... I know this is an ATV type forum, but I thought that I might be able to get some helpwith a Honda lawnmower I bought at a garage sale. The problem is that it dows not start. I pulled the spark plug and it was dry- so I figured the carb may need cleaning or rebuilding. It wasn't dirty and none of the passages were blocked, that's done. I trid to do a spark test by pulling the plug and grounding it to see if anything happened- nothing, could I maybe doing that wrong?. But there is one thing that seemed a bit off- it's pretty hard to yank the cord to turn the engine over. Just for kicks I checked the oil level. oil came running out all over, as if the crackcase were overfilled. with oil at the normal level I tried yanking again-- still hard to pull. I wonder if something happened inside the engine- no abnormal noises. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

is it a stock lawnmower or does it have any aftermarket performance parts?

 

If it has an aftermarket exaust you have to re-jet, try bump-starting it. LOL. No seriously though, when u do the spark test, put the plug on the motor and pull. If the motor is hard to turn over, the cylinder wall or piston might have a coating of rust from bad gas. Try taking the top end off (if u can..) and clean the piston and cylinder wall. Good luck w/ the lawn mower..LOL how much HP? maybee u can make a go-kart!

 

... OK-- I'll try an pop the top end and check for rust on the walls. no aftermarket parts on it, not yet anyways- I do have a KDX250 pipe, however. A go- kart, well- it is self propelled. I think I did the spark test as mentioned- but I'll give it another shot. Thanks

 

#1. Do a compression test. If you don't have a guage stick your finger in the plug hole and have a friend pull it over. Got compression?
#2. Shoot some ether on the plug and shoot some in the plug hole. Put the plug in and give it a yank. Does it pop or start for a second?
#3. If not, you have an electrical issue. If so, you have a fuel issue.

 

if your engine has been rebuilt before, they could had of put the connecting rod on backwards (spun it the wrong way) yes it is possible, timing will effect it a little bit too. Lawn mower motors are fairly simple to take apart if you have the time and the place, simple tools will get it done. some handy tools for lawnmower engines: valve spring compressor, piston ring expander, piston ring compressor, and nut wrenches

 

Does it have the safety handle , on the handlebars? Some kill the spark if they arent held against the handlebars.

 

hondabuster- per the safety handle, there are 2. One is to engage to propeller and the other to engage the drive wheel. I've tried yanking it to life with both pulled in and that makes it even harder. As per the suggestion that there may be rust on the cyl. wall- I put oil in the cylinder and I think I'll let it sit overnight, or if I feel like it later I'll check it out. Funny thing is- even with the spark plug out, it's just as hard to pull the rope; to be honest, I'm surprised that the rope hasn't let go yet. I'll try just one of the handles later on and see where we are with the spark. I thought this would be easier than this- a Honda lawnmower for $20 was a little too hard to pass up y'know?

 

If the plug was dry when you pulled it, and you had been trying to start it then it shows that no fuel has been getting to the cylinder.

Could be that it's been left standing unused for a while and possibly the float valve is stuck closed. This would explain it being difficult to pull the starter and also the dry plug despite all the jets being clean.

 

.. thank you for all the suggestions- just for kicks I went out and emptied the cylinder of the oil that I let soak. I cleaned the spark plug and primed the cylinder with gas. And sure enough- it even says that it must be held up, the blad engage handle must be in the raised position for the engine to run. All that being done- and plug back in. A much easier yank and it ran for a couple revolutions, JOY! Gimlet, the carb was the forst thing I tore apart- everything impressively clean and the float bown full of gas. I'm gonna try this again in a little while, but I think that there is an issue of gas not getting from the carb to the cylinder at this point.