Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hello,

I recently purchased a YardMan walk behind mower with a 6hp Tecumseh engine.  I think the primer bulb is bad.  When I press it, there is no compression.  My father-in-law purchased one many months ago from a different store and his currently does the same thing.  I realize that my mower is still under warranty and I can take it to a service repair shop, but I was wondering if anyone had experienced this recently with YardMan mowers or Tecumseh engines.  The bulb is red colored and there does not seem to be any obvious defects on or around the bulb itself.  Is there something I can do to troubleshoot and possibly fix it or should I just take it in the repair shop and let them handle it?

Thanks in advance.

Fred, I topped off the tank with gas because I was told that the primer was gravity fed and works better with full tank.  Of course, no difference, as I remember previously with minimal gas in tank, primer bulb still worked.

Now what you said about the hose makes sense, as I am hearing air move but can't figure out where.  Took off the side panel and all hoses connected and no obvious mis or loose connections to the carb.  Sounds like the connection to the bulb it self may be loose, but it requires alot of disassembly to get to it, so I want to get some detailed instructions before I proceed. Thanks.

riverknoll wrote:

WRONG!

NO FUEL goes thru that tiny primer hose. What happens is that when you activate the primer, it pushes air into the fuel chamber in the carb & pressurizes it. Then, with the fuel under "pressure", it escapes thru the main well tube to PRIME the carb throat with available fuel for the engine to burn immediately.

As long as there is SOME fuel in the tank, the primer SHOULD work. If not, the hose could be loose, disconnected or broken, the atmospheric vent in the carb might be clogged, the primer bulb may have a hole in it (not to be confused with the hole in the center on some primers), or the carb's internals are clogged up.

Hope that sheds some light on the subject...

Marty