Spring Tech Tip
CAUTION: Shut off engine before performing any repairs to the equipment.
By Mike Whitehead, Product Analyst
It’s Saturday afternoon, and you have a few minutes before the game starts. So you decide to mow the lawn for the first time this year, but you haven’t touched your mower since last fall. Guess what? It won’t start. You remove the air filter and find that some critter had taken up residence there last winter.
A dirty air filter not only reduces the efficiency of the engine, but enriches the air-fuel mixture which in turn “washes down” the cylinder to the crankcase diluting the oil and causing the spark plug to “carbon up”. As a result, the engine can become difficult to start. And because the engine oil and filter are the life blood of an air cooled engine, critical lubrication and engine cooling are diminished.
So, before you fire that baby up for the first time this spring, replace the air filter, but don’t stop there. Also change the spark plugs, oil and oil filter. Sharpen and balance the blade too. Then you’ll really be ready for that first cutting. Early maintenance extends the life of the mower, improves its performance and helps you get the job done before the “Big Game” starts.