Lawn mower fix it. How to Perform Lawn Mower Maintenance in 9 Steps for a Picture-Perfect Lawn

How to Perform Lawn Mower Maintenance in 9 Steps for a Picture-Perfect Lawn

Neglecting your lawn mower is a surefire way to ruin your lawn. It will also cost you more because you’ll need to purchase a new lawn mower sooner or repeatedly pay for costly repairs.

Performing regular maintenance on your lawn mower should help you keep it working for between 10 and 15 years. Take a look at our top lawn mower maintenance tips and get the most from your lawn mower.

Bonus tip: make sure you read your owner’s manual as there is a lot of information specific to your mower model inside.

Why Do I Need to Perform Lawn Mower Maintenance?

It’s important to perform lawn mower maintenance because it keeps your mower running in prime condition. A well-maintained lawn mower will cut your grass better and make clean cuts, which helps lessen the likelihood of your lawn getting a disease. Plus, maintenance helps extend the life of your mower, cutting down on additional costs for you.

How Much Does Lawn Mower Maintenance Cost?

The price you’ll pay to maintain your lawn mower depends heavily on the type of mower you have. But here’s a quick look at some common maintenance tasks and their costs:

• Spark plug replacement: 5–20
• Lawn mower oil: 5–10
• Lawn mower air filter replacement: 10–15

A new lawn mower can cost up to 3,200, so it’s worthwhile to maintain your investment to ensure it runs well for years.

When to Perform Lawn Maintenance

Getting in the habit of yearly mower maintenance ensures you can keep your machine in great condition. You also need to do a little ongoing maintenance throughout the growing season.

• Winter maintenance: Before you put your lawn mower up for the winter, you’ll need to change the oil, drain the fuel, replace the spark plug and air filter, sharpen and balance the lawn mower blades, and possibly fog the engine.
• Maintenance best practices: Every time you use your lawn mower, you should check the tires before you begin, and clean the mower deck when you finish.

How to Perform a Seasonal Lawn Mower Maintenance Routine

Make these maintenance tasks part of your regular seasonal garden maintenance routine to ensure you don’t overlook them.

Replace the Spark Plug

Before you begin any lawn mower maintenance, remove the spark plug. This ensures your safety as the lawn mower cannot accidentally start.

Lawn mower spark plugs degrade rapidly. They are vital to the engine’s functioning, but thankfully they’re inexpensive, too. They’re also easy to change. Simply grab the wrench, remove the old spark plug, and replace it with a new one. Just remember not to overtighten it to avoid any problems with starting the mower.

Change the Oil

While you don’t necessarily need to change the oil in your mower unless it’s showing signs of being contaminated or too old and viscous, it’s a good habit to develop. At the end of each season and before you put the mower up for the winter, remove the drain plug beneath the oil tank on the mower and allow the oil inside to drain.

Some lawn mowers don’t have drain plugs, in which case you’ll need to turn the lawn mower on its side and allow it to drain the oil via the fill hole.

Once the oil tank is empty, sit the lawn mower the right way up or replace the drain plug. You can then refill the tank with the correct type of oil. Check your owner’s manual if you’re unsure of which time the oil is suitable for your machine.

Drain the Fuel Tank

If your lawn mower won’t start, the culprit could be old gas. Leaving gas in the tank can also damage, and eventually corrode, the fuel tank. Therefore, at the end of each season, you’ll need to either use up or drain all of the remaining fuel in the tank. If you choose to drain and dispose of old gas, remember that you are dealing with an extremely volatile and flammable substance, so take all sensible precautions. Leave the fuel tank empty over the winter, and add new gas in the spring.

Clean the Mowing Deck

You should get in the habit of cleaning the mowing deck each time you finish cutting the lawn. Cut grass, dirt, and debris get caked onto the area above the blades, known as the mowing deck. Once it dries, it becomes incredibly hard and difficult to remove. It also traps heat, which can eventually cause your lawn mower’s engine to overheat. Plus, it can potentially block the discharge chute.

After you finish mowing, disconnect the spark plug, turn the lawn mower on its side, and use a wire brush to remove all of the grass clippings and debris that accumulated during the mowing session. Doing this after each cut makes it far easier, as the clippings are still wet and easy to remove.

At the end of the growing season, you should do a more thorough cleaning of your mowing deck. Remove the spark plug and flip the mower over onto its side (carburetor-side up). Remove all accumulated debris from the mowing deck, then give it a thorough clean with a stiff brush and some hot soapy water. Allow the mowing deck to dry while you’re doing the other end-of-season lawn mower maintenance tasks, then give the deck and blades a lubricating coating to prevent rust. Then you can put the mower away for the winter.

