive. Mine has the Briggs and Stratton engine

[@Traderjoe]

I have an older version of this that has rear wheel drive. It’s pretty reliable and takes a ton of abuse. I wish I had this one.

[@davidhollfelder9940]

You can put Deoxit on the flywheel, as it leaves a film to inhibit corrosion.

[@4sl648]

I have a similar Toro 22 inch recycler that was in the free area at my local Uhaul storage facility. Basic maintenance got it running. The bag was missing, so I bought the bag and used allthread to fab up the frame for it. I was not about to pay 60 dollars for a bag frame. Runs well and is great for leaf collection.

[@richardbelle9643]

Surprised they didn't sell that mulch plug/side flapper as an assembly with the bracket. Much easier to install, but you got it OK as always. Those Kohler singles aren't bad to work on. I think a lot of clones we see today are clones of this engine. Great job as usual, James!

[@aidenradu-fw9lk]

Love your videos, they are so relaxing while providing good info. Also it seems like the brake is worn out, Kohler engines usually stop with a rusty flywheel, no reason that it shouldn't stop with rust, it should be very hard to spin the engine with the brake on with or with no spark plug with a healthy brake.

[@johncourtneidge]

Very nice as always. I guess tgat you did put the errant blade adapter key in. Yes a pile of troubles.

[@jakejones9502]

You sure do nice work.

[@jonminer9891]

Nice job. I didn't hear you say you replaceed the key in the blade mechanism. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!

[@Tom-In-Ga]

The key is actually built into the blade adapter. If you go back and watch where he pulls the adapter off, he points out the key that is stamped into the steel mistakenly thought it was damage.

[@WJCTechyman]

@@Tom-In-Ga Typical Toro corner cutting. That's why I have better mowers, specifically Walker and Honda.

[@jeffhunt]

TORO MULCHING MOWERS ARE AMAZING ESPECIALLY FALL LEAVES

[@landiahillfarm6590]

Bookmarked this one! I have the same model I bought at the local box store a few years ago. Been very happy with it, every spring [knock on wood] it fires right up but I'm not going to lie it does get abused more than it should [ie certain family members leaving it out in the rain when the garage it mere yards away, or worse...] so this one is a good look into my future I'd say!@ LOL

[@dlschgo]

Keep it, I would. Good mower for the kids or wife.

[@thecompguy]

Nice one!

[@somerandomguy3868]

I have that same mower, currently on it's third oil change, I have 3 blades I use in rotation on it's fifth air filter and still using the plug that came with it, I would guess probably 80 hours, no issues, I do pull it out around New years and run it for twenty minutes or so, at the time I bought it it was the cheapest self propelled I could find, good mower

[@coaterdave]

That is going to make someone a really nice machine. Nice!!!!

[@hansh5140]

good video, only comment is...don't blow your grass clippings into your flower beds or road ways, blow them into the lawn. :)