Last summer I bought a "Gardenline" petrol lawn mower from Aldi. It has a Briggs and Stratton 4-stroke engine (09P702) which, now I want to use it again, is refusing to start.

I suspect the fault is in the carburettor, since it will run (briefly, for 1 or 2 seconds) if I spray a squirt of electrical contact claner into the intake. Otherwise, it does nothing at all when I turn it over - not so much as a cough or splutter.

I have taken the carburettor off, and there was plenty of petrol in the float chamber, so no blockage there.

Could the main jet be blocked?

Any suggestions welcomed as I can't find anything about this particular engine online.

From Briggs & Stratton troubleshooting guide:

Quote:

Your Mower Won't Start:

Believe it or not, many homeowners experience this frustration for one very obvious reason: the gas tank is empty. So be sure you're filled up first. Old gas can also lead to problems starting. If you have last season's gas in your mower, drain your fuel tank and fill with fresh gas. Other possible causes include:
• Loose, Dirty or Disconnected Spark Plug in Your Lawn Mower: Check it out, clean off debris, re-connect and tighten.
• Dirty Air Filter: Clean or replace.
• Fuel Not Reaching the Engine: Tap the side of the carburetor to help the flow of gas. If this doesn't work, you might need a new fuel filter.

I would suspect old fuel, at end of season the tank/system should be emptied of fuel.
also it's best to use a premium grade fuel.

Dave DAVE.

I had this with a Honda-started and ran for about 10 seconds then died. It turned out to be the spark plug.

It is a very a very strong possibility that it is the fuel. I used to have an annual swine of a job getting my chainsaws and such going, it was always fuel related, even when I had drained the tank and ran the motor to use up every drop in the carb. It doesn't take much sticky residue to block a jet somewhere in a tiny carb.

Solutions to try : 1) soak the carb in Halfords or Wynns Carburettor Cleaner 2 ) have a can of " easy start " handy . 3) clean dry and gap the plug . Get it running on the easy start without the choke then off you go .

That should get you running . As it's a four stroke it's highly unlikely you have shaken the carb settings to pieces like certain cheap two strokes are prone to doing .

Note above I said I used to have trouble. For infrequently used engines I now use Aspen synthetic fuel. It comes in a gallon can, you can get straight fourstroke, or premixed two stroke. Any decent lawn mower and garden machinery place sells it . will not deteriorate , it will not gum up , and your engine will run flat out without bogging down under load , a particularly good trait for mowers and saws. It's also " green " and you are not going to be choking on exhaust fumes it burns clean, smells pleasant , like LPG.

So the down side, about £20 a can . However :a small engine service is around £50. Your time faffing around after winter trying to start your mower/ strimmers/ trimmers etc will be a thing of the past and leaving the engine standing for months will not be a problem. 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

Thanks to EU regs you can no longer buy 2 stroke mowers and as both of my lawns are on 30 - 45 degree slopes 4 stroke ain't recommended. It looks like my 2stroke Flymo hover will be replaced by a cordless mower. Have my eyes on either a Greenworks or Stiga 80v - big money but battery lasts 1000 cycles and savings made in lack of service costs, oil and petrol make it almost sense over the longer term. MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

Fuel left in the bottom of the carb drain it off, remove and clean the plug. Has happened every year with mines for as long as I can remember.

Many years ao ( in my youth ...!!) I used to work for a tool hire company,serviceing and repairing lawnmowers as well as other stuff, after the "season ended, first thing we did was empty the fuel out , drain the engine oil out , blow through the fuel lines , new oil spark plug, fresh oil refil with fresh petrol start run for 5 mins re-drain fuel .
leave tank and lines empty till "next season " refill with FRESH FUEL and 99.9% all started fist time ..

do that every year on my mower always start Ist or second pull on the cord

as other on here have said

fresh fuel and a good spark works wonder  Wales
Were the mud is thicker, and the ruts are deeper.
(And we have the water to wash it off, and more on the way..! )
Sd4 and chrome Ar*e piece, Auto box for best fun
09 Xs Gone
12 xs Gone
HSE with Leather seats and 4 years warrenty.. staying for now !

Have you checked that you are getting a spark? I have had problems with the magnetos on these engines. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

We have about 100 m2 of lawn around our block of units and have been using a Flymo push mower for about 3 years now. I've had a few goes at it and don't see the point of a petrol mower for this area of lawn. There is not a lot to break on these things & if it does break just buy another one. http://www.flymo.com/au/products/lawn-mowers/flymo-h40/ Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Well, who'd have thought it: after stripping down the carburettor (like a miniature Stromberg in plastic, really) and extracting the main jet, I found that the hole at the bottom of the main jet that lets the petrol in was blocked. It has a tiny, tiny inlet hole and I had to use a single strand of copper wire from an electric cable to clear it out. Put it all back together and it started first time.

I know you're supposed to drain the petrol out over the winter but that's easier said than done, and in any event I would have thought leaving petrol in would be better, since then any crud at the bottom of the tank and/or the carburettor will stay where it is.

Anyway, I'm off to cut the grass and I'll worry about it next year!