Replace the Air Filter

Like spark plugs, air filters are inexpensive but crucial to the performance and efficiency of your mower. At the end of each season, it’s a Smart idea to change your air filter if you have a removable one, or thoroughly clean the filter if you have a permanent one. A new or clean air filter significantly improves the efficiency of your lawn mower and decreases the demand placed on the engine. You’ll need to check your owner’s manual to see how to change the air filter on your specific mower model.

Check the Carburetor

The carburetor needs cleaning approximately every two years. A dirty or underperforming carburetor results in a noticeable drop in performance, and eventually stops the lawn mower working altogether. Dust, dirt, and debris can clog the internal and external parts of the carburetor, which slowly decreases performance.

While cleaning the carburetor isn’t particularly difficult, it’s best to let a pro handle this part for you if you’re not comfortable or don’t know your way around an engine.

Sharpen and Balance the Blades

Having sharp, well-balanced blades ensures your lawn mower performs well and your grass stays healthy. Even if you have no nicks in the blade, and your lawn is relatively free of sticks, stones, and other debris, the blades do wear down and get blunt. Damaged or blunt blades tear the grass rather than cutting it cleanly, causing extensive damage, and leaving your grass at greater risk of disease and poor health. Sharpening your mower blades is one of the easiest ways to keep your lawn lush and green.

With a little know-how and experience, you can sharpen your own blades with a vice and a metal file or rotary tool, or a specific blade-sharpening tool. However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can cause further damage to the blades and, therefore, your grass. So, it may be a good idea to take the mower to a repair shop or hire a mobile mower servicing company.

Fog the Engine

Fogging a lawn mower engine involves removing the outer plastic shell or engine housing and spraying fogging oil into the carburetor and inside the spark plug. This provides a waxy, protective coating that limits the risk of moisture getting inside the engine and causing issues.

Check the Tires

Before and after each use of your mower, it’s good practice to check the tires. Whether you have a ride-on mower with inflatable tires or a self-propelled mower with hard tires, it’s important to check that they remain in good condition. Even with molded wheels, if they’re chipped or significantly damaged, they can impair the performance and balance of your mower.

Don’t let cutting grass cut your spirit—if you’ve got a broken mower, there may be an easy fix

Additional Tips for Taking Care of Your Lawn Mower

Taking care of your lawn mower will not only extend its life but also help ensure it cuts your grass well, keeping it green and healthy.

Here are a few additional maintenance tips to add to your routine:

• Replace the blade if it has dents or cracks—sharpening it won’t work and it can damage your yard if used.
• Before you start mowing each time, remove rocks and any other items (small children’s toys or pet items) from your yard that could damage your lawn mower.
• If you’ve watered your lawn recently or it’s rained, wait to mow your lawn until it’s dry to prevent the deck from getting clogged with clippings.
• Inspect the cord and battery on electric mowers to ensure both are still in good condition.
• Replace the fuel filter on riding mowers and make sure the tires are at proper inflation levels.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

While you can take care of most of the day-to-day maintenance yourself for annual servicing and repair tasks, you may prefer to hire a lawn mower repair service.

The servicing is relatively inexpensive and helps to reduce repair costs and maximize the lifespan of your mower seed and have to replace it as often. You can hire a local lawn mower repair service to perform a yearly service and tuneup.

Scheduling this annually with a professional is a great way to make sure it gets done every year too, as it can sometimes be an easy task to forget until things go wrong,” says Tara Dudley, Angi Expert Review Board member and owner of Plant Life Designs. “Preventative maintenance is key!

FAQs About Lawn Mower Maintenance

Do I need to lubricate my mower blades?

It’s a good idea to lubricate your mower blades and mowing deck with something protective like WD40 that prevents rust and helps stop grass and dirt from sticking to the blades and deck.

Can you tip a lawn mower on its side?

Yes, you can tip a lawn mower on its side as long as you turn it with the carburetor side upwards. This prevents oil from leaking into the carburetor and reducing performance. You can also tip the mower backward as long as it’s stable while you’re working on the deck or blades for safety.

How sharp should lawn mower blades be?

Lawn mower blades should be sharp enough that you can feel the sharpened edge, but not sharp enough to cut you when you touch them. Over-sharpening blades to a fine, razor-edge poses a safety risk and decreases the blade’s life because it causes extra wear; the thinner edge is sharper but weaker and will require more frequent sharpening.

