LA145 no start - 23hrs

bigballer · May 31, 2010

went to mow the lawn today and no start, wore the battery down trying to get it going, turns over but will not fire. i pulled both plugs and checked for spark, good. removed fuel filter and blew through it, clear. 1/2 tank fuel left from last week. checked choke/throttle cable, good. could be seat safety? what else should i check? need to mow and this thing only has 23 hours on it! any ideas?

thanks!

beenthere · Jun 1, 2010

Take it back to the dealer. With so few hours, I'd leave it in his hands to get it running. If it is from a box store, then some other decision may be better.

bigballer · Jun 1, 2010

too much a hassle to take back to dealer besides they are an hour away, i came across a thread started by jinman last year and checked further, i pulled the outlet line on the fuel pump and turned it over fuel shot out so seems that's good. also checked the breather hole on the tank lid, that's good. i pulled the air filter cover and held my hand over the intake, no go. then i read further about fuel level well i had 1/4 tank in there not 1/2 like i thought so i added some and cranked on it some more, finally started and kept running. i have run this thing out of fuel before and it's started before with alot less in the tank so not so sure that was the problem BUT for now problem is resolved.

dcyrilc · Jun 1, 2010

bigballer said:
too much a hassle to take back to dealer besides they are an hour away, i came across a thread started by jinman last year and checked further, i pulled the outlet line on the fuel pump and turned it over fuel shot out so seems that's good. also checked the breather hole on the tank lid, that's good. i pulled the air filter cover and held my hand over the intake, no go. then i read further about fuel level well i had 1/4 tank in there not 1/2 like i thought so i added some and cranked on it some more, finally started and kept running. i have run this thing out of fuel before and it's started before with alot less in the tank so not so sure that was the problem BUT for now problem is resolved.

Keep us posted on if it keeps running or starts acting up again.

Also wanted to let you know about the TBN PNW picnic this August. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/related-topics/170534-how-do-you-like-your.html

jinman · Jun 5, 2010

bigballer said:
too much a hassle to take back to dealer besides they are an hour away, i came across a thread started by jinman last year and checked further, i pulled the outlet line on the fuel pump and turned it over fuel shot out so seems that's good. also checked the breather hole on the tank lid, that's good. i pulled the air filter cover and held my hand over the intake, no go. then i read further about fuel level well i had 1/4 tank in there not 1/2 like i thought so i added some and cranked on it some more, finally started and kept running. i have run this thing out of fuel before and it's started before with alot less in the tank so not so sure that was the problem BUT for now problem is resolved.

About every other time I use my LA145, I have to disconnect the fuel line at the outlet of the fuel pump and pressurize it with 30 psi air from my compressor. This unsticks the float needle valve and the mower works perfectly afterward. I have the new valve and carb kit, but I haven't got the motivation to to do a rebuild yet.

What happens on my mower is that the engine will start normally and run for about 20 to 30 seconds before starting to stumble and die. When this happens, it will crank and crank but not start. One simple pressure treatment to unseat the stuck valve and it immediately starts afterward. I think I have found the problem for sure on my Briggs engine. I just found a gas station in my town that buys only non-ethanol gasoline and I'll start buying from them. All my small gasoline engines have started having problems with the common use of ethanol. Right or wrong, I think ethanol is the culprit by deteriorating rubber seals.

I use a rubber tipped air nozzle and stick it into the end of the hose that I remove from the outlet side of the fuel pump. Give this a try and see if you have good results. You might be able to use one of those small emergency air compressors you hook to 12 volts by using the nozzle provided to air up air mattresses and such. Just enough pressure to unstick the float valve is all thats needed. It's a jake-leg fix,

but it works for me.:thumbsup:

dcyrilc · Jun 5, 2010

jinman said:
I use a rubber tipped air nozzle and stick it into the end of the hose that I remove from the outlet side of the fuel pump. Give this a try and see if you have good results. You might be able to use one of those small emergency air compressors you hook to 12 volts by using the nozzle provided to air up air mattresses and such. Just enough pressure to unstick the float valve is all thats needed. It's a jake-leg fix, but it works for me.:thumbsup:

Seems like that would get old really quick.

jinman · Jun 5, 2010

dcyrilc said:
Seems like that would get old really quick.

Ha! You bet it gets old, but when you don't have a couple of hours to rebuild a carb, a couple of minutes to do this isn't all that bad. I've become so good at this that I'm pretty sure I could be qualified for a PHD in Southern Engineering.:laughing:

rayikeo2 · Jun 9, 2010

Another problem you should look into. My mower has been running fine so after mowing yesterday I parked it in a different place on the sidewalk next to the front door. Went out to start it today and all it would do was crank, no attempt to start. So I lifted the hood to look around. Found a rat had gotten in under the hood and chewed some wires. The damm rat must like the taste of plastic and rubber because he chewed 1 wire in two near the starter, ate about 2" of a rubber hose to the radiator and about 6" of insulation off the positive cable. I haven't had time to put it back togather yet but I did have time to prepare a nice meal for the rat. I put a nice dab of peanut butter on a rat trap and for desert i gave him a whole box of D-Con. I sure hope he enjoys it tonight. I will let everyone know if he gives me thanks!:licking::laughing:
Check for broken or chewed wires around the starter and battery.

rayikeo2 · Jun 11, 2010

Well I found my no start problem. I had to remove the battery to get to it. I found a bunch of chewed wires. Two of them were completely seperated. It seems that when one of these wires is not connected the mower will crank but not fire. It must control the electronic egnition in some way. Anyway I spliced them back togather and now the mower runs.:thumbsup: As for the mouse or rat, the trap went off but nothing was in it. However the D-Con I put out has some missing from the box so I am hoping he got enough to do him in. I will be parking in a different place from now on.