Honda lawn mower hard to start. Fuel filters are most commonly clogged due to leaving old fuel in a lawnmower that has had its gas line left open.
In time, the original gas may evaporate from the gas tank and more than likely be replaced by dirt, dust, leaves, etc. that have accumulated in the lawnmower’s gas line.
The residue left behind during this process can cause the fuel filter to become clogged and therefore makes it almost impossible to start your lawnmower unless you clear out the clog first.
Here is a shortlist of some of the other common reasons why Honda lawn mowers are hard to start:
Honda lawn mower hard to start
Here are some of the common reasons why Honda lawn mowers can be difficult to start.
Clogged Carburetor
The carburetor may be gummed up. A gummed-up carburetor is a result of leaving fuel in your chain saw or hedge trimmer for an extended period of time and having that fuel evaporate over time.
Engines that have gas with which some of the ingredients have evaporated are often subjected to a more viscous and sticky substance because of this evaporation.
This sticky substance can clog up a carburetor and make starting an engine difficult, so first, we’ll want to clean out that clog by using a cleaner designed for carbs.
If you’ve cleaned out the clog and still can’t start the engine, rebuild or replace the entire carburetor from scratch.
The Primer bulb is cracked
Over time, the rubber of the primer bulb can become brittle and cracked. If the primer bulb is cracked, considerable amounts of air will get into the fuel system and cause the engine not to run properly.
In order to fix this, we highly recommend replacing the primer bulb with a new one because an old and improperly functioning piece would be practically useless in such situations.
Defective Spark Plug
Inspect the spark plug’s porcelain insulator for signs of wear or damage. If it looks cracked, a corresponding electrode may have been burned away or damaged, and/or there may have been heavy carbon buildup at the electrode.
This can be determined by using a spark plug tester to see if you’re able to create an electrical charge between its terminals which fires when the engine is cranking.
If not, this would suggest that the spark plug is faulty and should be replaced.
Old or bad Fuel/Gasoline
Carburetors are made up of many components and tiny parts that come together to form one cohesive device. Over the years, the insides may get clogged with thick or sticky fuel or a buildup of debris.
The evaporation of some of the gasoline over time may be a contributing factor to this problem. If your mower needs more time to start up than usual and it isn’t getting any better, you might be in need of a carburetor cleanout.
If this doesn’t do the trick, you may have to replicate the entire replacement unit located in your engine compartment or take this as an indicator that you should consider rebuilding it all together,
either option will likely be much more expensive than cleaning out your carbs and taking care not to let them become soiled again.
Faulty Fuel Pump
Three ports are present on the fuel pump: one for gas in, one for gas out, and one for pulses. The pulse port is connected to the engine crankcase by a small rubber tube that gets pressurized as the engine runs.
In the tube, the air pushes a diaphragm inside the fuel pump that pumps gasoline from the tank to the engine. It is possible that too much motor oil may get into this line and cause it to malfunction.
You might also spill fuel on this line if you’ve overfilled your gas tank, causing further issues with your fuel system.
Replace Ignition Coil
The ignition coil provides the power for the spark plug to ignite the fuel in the engine. If the ignition coil is defective, the engine may start slowly or require a lot of cranking to get it started.
Before replacing the ignition coil, you’ll want to make sure that the spark plug isn’t working properly by either testing it with a digital tester or even simply replacing it if you have access to one.
The final step is to confirm whether or not your mower has a faulty ignition coil by testing it with an ignition tester – if there’s indeed a problem then go ahead and change out that ignition coil.
Rewind Pulley and Spring issue
When the starter rope is pulled and released, the rewind spring recoils the starter rope onto a pulley.
If the rewind spring is broken, or if the rewind pulley is worn out, or if there are other parts that are damaged/missing, then it may be difficult to start an engine.
This is because many of the components of a recoil starter assembly may need to be replaced together in order to ensure that they continue to work properly and efficiently with one another.
Broken Recoil Starter Pulley
The recoil starter pulley winds up the starter rope when the rope is not in use. If the recoil pulley is broken or stuck.
It won’t be able to rewind the starter rope. As a result, the engine won’t start. Replace this pulley with a new one if it isn’t working properly.
Worn out Flywheel Key
If the generator engine won’t start, there could be a malfunctioning flywheel key. The flywheel key is responsible for engaging with the flywheel and the generator engine.
If the generator engine stops suddenly, it indicates that the flywheel key may not be fitting properly.
To find out if this indeed is the case, remove your flywheel from your generator engine and inspect your flywheel key to see whether or not it has been broken in two.
If so, head over to our store for more information about purchasing a replacement part.
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