Fixing up an Old Lawnmower

[Nifty]

I have a Montgomery Ward lawnmower my Dad bought... at least 30 years ago, probably more. I've been using it as my "weed lawnlower" for the past 10 years.

It has run surprisingly well during those years I've owned it, even though I've not taken care of it properly. Each Spring when I pull it out of the shed, I'm always expecting it to not run... but it surprises me each time it does.

Well, this year it didn't

I watched some videos (below) and things looked pretty old, dirty, and needing a lot of attention:


So I undertook some learning and work:

1) Drained all the horrible old gas
2) Replaced the gas line that was cracked / leaking
3) Took out the carb bowl and cleaned it all up, including the plugged-up bowl nut (most videos show this is usually the main problem) with carb cleaner
4) Carb cleaner all around everything
5) New spark-plug & air filter

Looked a bit better:

... but still didn't start up

Did some trouble-shooting, and discovered this:

Turns out "spark plug gap" is a bit more important to check than I realized

Now it runs GREAT!


Finally was able to do some overdue weed abatement

Videos that were VERY helpful in the process:

Oh, and I was able to do some MAJOR tune-ups on my string trimmer carburetor too following this video:

 

[flowerbug]

that is a lot of green there! for some reason i had put you down for a drier climate and also a smaller lot.

 

[seedcorn]

There is something satisfying about fixing something-especially a piece of equipment that reminds you of someone.

 

[Nifty]

that is a lot of green there!

LOL, give the wild oat a couple of weeks and it will get dry and tan. Right now all the hills and mountains are SUPER green with it, but once we stop getting rain, it quickly dries up and becomes a big fire hazard!

for some reason i had put you down for a drier climate and also a smaller lot.

I'm in a pretty temperate (and almost ideal) climate in the SF Bay Area. I'm in the suburbs and purchased the house I grew up in, which has a good sized lot.

 

[ducks4you]

WOW! You make it look so easy, I am tempted to follow in your mowing steps. The ONLY piece that I will not feel comfortable fixing is replacing the blade. I would be afraid that a new blade would get put on too loose and chop off my feet as I walk behind it!!

 

[flowerbug]

I'm in a pretty temperate (and almost ideal) climate in the SF Bay Area. I'm in the suburbs and purchased the house I grew up in, which has a good sized lot.

so you are a billionaire! j/k

congrats though to being in a nice place with a bit of room around you.

as for dry season fire hazard that's scary in a city. eek!

 

[Nifty]

so you are a billionaire! j/k

congrats though to being in a nice place with a bit of room around you.

as for dry season fire hazard that's scary in a city. eek!

LOL! Renting out a big part of the house helps pay the bills!

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Those little machines are fairly robust given a little love. By way of unsolicited tips, you can tweak the governer if you want higher rpms. Something else that helps is using 89 or higher octane gas. The additives in quality brands help clean things and they tend to not gum up sitting around in my experience. The higher octane resists early burn and mainly helps them run cooler. There is a product for cleaning the interior of the fuel system called sea foam. It works pretty well, but you probably want a new spark plug after cleaning so maybe next tuneup? Those machines all used SAE 30w oil. Its ok and probably better to use 10w-30 as it flows better but protects like a 30 weight as specified. 30w is slowly becoming less popular. If you use a synthethic grade oil, the heat related breakdown of the oil is greatly reduced. Its probably overkill if you change it annually.

 

[seedcorn]

My mechanic Dad always said that oil change was the cheapest maintenance you can do.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

My mechanic Dad always said that oil change was the cheapest maintenance you can do.

Literally draining the sand out helps a lot. I am suprised the oil is not even more contaminated with abrasives by the time it needs changed. Oil has a real affinity for minerals. Maybe because that is where it was made, in the dirt.