Time for a tune up!
Mower running rough or not starting? Maybe it's time for a tune up! Pretty much every year at the beginning of season you should be giving your mower a proper tune up. This consists of new spark plug, air filter, oil change, fuel filter change (if applicable), and a new blade or sharpen your old one. As you may have seen here, today I spent a little time at wally world and walked out with 4 air filters, 4 spark plugs, 3 bottles of oil, a new blade, and 3 cans of carb cleaner for a few mowers I am preparing to put on the market. Here's how some of that is done!
It is super easy to do a tuneup on almost anything. Mowers especially! I began by replacing the spark plug. I simply removed the boot and used a 5/8" spark plug socket to remove it. Socket size may will vary.
It looks like it hasn't been changed in awhile, there was quite a bit of burnt gunk on it.
After screwing a new one in and putting the boot back on, I moved on to the air filter. This one took a 8mm bolt I had to unscrew, then the housing came off.
Again, hasn't been replaced in a while. This was actually after I banged it off some.
Moving onto the oil. Some mowers have drains, some people just turn them upside down, but I prefer to use a baster or a fluid transfer pump. (I may or may not have forgotten to take a picture of this..oops.) When putting new oil in just put a bit in and check periodically. Mine took about half a quart.
Lastly, sharpening the blade or changing it. Sharpening can be done with a grinder or file. Some people say it has to be balanced, but I have never had a problem with not doing that. Changing/removing the blade is super easy. Typically only one bolt in the middle and it is off. (Guess I forgot to photograph this too...I'll try better next time!)
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That's really all there is to it! My mower did not have an oil filter or fuel filter, so I did not have to replace those parts. It may be different for you though! Stay tuned for more!