Services

Did your lawnmower suddenly sputter out in the middle of a mow? Or has your snowblower failed during a frigid winter day? If so, don’t wait to get it serviced by Duckwall’s Mower Repair. If you wait too long, your grass will grow unwieldy, or snow will continue to fall and block your driveway. For over 17 years, we’ve provided complete snowblower, lawn tractor, and lawn mower repair in Tallmadge, OH, and surrounding areas. We are a locally owned and operated team of mechanics and drivers known for our quick turnaround times and friendly customer service. If you can walk behind it or ride it we can fix it.

Push It. Drive It. Repair It.

Homeowners throughout the area return to us for every repair because they can rely on us for fast, thorough machine repair. Our mission is to reduce your downtime, so you can quickly start and finish your mowing and blowing tasks throughout the year: We service most makes and models of the following machines to our customers’ complete satisfaction:

Does My Machine Need Repairing?

Do you hear a strange rattling or clattering whenever you turn on your machine? Does it shake uncontrollably? Does the smell emanating from it spell bad news? If so, Duckwall’s Mower Repair will inspect it. Don’t worry if you don’t own a truck – our team can pick up your mower and deliver it when we’ve finished our work. We recommend scheduling an inspection and repair if you notice the following signs of disrepair:

This is the most obvious sign that your machine needs to be repaired. If it fails to start or resists, it needs inspected.

Fluid and gas are essential to your machine. Are you running out of gas too quickly? Do you notice mechanical stains on your property? Your machine might be leaking.

Machinery is naturally loud, but abnormal knocking, screeching, or sputtering are never good signs.

Smells other than exhaust or fuel, such as burning, could mean your machine is in serious trouble.

Machines shake and vibrate. But violent or uncontrollable shaking warrants an inspection.

We Don’t Service Hand-Held Equipment

We’ve discontinued our hand-held equipment repair. However, we will gladly recommend you a hand-held equipment repair shop upon request.

Better Call Duckwall’s Mower Repair Today!

With Duckwall’s Mower Repair, you won’t need to wait long to get your mowing or blowing back on track. Our seasoned mechanics complete minor and major repairs quickly. Whether your machine needs a tune-up or extensive replacement work, we will restore it to tip-top shape. We have an expansive delivery area, including Tallmadge, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow-Monroe Falls, and North Hill. Please reach out to us today to learn more about our specials, discounts, and deals available to you during your service.

Lawnmower Won’t Start? Do this.

Bad gas or a dirty carburetor are the most common reasons for a lawnmower that starts hard or runs rough.

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A lawnmower that won’t start, especially when taken from storage, is almost always due to one problem: bad gas.

Storing a lawnmower in the fall without adding gasoline stabilizer to the fuel tank can cause the fuel to break down and plug the fuel passages. If fixing that problem doesn’t help, there are a few others that can help fix a lawnmower that won’t start, as we explain here.

How to Fix a Lawnmower That Won’t Start

Replace the Bad Gas

Over time (like the six months your lawnmower sat in your garage over the winter), the lighter hydrocarbons in gas can evaporate. This process creates gums and varnish that dirty the carburetor, plug fuel passages and prevent gas from flowing into the combustion chamber.

The carburetor bowl below formed corrosion and deposits during storage, which can easily plug fuel passages and prevent the engine from starting.

Storing equipment without stabilizing the gas can lead to deposits that foul the carburetor or injectors.

Ethanol-containing gas can absorb water from the atmosphere, which can lead to phase separation, which occurs when ethanol and gas separate, much like oil and water. Ethanol that has absorbed enough moisture and has sat long enough can foul the fuel system and prevent the engine from starting.

No matter how many times you yank the pull cord and pollute the air with your advanced vocabulary, the lawnmower won’t start if it’s trying to run on bad gas.

In extreme cases, evaporation of lighter hydrocarbons can change the gasoline’s composition enough to prevent it from igniting. The gas may be fueling the engine, but it doesn’t matter if it won’t ignite.

Bad Gas in Your Lawnmower? Here’s How to Fix It

If you neglected to add gasoline stabilizer to the fuel prior to storage, empty the tank and replace with fresh gas. If the tank is nearly empty, simply topping off with fresh gas is often enough to get it started.

On some mowers, you can easily remove and empty the fuel tank. Sometimes that’s more trouble than it’s worth. In these cases, use a fluid extraction pump or even a turkey baster to remove the bad gas. You don’t need to remove all of it; but try to get as much out as possible.

Clean the Carburetor

You’ve replaced the fuel, but your lawnmower still won’t start.

Next, try cleaning the carburetor. Remove the air filter and spray carburetor cleaner into the intake. Let it sit for several minutes to help loosen and dissolve varnish and gums.

