April 5th - Lawn Mower Repair

I'm posting today about the lawn mower repair.  Can you tell I'm getting bored? 

Mower Problem number 1:

One of the issues with the lawn mower not starting yesterday out at the lake was the pull cord jumping out of its guide on the handle when I pulled it.  The plastic guide was made with a slot in it so the pull rope can be fed through it. Over the years the guide has opened up and now very time I pull the cord it jumps out of the guide and falls to the ground.  Last year I put wire ties around the guide to keep the rope in place but they wouldn't stay tight enough to do the job. I also noticed that in a spot on the guide it was worn almost through, which was also fraying the rope. I decided to take off the guide, cement the guide closed, and repair the worn section with JB Weld. (A great product I use all the time.) It is as indispensable as duct tape and baling wire to an RVer.

Yesterday I made the repair to the guide and painted it black to match. This morning I re-installed the guide on the mower handle.  Here is a picture showing the guide with arrows pointing to the two areas repaired with JB Weld.

The top arrow points to where the guide was originally open for the rope to be inserted. The bottom arrow shows where the guide was worn by the rope over the years.  With the slot now cemented closed I couldn't slip the rope through the guide anymore. I cut the rope off at the handle, put the rope through the guide, and retied it in the handle. The repair came out nice and should last another ten years.

Mower Problem number 2:

I have used wire ties in several places on the mower over the years. The throttle cable cover melted at one point because it became loose and rested against the muffler. I couldn't find a replacement cable so I wire tied it to the guard to hold it in place so it would work. I noticed this morning that it was again flopping around so I re-wire tied it. Here is a picture with the new wire ties.

Mower Problem Number 3:

She wouldn't start at the lake yesterday. After getting home I pulled out the spark plug, cleaned it with a wire brush, re-gapped it, and reinstalled it. With the other repairs made it was time to start the mower. I primed it three times but no start. She didn't even cough. I pulled off the air filter and squirted carburetor cleaner into the carburetor. She ran until the carburetor cleaner burned off. I did it again and she caught and kept running this time. I let her run for about five minutes and killed her. I tried to start her again and she wouldn't start. I pushed the prime button once and she started up. I again let her run a while then killed her. I pushed the prime button one time and she started right up. I guess I will have to do this from now on. Now when she dies there is a little puff of blue smoke so I think she is just wearing out. With these cheap repairs I am hoping to get a few more seasons out of her.