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Should I fix it or dump it

H

Hockeygoon

Member
I bought a USED 21 push mower with a Tecumseh 4 hp engine in 1996. Two decks and 25 years later it refused to start this evening. Should I call it good or spend time and money trying to get another couple years out of it?
 
You can not hardly give away those old mowers. I had four by the road. No takers. If it is a dirty carb. a little time will save you the $20 for someone else's junk.
 
Come to do you spend $20-30 to fix it or pay $200 plus to replace it with something that might last 2 years if your lucky. Sort of like the 1947 Farmall cub I have been working on. It can/will work circles around a riding lawn mower you pay $3000 plus for that might last you 3-5 years if your lucky
 
I'm not a fan of tecumseh hard starting gas leaking carbs.
If it were mine I would have junked it and long time ago.
 
I have a 'Little Bob ' push mower powered by a Tecumseh engine , this year will be it's 40th . I don't use it much any more , about twice a year for an hour or two . I have a Jerry can of leaded super petrol left over from the 1990's that I fuel it with . Starts second pull every time and the fuel never ever goes off .
 
I'm not much of a Tecumseh fan. I've spent about forty years working on this one off and on. Starts on the first or second pull now. I'm done.
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I mowed my lawn with a Cub for a few years. Got sick of running out of power and having to take half passes. Got sick of getting strained through the apple trees in my backyard. Got sick of not being able to get close to anything.

My Husqvarna YTH22V46, a so called "cheap mower that won't last 3-5" years has been around about 10 years. The so-called "junk" Briggs engine just keeps chugging along. I don't take any particular care of it, probably been 3 years since I did an oil change, and the oil is right up to full and as clean as the day I put it in. Only thing I've had to do is sharpen the blades about once a year, and put a tube in one front tire.
 
Did you try priming it? I always give them a shot of 40-1 if they don't start right away, if it runs OK after that then maybe it's worth a replacement carb. I am a mechanic, not a parts changer but last year I gave in and we ordered a replace carb for a Tecumseh that we had, about $15 and runs like new!
 
It only needs a couple of things: fuel, compression, and spark. I would bet that an old Tecumseh is better than some of the new engines that are available.

Little satisfaction in throwing it away but it's your call.
 
My lawnmower wouldnt fire. It was the coil . Went to car parts outlet . They wanted $49 .00 no way went to neighbor he picks up junk out of the ditch. Pulled a lawnmower he just picked up. Put gas in and started right up. Charged me $5.00
 
The other day I spent 20 minutes pulling the cord and giving it shots of either - never fired once. That was why I thought it was time to let it go. I found a new plug for it in my tool box and installed it and it fired right up but died immediately - clogged carb. I'll clean it out and give it another year. In 25 years (bought from my brother the year we got married) I had never done anything to the engine besides change the oil and the spark plug once in the while. Meanwhile it wore out two decks (now on its third). When we first bought it I never even used stabile to store it in the winter. This year I had my son do it - probably why its clogged up this spring.
 
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