Remove the air filter and spray carburetor cleaner into the intake. Let it sit a few minutes to loosen deposits.

On some carburetors, you can easily remove the float bowl. If equipped, first remove the small drain plug and drain the gas from the bowl. Remove the float bowl cover and spray the float and narrow fuel passages with carburetor cleaner.

This kind of “quick-and-dirty” carburetor cleaning is usually all it takes to get the gas flowing again and your lawnmower back to cutting grass.

If not, consider removing the carburetor from the engine, disassembling it and giving it a good cleaning. Be forewarned, however: taking apart a carburetor can lead to nothing but frustration for the uninitiated. Take pictures with your phone to aid in reassembly. Note the positions of any linkages or the settings of any mixture screws, if equipped. If you’re at all reluctant, visit the servicing dealer instead.

Consider replacing the carburetor altogether. It’s a fairly simple process on most smaller mowers and it’s often less expensive than taking it to the dealer.

Direct compressed air from the inside of the air filter out to remove debris that may be reducing airflow and preventing the lawnmower from starting.

Clean/Replace the Air Filter

With the air filter removed, now’s the perfect time to clean it.

Tap rigid filters on a workbench or the palm of your hand to dislodge grass clippings, leaves and other debris. Direct compressed air from the inside of the filter out to avoid lodging debris deeper into the media.

Use soap and water to wash foam filters. If it’s been a few years, simply replace the filter; they’re inexpensive and mark the only line of defense against wear-causing debris entering your engine and wearing the cylinder and piston rings.

An incorrectly gapped spark plug can prevent the engine from starting. Set the gap to the specification given in the owner’s manual.

Check the Spark Plug

A dirty or bad spark plug may also be to blame. Remove the plug and inspect condition. A spark plug in a properly running four-stroke engine should last for years and never appear oily or burned. If so, replace it.

Use a spark-plug tester to check for spark. If you don’t have one, clip the spark-plug boot onto the plug, hold the plug against the metal cylinder head and slowly pull the starter cord. You should see a strong, blue spark. It helps to test the plug in a darkened garage. Replace the plug if you don’t see a spark or it appears weak.

While you’re at it, check the spark-plug gap and set it to the factory specifications noted in the lawnmower owner’s manual.

If you know the plug is good, but you still don’t have spark, the coil likely has failed and requires replacement.

Did You Hit a Rock or Other Obstacle?

We’ve all killed a lawnmower engine after hitting a rock or big tree root.

If your lawnmower won’t start in this scenario, you probably sheared the flywheel key. It’s a tiny piece of metal that aligns the flywheel correctly to set the proper engine timing. Hitting an immovable obstacle can immediately stop the mower blade (and crankshaft) while the flywheel keeps spinning, shearing the key.

In this case, the engine timing is off and the mower won’t start until you pull the flywheel and replace the key. It’s an easy enough job IF you have a set of gear pullers lying around the garage. If not, rent a set from a parts store (or buy one…there’s never a bad reason to buy a new tool) or visit the dealer.

My Lawnmower Starts But Runs Poorly

If you finally get the lawnmower started, but it runs like a three-legged dog, try cleaning the carburetor with AMSOIL Power Foam. It’s a potent cleaning agent designed to remove performance-robbing carbon, varnish and other gunk from carburetors and engines.

Add Gasoline Stabilizer to Avoid Most of These Problems

Which sounds better? Completing all these steps each year when your lawnmower won’t start? Or pouring a little gasoline stabilizer into your fuel tank?

Simply using a good gasoline stabilizer can help avoid most of the problems with a lawnmower that won’t start.

AMSOIL Gasoline Stabilizer, for example, keeps fuel fresh up to 12 months. It helps prevent the lighter hydrocarbons from evaporating to reduce gum and varnish and keep the fuel flowing. It also contains corrosion inhibitors for additional protection.

I have a five-gallon gas can in my garage from which I fuel two lawnmowers, two chainsaws, two snowblowers, a string trimmer, an ATV and the occasional brush fire. I treat the fuel with Gasoline Stabilizer every time I fill it so I never have to worry about the gas going bad and causing problems.

You can also use AMSOIL Quickshot. It’s designed primarily to clean carburetors and combustion chambers while addressing problems with ethanol. But it also provides short-term gasoline stabilization of up to six months.

Use a Good Motor Oil for Your Lawnmower

Although motor oil has no bearing on whether your lawnmower starts or not (unless you don’t use oil at all and seize the engine), it pays to use a high-quality motor oil in your lawnmower.

