# Push Mower Problem



## nc-ghost (Apr 13, 2005)

Tried to use my push mower today for the first time this season and ran into a problem. I changed the oil and blades at the end of last season after last use. Today when I try and pull the cord it has a lot of resistance about 1/2 pull (about rips by arm off) it's sorta like a wooble feeling to get to a 1/s pull. I did notice that the blade was not tight enough so I need to tighten that again. I used one of the blades that have the universal center adapter for mutiple types from Wally World. Evan though the mower is 10 years old, it works good usually. 

Thanks


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

did you try taking the blade off and seeing if it started then ? maybe the blade isn't ballanced ? Since you had no problems before.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

well yeah the blade may be misbalanced, take a pen and put it in the hole and it should stay even. don't run a pusher with improperly balanced blades because it will mess the engine up. may be, does the bolt get loose from time to time? try some thread locker. this is a regular pushmower like say a murray pusher for example right? also have you taken the head off and done a head cleaning lately, that sould be done once in a while, i've seen em so bad the piston was hitting carbon and was getting so much compression it was a bitch to start. if the crank is bent which if you've hit something hard they will bend sometimes, its best upon its age to buy a new one or to have the engine overhauled with a new crank etc. you can check this by looking at it with the blade on and off and by a ruler to check to make sure its staying pretty much centered.


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## bbnissan (Nov 7, 2004)

THROW THE UNIVERSAL BLADE AWAY!!!!!

I don't know how Wal-mart and other places can sell these blades. After working in a small engine shop for several years I have seen these blades ruin mowers and injure people (I've seen one get imbedded in the deck of a push mower). These blades are DANGEROUS!!! Please, I beg you, go to a small engine shop and buy the correct blade!

BTW, the resistance you are feeling is the engine firing at the wrong time because you have sheared the flywheel key due to the loose blade.


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## nc-ghost (Apr 13, 2005)

Any guess how much some place will charge to fix the flywheel key?


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## bbnissan (Nov 7, 2004)

It really depends on the hourly rate of the shop, but expect to pay at least 1/2 hour of labor. The shop I use to work in charged $55/hour which would put you at about $27.50 plus the cost of the flywheel key (about $1).

If you have some mechanical ability, you can do the key yourself. You don't need a flywheel puller either. The only special tools you will need is a pry bar (or something that can be used as a pry bar) and a soft face hammer (or a regular hammer and a block of wood). What you do is find a good location where you can place the pry bar under the flywheel and pry up on it. After this, loosen up the nut/bolt that holds the flywheel by several threads. Now pry up on the flywheel using the pry bar and have some one give the bolt/nut holding the flywheel a good wack. Rotate the flywheel about 45 degrees and do it again. Keep repeating this process and the flywheel will eventually just pop off. After that, just pop the new key in, drop the flywheel back on, tighten it down and you are ready to go.


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## nc-ghost (Apr 13, 2005)

Here's what I was told of what was found. When I changed the oil, I filled it too full and got all over the sparkplug and all.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

huh, you didn't add a whole quart of oil did you last time, those small ones hold about 20 ounces. and well the oil being overfull would cause oil to go past the rings, since its older it would have flowed a little more, and straight into the combustion chamber and caused extreme compression and fouled the plug by filling up and covering the plug, and it won't turn over at all until you remove the plug, well next time when you change the plug, depending on the engine, it should have a drain plug underneath the engine to drain it good, and well fill it up and check till the dipstick marks full, or slightly overfull, slightly now. or if it just has a oil plug, fill it till overflowing or just almost till overflowing, if it has a oil fill plug not a dipstick. of course also when the spark plug is pointing downwards, means the piston is to, the oil will run out, if it happens again, its pretty easy to do it yourself, drain the oil, take the plug out and wipe it dry or replace it, and point the plug hole down and drain whats in the combustion chamber, (if it happens again) which if a small engine shop did that, it shouldn't have cost that much.


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