Other people might also have trouble starting their lawn mower after being idle over the winter, so I am sharing this post to help with troubleshooting ideas.


Draining old fuel out of push mower

The lawn mower sat mostly unused over the winter. Then after an exceptional amount of rain in April 2025, I tried to pull the cord, but the mower would not start. I pulled again, and again, and again. Still, there was no sign of life in the mower.

After praying and asking the Lord to help me, I had these ideas, and the mower finally started....

First, I drained the fuel. After it sat still, it separated into two distinct layers. The fuel must have been contaminated, maybe with rain.



I bought new fuel to replace it.



While I was out, I also bought a new spark plug to replace the old.



After changing the fuel and the spark plug, the mower still would not start. That was disappointing. I kept praying and asking the Lord to help me. Then I had this idea: drain the fuel out of the carburetor. I had never done this in my life. I took the carburetor apart and old fuel spilled out. I had a challenge putting it back together, but this helpful video encouraged me to keep trying.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-r-ITyUsbiQ

After getting the mower put back together, I pulled the cord, and it started!

And I used the mower on Easter. My lawn mower was resurrected.... and worked on Easter, on the day some people remember that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was also raised from the dead, after he died on the cross for us, so our sins may be forgiven.

So, if your push mower worked last season, but now refuses to start, you could try this:

1. drain the old fuel, including out of the carburetor
2. replace the spark plug
3. add fresh fuel

A friend posted this tip:

Yep, proper storage is easier to do than a resurrection. // Use non-ethanol gasoline treated with Stabil. Most snow blowers, generators, etc have a fuel shut off valve which makes it easy to run the carb out of fuel. If no valve, dump as much gas as possible then run until dead. // If just seasonal storage, Leave tanks full of Stabil treated fuel to minimize condensation in tank.

Next time I think the mower will not be used for awhile, I would like to close the fuel valve and let the engine keep running until it empties the carburetor. After that, I could empty the fuel tank by draining it into a pan. I hope I don't have to take the carburetor apart again because it was challenging to put it back together.