This is especially true for professionals or homeowners running expensive zero-turn or riding mowers.

Lawnmower engines are tougher on oil than most people realize. They’re usually air-cooled, which means they run hotter than liquid-cooled automotive engines.

They often run for hours in hot, dirty, wet conditions. Many don’t have an oil filter, further stressing the oil.

In these conditions, motor oils formulated for standard service can break down, leading to harmful deposits and reduced wear protection.

For maximum performance and life, use a motor oil in your lawnmower designed to deliver commercial-grade protection, like AMSOIL Synthetic Small-Engine Oil.

Its long-life formulation has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to safely exceed original equipment manufacturer (OEM) drain intervals in the toughest conditions. It provides an extra measure of protection when equipment goes longer between oil changes than is recommended by the OEM.

Is it time to repair your lawn mower or and lawn equipment?

Maybe you went to start your mower but….

It wouldn’t start? Or Maybe your mower was fuming smoke?

Perhaps your tractor just wasn’t running properly?

No worries, it happens to all of us. But how do you repair lawn mower when it breaks down?

Here are a few things you should know.

Most Local Repair Shops Prefer Professional Equipment

Here’s a secret that you may not have realized it yet. Most shops will specialize in repairing commercial equipment that the pros use. They are often not interested in fixing your residential mower, so it’s best to save their time and yours, and ask a few questions before dropping your mower off.

Here are a few good questions to ask before sending you mower in for repair:

• Ask them what their labor rate is,
• Are they are interested in repairing residential equipment,
• Most importantly how backed up are they.

Pro Tip!

Think about it, when it comes to working with equipment, it is no wonder that most shops don’t want to repair residential lawn mowers. Professional lawn mower repairs are more predictable, and problems occur less often. On the other hand repairing residential lawn mowers can be more of a hassle.

That is why you have to find the right lawn mower repair service.

Finding the Right Lawn Mower Repair Shop

Here is a tip, big box stores have often found the best pros for repairing lawn mowers they sell.

Call up your local lawn and garden center at Home Depot or Lowes, and ask the department manager, where they send their warranty repairs to. These big box retailers have to assist in processing the warranty claims for the equipment they sell. Because they need efficient repairs, they work with the better lawn mower repair shops in your town.

These lawn mower repair shops often offer the best quality work. Better yet these repair facilities are quick, and reasonably priced. They are often much, much more affordable, because they work with your type of equipment all the time. This enables these repair facilities to offer quick diagnosis, and fast repairs.

Once You have Found a Mower Repair Shop

Now that you have found the shop that is not backed up, and that is willing to work on your equipment, be careful to not spend more on repairing the equipment than its worth!

Ask for a ballpark price, many places may offer free estimates for lawn mower repair work. So be sure to ask how much it’s going to be to repair your equipment. You would be amazed how easy it is to spend 600 to repair a riding mower that is worth 300, and all the while you could buy a brand new one for 700.

You can often save a bit of time and money if you can diagnose the problem yourself. However, when you don’t know what you are doing you may do more harm than good. If you are a bit handy, you can check out our article on diagnosing common lawn mower problems.

Some Recommended Repair Shops

After being in the lawn care industry for over 15 years, I have found a number of great repair facilities in the places I worked, and by word of mouth from my fellow landscapers. I have written a few articles about the lawn mower repair facilities in these areas.

• Tampa or St. Petersburg Florida, I recommend these shops for repair as well as equipment purchases.
• Here are the Top 5 Repair Shops in Charlotte, NC
• And If you live in Atlanta Georgia you are in luck! There are a lot of amazing lawn equipment mechanics, and lawn mower repair shops. Here are the Top 10.

Want to Recommended Your Local Repair Shop?

Of course. we could not cover all the great lawn equipment repair facilities in the country. If you know of a great place tell us on @YourGreenPal

We would love to hear from you!

Lawn Mower Still Broken? Try This!

While you are waiting to get your equipment repaired, jump on GreenPal and line up a pro to cut the lawn until you get it back. Signing up is simple, and you can get several lawn care bids quickly. Seriously, we work with some of the best landscapers across the country, check it out!

Hi, I’m Gene Caballero and I’m the co-founder of GreenPal. At GreenPal, we’re helping hundreds of thousands of Americans solve one of the trickiest problems: a reliable, fast, and affordable way to get lawncare taken care of. On behalf of GreenPal, I’ve been featured in the Indianapolis Star. the Sacramento Bee. Entrepreneur. Inc.com. and dozens more. Please feel free to say hi on or connect with me on LinkedIn.