The carburetor is an important part of your lawn mower’s engine. If your carburetor isn’t working right, neither will your mower.
If you want to keep your mower running smoothly for years to come, it’s important to understand where the carburetor is and how to keep it clean and working properly. Keep reading for closer look at this important engine component and how to maintain it.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Lawn Mower Carburetor
Wait… What Is a Carburetor?
A carburetor is an essential part of some engines that delivers air and fuel to the combustion chamber. The carburetor makes sure that the engine gets the right mixture of air and fuel so that your lawn mower runs correctly.
What Does a Lawn Mower Carburetor Look Like?
The carburetor on a lawn mower is usually very easy to find — if you know what you’re looking for. This important component is usually a small rectangular metal part just a few inches wide, located right behind the air filter. The carburetor should also have a fuel line and throttle cable attached to it.
How Does a Lawn Mower Carburetor Work?
Like I mentioned earlier, the carburetor mixes air and gas before sending them into the engine. A properly working carb delivers just the right combination, ensuring that your mower is running and cutting its best.
Two chambers can be found within the carburetor. The first chamber, the bowl, collects fuel before sending it to the second chamber where it’s mixed with air. The float controls how much fuel is released into the second chamber.
Once the fuel and air have been mixed, they’re injected into the engine’s combustion chamber and burned as fuel.
Where is the Carburetor on a Lawnmower?
The carburetor is located right behind the air filter on a lawn mower. On most mowers, removing the air filter cover and air filter will give you a clear view of the carb.
Common Lawn Mower Carburetor Problems
If your carburetor is having problems your lawn mower will not run properly. Thankfully, most lawn mower carb problems can be solved with a little cleaning — or simply by practicing good maintenance.
Hard starting
If your lawn mower isn’t cranking up right away like it usually does, your carburetor may need cleaning. Dirty buildup inside the carb can cause it to stick and not work properly when starting.
Poor performance
If your mower is sputtering and dying or simply not running as smoothly as it usually does, a dirty carb could be the problem. A dirty carb cannot open well, keeping your lawn mower from getting the right mix of fuel and air.
Black smoke
Your lawn mower should never blow out black smoke. If you see dark smoke coming out of your mower, it’s probably a sign of heavy buildup inside in the carburetor.
How to Clean a Lawn Mower Carburetor
Most carburetor issues can be solved with a quick cleaning.
Now, you might be wondering… how do I clean a lawn mower carburetor?
Thankfully, the process is actually pretty easy and can be done with a few hand tools in a short amount of time.
To begin, remove the air filter assembly. This can usually be done by removing the air filter cover — as if you were going to replace the air filter. With the air filter removed, use a screw driver to remove the rest of the assembly.
With the air filter assembly removed, you should now be able to see the carburetor. But, to get a really good cleaning, it’s important to completely remove the carburetor.
Be sure to shut off the fuel valve or crimp the fuel line to prevent any spilled gas. Then, remove the choke and throttle linkages, followed by the carb mounting bolts. Once the mounting bolts are removed, the carb should pull free easily.
With the carburetor removed, simply spray it down with carburetor cleaner and wipe away any excess and build up with a clean towel.
Once you’ve cleaned everything up, give the carb some time to dry. Carburetor cleaners dry pretty quickly, so this shouldn’t take long — just don’t rush the process.
Next, reassemble the carb and air filter and try starting your lawn mower back up. It may run a little roughly at first, but should even out pretty quickly.
If your mower doesn’t run better after cleaning the carburetor, try cleaning it again. Running the mower after a cleaning may loosen up more buildup that will need further cleaning.
What if My Carburetor Needs Repairs?
If cleaning just doesn’t seem to do the trick, your lawn mower’s carburetor may actually need to be repaired.
Repair kits can be found fairly readily for most mowers. These kits usually contain most of the common, smaller parts that can wear out over time, including gaskets, the float, diaphragms, and other items.
Another alternative is to just replace the carb entirely. This can actually be quite a bit easier than trying to track down and replace problem parts. Complete lawn mower carburetors are also very affordable, often starting at around $50 for most common models.
The third, and probably most recommended option for most people, is to simply take your mower to a lawn mower repair shop and have them tune up the carb. While it may cost you a bit more than doing it yourself, a good shop or repairman can do this kind of work quickly and often at a very reasonable price.
Your Turn — Maintain Your Lawn Mower’s Carburetor
Knowing how your lawn mower works and how to maintain it is the key to making it run for many years to come.
Make cleaning your lawn mower’s carb a regular part of your maintenance and you wan’t have to worry about most of the common carburetor problems. Aim to clean your mower’s carb at least once a year with a highly quality carburetor cleaner.
Most lawn mower problems are due to lack of maintenance, so do your part and keep your mower running like new.