Black carbon fouling on the plug is a sign of the engine running too rich, start by replacing the air filter and plug and try again.
Too rich could be as simple as replacing air filter or spark plug. Make sure the gap is right since I know you already took it out! But most likely the float in the carburetor is stuck in the low fuel position(down). Either the hinge pin is corroding or you have a small hole in the float and it is filling with fuel. Since your in there you might as well clean out the passages with carb cleaner!
SOURCE: mower won't start. cleaned air filter,
Hi davems284...
Here are a few things to check...
Make sure you are getting spark at the spark plug, to do this:
Remove your spark plug and check to be sure you are getting fire at the spark plug.
You do this by grounding the plug on the head of the engine and pulling the crank rope, if you are getting spark then:
NOTE: Before you disassemble the carburetor:
Make sure you mark each piece with a awl, or some kind of instrument that will make an alignment scratch before you disassemble the carburetor into separate pieces.
That way you will know which way it goes back together when you reassemble it.
Check you fuel line condition after a while they will degrade and need replacment.
Sometimes you can get by with priming the carburetor or by using starting fluid and letting it run a few times like that, and it will flush the gunk out of the jets,but most of the time you will need to rebuild the carburetor.
Check/Clean/Replace your Air Filter, a dirty air filter can make your engine run to rich with fuel.
Check your fuel tank for water and dirt/debris, if there is water/debris then you need to clean your tank.
Check/Clean/Replace your fuel filter if you have one.
Make sure you are using fresh fuel...And oil mix if your using a two cycle mower, with the oil to the right mixture and not too much oil as it can cause hard starting.
If the mower is over a couple of years old, then I recommend that you buy and install a new carburetor repair kit,because the diaphragm will get hard and that will cause it to be hard to crank.
It may look good, but can just be hard enough not to pump the proper amount of fuel.
I recommend that you use a laquer thinner type cleaner to clean and dissolve the laquer build-up in the float and needle jet passages.
Be sure to remove all plastic and rubber parts before using the laquer thinner because it can dissolve the plastic parts and render them unuseable.
Be sure to use COMPRESSED AIR to blow out all the fuel and air passages.
Be careful when blowing out the passages, because there are sometimes small rubber type seats in the bottom of some of the passages.
Keep in mind that the float (if you have one) for the carburetor must be level when you go to reassemble the carburetor or follow the instructions you get with the carburetor kit.
When you clean your carburetor and remove the jet screws, you will first need to lightly seat the jet screws.
But before you lightly seat the jet screws count the number of turns it takes to seat the jet screws from their original position.
Be sure to mark the turns down on a piece of paper.
That way when you put the jets back in, you know to lightly seat them first and then turn them back out to their original position before you started.
Once you have your carburetor rebuilt that should solve your problem.
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SOURCE: my toro mower won't start.
The Toros have a Tecumseh engine and are famous for this. I'd suggest you do a thorough cleaning of the carburetor, but there is a little known secret that I've learned about this particular carb. Pull the bolt from the bottom of the float bowl on the carb (1/2 inch wrench; the "main jet"). Be sure that all the little holes in that jet are clean and you can stick a wire thru them. There is a microscopic hole at the very top of the threads on that brass bolt that often gets clogged and your mower will not start. I use the wire from the needle valve inside the carburetor to stick thru it, as it's about the only thing that'll fit. (note: if you have 50 year old eyes like me, you can't even see this hole w/out specs). Hope this helps and best of luck to you. (also, be sure you put the float bowl back on the right way; there's a bevel in the back that needs to go toward the hinge in the float or the float won't work. Learned that one the hard way as well. )
James
SOURCE: I have a Toro 20" self propelled, electric start
I am strictly Briggs&Stratton. They are hard to start when the fuel tank is half empty. Clean the plug and air filter.
SOURCE: My parents have a self
Does the mower die right away (cuts out) or does it sputter to a halt. Sputtering out would indicate a fuel problem. If it just cuts out when hot, then more likely an ignition problem. Your coil may need replacing. Take a close look at the coil wire (spark plug wire) and its routing. Make sure it's not touching part of the engine where it's heating up and has caused a "leak" to ground it out when it gets hot. If all is well then check your spark when the engine is hot and cuts out. Make sure you have a very good blue spark and not a weak one (check it cold first and then compare!). Again, indicating a possible ignition coil problem. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.
James
You need to pull the spark plug out, connect the spark
plug wire and ground the plug to the motor and see if you have spark. If you
have spark (bright blue) then it is a fuel problem. A yellow spark is and indicator
of a coil issue.
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