So...I hit a rock mowing my lawn today...and now, it is making the most god awful noise ever. The blade was bent and I managed to hammer that back so it wasn't hitting the wall and would spin freely but there's still an awful grinding-like noise. The Sears repair store isnt open on the weekend and with Monday being a holiday, I thought I may try to tackle it myself, especially since I didn't get to mow the front yard. Any ideas where to start looking? Things to look specifically look for?

9/3/2010 8:29:39 PM

riding mower or push mower?

9/3/2010 8:41:48 PM

Je suis – un garçon

9/3/2010 8:43:23 PM

either way, even if you banged the blade straight it may still be rubbing at the bolt.

Did you take the entire blade off, or did you try to straighten it while attached to the mower?

9/3/2010 8:45:46 PM

have you called Jeff Fahey? he's the local handyman

9/3/2010 8:58:36 PM

prepare to hear every phone in the world ring at the same time

9/4/2010 7:09:49 AM

they have blades at lowes

they dont cost that much

9/4/2010 8:39:33 AM

I'm not mechanic, but I'm guessing if your blade was seriously warped it's just terribly off-balanced now. Spinning that fast, it's probably wobbling pretty bad and stressing other moving parts.

Buy a new blade

9/4/2010 11:39:49 AM

Friend of mine had a similar thing occur. Turns out the crankshaft was bent.

9/4/2010 11:53:47 AM

push mowers are $25 on craigslist all day long

9/4/2010 8:07:01 PM

Quote :

"Friend of mine had a similar thing occur. Turns out the crankshaft was bent."

Ditto.

I actually have a spare lawnmower engine I could sell you if the crankshaft is bent. It's a B&S 5HP if I remember correctly that should run perfectly. It's on a mower, but the handle to that mower is broke and I haven't found one to replace it with.

9/7/2010 10:39:21 AM

Quote :

"I'm not mechanic, but I'm guessing if your blade was seriously warped it's just terribly off-balanced now. Spinning that fast, it's probably wobbling pretty bad and stressing other moving parts. Buy a new blade"

Yeah trying to straighten the blade was a bad idea. Get a new blade first, see if that helps.

9/7/2010 1:10:11 PM

there is some kind of "key" that breaks off when you hit something so that the crankshaft isnt damaged when you hit something. you should have it checked.

9/7/2010 1:43:35 PM

BTTT

Lawnmower won't turn over, is it worth fixing (paying somebody) or just buy a new one? It was only like $300 to start off with, but it's not too old right now. Push-mower obviously

4/21/2011 12:17:35 PM

^ have you tried replacing the spark plug?

4/21/2011 12:26:10 PM

^^
It's called a shear pin I believe.

4/21/2011 12:27:56 PM

Quote :

"Lawnmower won't turn over, is it worth fixing (paying somebody) or just buy a new one? It was only like $300 to start off with, but it's not too old right now. Push-mower obviously"

Depends on where you take it. Not cheap if you go to a mower shop, might cost you around $150 or so.

I do work on mowers, know them up one side and down the other. And I'm cheaper than a shop.

How long has it been sitting up? Gas goes bad quickly, and you could have a gummed up carburetor. Spark plug is a cheap easy thing to start with, takes 5 minutes or less to swap. I'd try that first. If that doesn't net results, my bet is the carb/fuel system is contaminated.

4/21/2011 12:37:53 PM

you can buy mine and have zxappeal fix it.

i have a decent $250 push mower/mulcher/bagger i bought from Home Depot a few years back but it recently developed a little problem

i'll prime it with the little button to squirt the fuel into the system and it'll run about 10 minutes then die down as the fuel is not getting into the main system ...it may be clogged or something

4/21/2011 12:45:31 PM

Quote :

"How long has it been sitting up? Gas goes bad quickly, and you could have a gummed up carburetor. Spark plug is a cheap easy thing to start with, takes 5 minutes or less to swap. I'd try that first. If that doesn't net results, my bet is the carb/fuel system is contaminated."

It's actually my brothers, but I live with him so I thought I'd try to help him out. He said he's changed the oil and gas and neither of those helped.

I looked at the spark plug but I can't find a wrench the right size to get it out. Most of the tools he has are ratchets and are too short to reach

4/21/2011 1:05:20 PM

this should be moved to the garage

4/21/2011 1:10:34 PM

all you need is a deep well socket. you can get one specifically for spark plugs with a rubber boot thing inside for a few bucks at walmart.

[Edited on April 21, 2011 at 2:42 PM. Reason : if you have fuel, air, spark, and compression, it should run]

[Edited on April 21, 2011 at 2:43 PM. Reason : most of the time it's a fuel problem. most of the rest of the time it's spark.]

4/21/2011 2:39:47 PM

If you left gas in the tank over the winter, it's possible that you gummed up the carburetor.

Definitely try the spark plug first.

Try kicking it. That always helps mine

4/21/2011 9:06:22 PM

Even before replacing spark plug, take the cap off the plug and pour a few drops of gasoline in it and put cap back on and crank. Also, try pulling cord to crank and after you pull immediately push the gas pump button continuously. Might be a clogged gas line

[Edited on April 22, 2011 at 10:06 AM. Reason : meant gas]

4/22/2011 9:47:55 AM

Quote :

"Might be a clogged has line"

Wat

4/22/2011 9:52:58 AM

the 'g' key is right next to the 'h' key.

maybe homie has sausage fingers.

4/22/2011 9:56:02 AM

Take air filter off, spray carburetor cleaner inside, move speed adjustment back and forth, pump the bulb thingy, use pull cord to start, profit!

4/22/2011 7:42:38 PM

oh yeah. i forgot i asked a question in here. thanks for the responses, i'll try some stuff tomorrow maybe

4/24/2011 10:26:08 PM