– Basic Engine Service & Blade Sharpening
Alright so today on Repairs101 I need to throw a quick service at my old lawn mower. And so while I’m at it I’m going to pull the blade, sharpen it and check it for balance.
I bought this mower at Walmart back in the Y2K for about a hundred and twenty-five dollars.
Safety first
OK so the first thing you want to do is to remove the spark plug so it cannot possibly start.
Take some Brake Clean to the area around the crankcase’s oil filler port. Remove the sump plug and drop the oil.
Carb side up
After that, tip it on its side so that the carburetor is pointing up. Then put the drain plug back in and clean it up to your taste. Me, I’m not going to be too fussy about it. I may have to paint it next time.
Mower blade sharpening
I know not everyone has access to a bench grinder so I’m going to do this one in my vise. You don’t want to spend too much time fixing one of these blades up. Considering it’s only about twenty dollars for a new one. Get it as clean as you possibly can and protect it with some oil. This one has a few nicks in it. But I can file it back with a single cut file to get rid of most of the problem.
Mower blade balance
I’ll do fifty strokes on each side. Then check it for balance by hanging it on the end of a screwdriver. It’s a little heavy on the left. So I’ll just file a little material off the end and check it again. Make sure you know which side is which before you bolt it back on. I like to use a little Never-Seez on the bolt and on the flange face.
When divided by twelve: that’s fifty foot pounds maximum torque. Now is a good time to finish cleaning up the motor. Too much dirt will insulate it and make it run hot. Rinse out the air filter with a solvent or cut a new one with a synthetic sponge.
Oil & spark
Now, if there’s no dipstick, like on this one. You’ve got to fill the oil to land in the range between the bottom of the thread cut-out and the top of the thread cut-out. This is the original spark plug. And it’s already seen fourteen seasons of mowing – so obviously I’m going for the record!
Check the spark plug gap before reinstalling it. Happy mowing! Alright thanks for watching and don’t forget to subscribe!
