Inhereted a suffolk punch petrol lawnmower but it will not start! it seems as if the petrol is not getting to the engine ,if you pour petrol through the plug hole and start it, it runs fine for a few seconds, getting a good spark and engine has good compression, have cleaned a load of crap out of the carb...anybody got any knowledge on fault finding on these things ?? think its a briggs and stratton engine

I inherited a Qualcast recently and have given up with it as it seemed to run away with me (I'm a Flymo fan!!!).

One thing I found was it took a little while to find the choke. Try to find the company website and download a manual as that might help.

EDIT: Just re-read your post - there's often a petrol tap on them mowers that needs to be opened. Once again download a manual.

My dad has one of these and it needs regular spark plug replacement - once a year usually.

The fuel pick up and filter get easily clogged too and can cause problems.

It is usually picked up once a year for a service and they dont seem to be the most reliable of machines..

Filters! I say that too. Dad's Honda tiller had similar symptoms - damn good spark but no life. Think it was the fuel filter in the end to blame -

Definitely fuel filter - they are pretty rubbish on those things.

I'd sell it on ebay and then buy a sheep with the money you make.

That way your lawn gets cut and fertilized plus there is the entertainment value if you are feeling lonely.

Those petrol mowers...pfffff....you should have looked into getting a TDi mower..:P

Air filter, just had to do mine :(

Jon, did you go for a green panel filter? Does the lawnmower now go any faster?

Try the pikey mods?

Has it been chipped? you might need to revert to standard. What version coilpacks has it got?

Serously, they're a very crude engine in those things. Try hitting it with the biggest spanner you've got!

Phil

Has it been chipped? you might need to revert to standard. What version coilpacks has it got?

Serously' date=' they're a very crude engine in those things. Try hitting it with the biggest spanner you've got!

Phil[/quote']

Tried that ...with BFH ...did not work , then stripped the carb and found a stuck float, and loads of other sh!t, cleaned it and polished it ...if this does not work the shed door needs a stop.... i am sure the machine has adequate weight to keep it open...

Depends on its age - if it's old, it has a fuel tap under the tank which can get blocked, also of course the tanks rust so you will get crud in the float chamber and eventually sticky float/blocked needle valve. There's a filter on the top of the fuel line inside the tank - if you unscrew the tap off the bottom of the tank you can pull it out and see if it's blocked. The old ones have a choke just above the air filter which you need to close fully to start, then immediately open to 1/3 closed or so once started, or the engine will stall again. The other weak area is the magneto coil which tends to die if it gets damp - where has the mower been stored? Lastly you might want to check the contact breaker gap which is done through an access hole in the side of the flywheel, and as someone already said, try a new plug.