Gas power lawnmowers are a huge step up from the old manual lawnmowers. The one advantage to the manual lawnmowers is that you did not have to deal with the engine. It seems like every spring, when the lawn needs to be cut, the lawnmower will not start. After trying to replace the oil, filling up the gas, and kicking it a few times, you need to get down and dirty and really try to fix the lawnmower. By the time you get the lawnmower started, the day is almost over and the lawn still has not been mowed.
Fortunately, you do not have to deal with this problem every spring if you do just a little bit of work before you store your lawn mower at the end of the summer. I was given this good tip by a mechanic about the same time that lead-free gas was hitting the gas stations. Lead-free gasoline is an important change for many reasons, but the problem with lead-free gas is that if it is left standing in your engine for any length of time, it can become goopy. This goop will block all of the jets in the carburetor and the engine will fail to start.
If you are planning on storing your lawn mower engine over the winter, always ensure that you run it dry before you store it. You should be careful to remove any excess gasoline from the engine. It may be enough just to let the engine run out of gas, but if you can drain it out, it will be even better. Another option is to pour out what you can and then let the engine run dry on the last remaining bit, then let the engine dry out. Use this same tip on any other engine you plan on storing to ensure that it will work when you go to use it again after having it in storage.
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