Gas pukes out of exhaust when I pull the starter cord

9 years ago

I will be as complete as I can be. Please have patience and read this completely. That will give you enough detail for you to help me. Thanks.

So, I have this HONDA lawn mower that just refuses to start. If I spray a little starting fluid on the carb throat, it starts and runs for about 5 seconds and dies. So, I took the carburetor out and cleaned it and still the same thing.....it didn't fire up.

I let it sit for about an hr and saw that that it was dripping gas from the carburetor throat thru the air filter opening. I pulled the starter cord couple of times and it squirted gas or gas oil/mixture out of the exhaust. After a couple of pulls it started and ran till it ran out of gas. Later the same day, I noticed that the started pull cord has become hard to pull from time to time. I removed the starter and was able to rotate the fly wheel with hand. I have not tried starting it again for about 24hrs now. When I look inside the exhaust, I see a tiny amount of gas? in the exhaust...something like a third of tea spoon. I am not sure if its from the gas/liquid ejection yesterday. I also checked the oil dipstick and has a feeling it has gas in the oil tank but am not sure how to make sure that it has gas in it. But it does not appear to have 100% oil alone in it. I mean, I am not sure that it has the consistency of oil alone.

So, I really need help

1. to know what's making the starter difficult to pull
2. Why was it puking out what appeared to be gas when I tried starting it? Was it puking gas or something else? How do I test it?
3. How do I know for sure if there are gas in the oil tank?
4. This lawn mower is in good condition. Is it possible to rescue it, or it is it toast?
5. How do I get this to start working again?

Please help.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

baymee
9 years ago
You have several symptoms. Assuming you didn't tip your mower up with the carb on the ground side down, it could be your carb has varnish in the jets, but this wouldn't start out of nowhere. You would've had starting problems first. Your float could also be held open by dirt.

Your cylinder seems to be filled with fuel. Remove the spark plug and pull the cord. Gas will probably spray out the hole. You need to ground the plug or it will ignite the fuel and you'll have a flamethrower. Dry out or replace the plug and you might be ask in business. Your mower will have suffered no harm.

I need a little history first.
tele gram
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi baymee, thanks for your response. Please ask me any questions that will help. What kind of history would you like?

Also, is the pull start getting hard to pull because of the things you mentioned above? If you can, can you expand on that so I can learn the reasons why that happened?

again, thanks for you help thus far.
Related Professionals
Garden City Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Aurora Landscape Contractors · Wilmington Landscape Contractors · Americus Landscape Contractors · Brookline Landscape Contractors · Crystal Landscape Contractors · Holland Landscape Contractors · Seven Hills Landscape Contractors · Washington Landscape Contractors · West Coon Rapids Landscape Contractors · West Haverstraw Landscape Contractors · Sun Valley Landscape Contractors · North Hills Landscape Contractors · Raytown Landscape Contractors · Temple Carpenters
fritz1255
9 years ago
Pull the dipstick and smell the oil on it - if it smells like gas, that means that gas is leaking into the crankcase through the cylinder. This is indicative of a stuck carberator float that is stuck wide open.
tele gram
Original Author
9 years ago
So, if there are gas in the tank, what do I do? dump the oil completely?
Orio31
9 years ago
First off a model number would help
1. Gas is filling your cylinder making it hard to start
2. You probably have a stuck float needle in your carburetor
3. Smell the dipstick. If you smell gas, replace it
4.You need to fix the leaking gas problem. Your needle is stuck open, allowing gas to overflow your carb and exit into the cylinder and out of your air filter. I always rebuild/replace the carb whenever i get one that leaks. There not worth the trouble of messing with imo. Honda carbs are usually cheaper than rebuild kits, so i might go with a new one (seeing as you had difficulty starting before".
5. Replace/rebuild carb. pull spark plug and let dry. While plug is out pull starter cord over a couple times, this will purge any gas in the cylinder. Replace plug and you should be running good..
If you smell gas in the oil just replace, its cheap and needs done yearly anyway
tele gram
Original Author
9 years ago
Orio, just o make sure, if the oil smells like gas, just change the oil. Is this correct? On a side note for my learning purposes, what happens, if I don't change the oil, assuming there are some gas in there?
baymee
9 years ago
The oil will be diluted and not as effective. About history, I would have asked if you tipped the mower on its side with the carb down. Did this problem start suddenly or after the mower was inactive for a long period. Your rope is hard to pull because gas is probably in the cylinder. Remove it as I said and see if it starts. Honda carbs are an unbelievable $17 @ Plano Honda but I think your problem has a simple cure
tele gram
Original Author
9 years ago
No. It happened after I cleaned the carb and put a float from a carb I had before in it. I neve. I never had it tilted to the side at least not longer than a few seconds.
tele gram
Original Author
9 years ago
What's the website for that Honda parts dealer you mentioned?
baymee
9 years ago
Google Honda of Plano Texas