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

         I have a older  Craftsman 21 inch, front wheel drive lawn mower. It has a  Tecumseh 6.75 horsepower engine >When I stored it away last fall, I put stabul in the gas, removed the sparkplug  and put some   30 grade oil in the sparkplug hole , cranked it over a few times , put the sparkplug

back in.  and stored it.

I took it out today, and pulled the starter cord and it turned about one turn, then I could not pull it any more. I guess it had reached the compression stroke.  

I took out the sparkplug which was covered by oil.   I pulled the cord and it turned over easily .  I put the sparkplug back in and it  was the same as before, it would just turn over

until it got to the compression stroke..   Do you think that the oil I put in it ,(maybe I put in too much) is causing a hydraulic lock.   Also, should I put  some gas in the sparkplug hole

to dillute the oil.?

royster,

How much oil did you put into the sparkplug hole? Hopefully you did not drop more than 1-2 cc of motor oil.  Take the spakplug out and pull the starter a few times then reinstall the cleaned sparkplug and try to start it.  Start the engine when the temperature inside the grarage is at leasst 15C so you have a better chance.  Good luck.

Take your spark plug out. Pull your cord. Does it spin over?  If so you do no have a hydro lock problem. Check your oil level. Is it full? fine, if over full drain it to normal level. Now look at your spark plug. Does it look like your piston is hitting it? If so that is your problem. You are using the wrong spark plug , it is to long and is touching your piston when you pull your cord. Replace it with the right plug size. If it is still locking up with your spark plug out then you have a mechanical problem. To much oil can make it hydro lock. draining to normal level and spinning it over with the spark plug out will fix that. Also check if your Lawnmower blade is not  obstructed and hitting something

Pull the spark plug and tilt the mower so that the spark plug hole is down and excess oil in the cylinder can flow out.  Clean the plug, re-install, try to start it.

Thankyou for all your suggestions.    It was my own doing.  Too much oil in the combustion chamber was the problem, it turned over freely when the plug was out . I tipped the mower over and oil run out the sparkplug hole , I let it drain, then put the sparkplug back it. Now it turned over fine.  It started with about 6 pulls , made a lot of smoke, now runs fine.  I had used one of those squirt oil cans and didn't realize how much oil I had put in the sparkplug hole, atleast I learned something .

If the machine is being stored anywhere near dry, you really don't need to oil up the cylinder.  I stopped doing that years ago and have not had a single issue with anything I own.   I just finished firing up my Honda Valkyrie (liquid cooled flat six engine) and my restored '74 Yamaha RD350 (two stroke air cooled twin).   Both put away Nov. 1 and haven't been fired up since.  Both machines running like a top.  No oil in the cylinders, no snake oil in the fuel.   Just put them away with the carbs run dry and full tanks of gasoline.  

I don't fogged up the cylinder either.  Did not have any issues thus far and don't like re-installing spark plugs over and over again.