Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - gas in air filter
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bplinder
06-10-03, 08:05 AM
I just purchased a Craftsman mower with a 5.5 HP Honda Engine.
Sears Item #07138881000
Mfr. Model #38881
The manual said to clean the blade every so often, so after my third mow, I turned the mower on its side to clean off the blade.
Guess what? Gasoline spilled out. So I cleaned up the gasoline that spilled out and put the mower away. Yesterday, the mower wouldn't start. I checked the air filter, and it was soaked in gasoline. I took out the air filter, and the engine started up, but smoked a bunch. I turned the mower off, and am going to buy a new air filter.
Did I do permanent damage to my lawn mower? Is there anything I should do besides putting in a new air filter?
I did check the oil level, and it is still at the full level.
Thanks for your help.
Sears Item #07138881000
Mfr. Model #38881
The manual said to clean the blade every so often, so after my third mow, I turned the mower on its side to clean off the blade.
Guess what? Gasoline spilled out. So I cleaned up the gasoline that spilled out and put the mower away. Yesterday, the mower wouldn't start. I checked the air filter, and it was soaked in gasoline. I took out the air filter, and the engine started up, but smoked a bunch. I turned the mower off, and am going to buy a new air filter.
Did I do permanent damage to my lawn mower? Is there anything I should do besides putting in a new air filter?
I did check the oil level, and it is still at the full level.
Thanks for your help.
rogerh
06-10-03, 09:26 AM
Bplinder:
Check the oil again to be sure there is no gas in the oil. You should be able to tell by the smell and it would be thinner. If there is gas in the oil it is a warrantee problem. Return it to Sears and they will fix it.
If the oil is OK, there may be a little oil in the muffler that will burn out in a short time. Replace the air filter, check the oil level and start it up and see what happens. As long as you have oil in it and there are no signs of abuse the warrantee will take care of it if it stops working.
Check the oil again to be sure there is no gas in the oil. You should be able to tell by the smell and it would be thinner. If there is gas in the oil it is a warrantee problem. Return it to Sears and they will fix it.
If the oil is OK, there may be a little oil in the muffler that will burn out in a short time. Replace the air filter, check the oil level and start it up and see what happens. As long as you have oil in it and there are no signs of abuse the warrantee will take care of it if it stops working.
cheese
06-10-03, 12:49 PM
Hello Bplinder!
Try tilting the mower over on the other side next time, so that the carb is farthest from the ground. That should eliminate the problem from happening again. You probably haven't hurt anything, just check for gas in the oil as Roger said, but i doubt you fill find any, and replace the filter. Let us know if you run into trouble!
Try tilting the mower over on the other side next time, so that the carb is farthest from the ground. That should eliminate the problem from happening again. You probably haven't hurt anything, just check for gas in the oil as Roger said, but i doubt you fill find any, and replace the filter. Let us know if you run into trouble!
bplinder
06-11-03, 08:19 AM
I put in a new air filter, and everything worked fine. Some smoke blew out for a minute but then it cleared up. I checked the oil and it appears like there isn't any gasoline in there. Thanks for the tip for tilting the other direction. That makes a lot of sense. In addition, my lawnmower does have a 1/4 turn fuel valve that i can close off before cleaning (The manual didn't say to turn that off before cleaning!).
Now that my lawn is mowed i can go away on vacation for the next 2 weeks without shaming my family with an overgrown lawn :)
Have a good day
Now that my lawn is mowed i can go away on vacation for the next 2 weeks without shaming my family with an overgrown lawn :)
Have a good day