12 Comments

1. Dear sir .After seeing your lesson ,i try to do but my machine won’t start.Do i have to do something else to make it start.Bye.

   • Hi

     there is many things that can cause your mower not to start the first thing to check would be whether your mower is creating a spark and whether fuel is making it into the combustion chamber.

2. Hi to the guys at push mower repairs,
   I’ve got two vista mowers that have been sat at the back of the garage for many years and if decided to get them working ready for the summer, I have no spark on either machine and have followed your tutorials for coil checks, ignition control module check and this small ignition on off switch (the two wires into the carburetor) and nothing seems to be working??? I’ve replaced the spark plug also and still nothing? Any hidden tricks you may have would be very helpful.
   Thanks

   • Hi

     If your coil, module and carby wires have all tested fine the only other option is to check each wire for continuity. a internally shorted or damaged wire could be the issue.

3. Is it easy to replace the ignition wires on a Victa mower? Where do they fix onto on the engine?

   • It is not too difficult, They connect to the ignition coil located on the underside of the engine. The engine will need to be removed from the chassis to gain access.

4. Hi guys, thanks for your tutorials – they have been awesome for a newbie! I have a non starting 2 stroke Clubsman and have confirmed that spark plug is firing with black wire unplugged from carbie. At this point with carbie still detached and only the black wire off, should the motor start up if I place a bit of fuel into the spark plug?

   Detaching the red wire, the black plug that keeps the wires apart is totally worn. If this short is preventing the spark then I would expect engine to kick with some fuel in the spark plug chamber. What else could I look at to further troubleshoot?

   • Hi David

     Yes with the black wire removed the mower should start briefly if you place some fuel in the spark plug hole. It is common for those plugs to wear out and cause a short. If you confirm you have spark with them detached then trying to get the mower to fire up briefly can tell you if the issue is carburettor related or more troublesome. If you can’t get it to fire with the carburettor removed and some fuel directly in the cylinder it suggests a worn piston.

5. Hi There, Thanks for clarifying. What should I be looking out for to indicate a worn piston? Scoring ? Does the piston need replacement if that is the case?

   Also, I noticed on the carbie the the float is sitting too low even with a new needle. I took the brass seating out of the primer cap to give it a clean. I notice that if I just drop the brass seat back in the hole and place the needle on top without pressing the seat down firmly, the float sits high enough. However, if I press the seat down so that it ‘clicks in’ and then put the needle on top, the float sits too low and rests on the raised section of the moulding.
   Should the brass seat be pressed down so it is fixed into the hole or should it just sit loosely and fall out together with the needle if it’s not facing the right way?

   Thanks, David

   • Hi David

     Not starting with a healthy spark is a good indication, Or moderate to heavy scoring this will be worst of the exhaust side.

     Yes the brass seat should be pressed down, I would recommend getting one of the yellow needles are they are longer.

6. I’ve tried a new yellow needle but the float still sits too low with the brass seat pushed down.

   With regards to the piston, sounds like I’ll need to change it either way. Will a compression test confirm the need to change the piston?

   Thanks, David

   • Sounds like a new primer cap may be required if the yellow needle is not long enough.

     Yes a compression test will tell you if you need a new piston, Anything below 80 psi is poor and anything below 60 psi will not run.