I have an MTD Yard Machine mod# 11A-418A729407-896. It starts and runs for 5-6 seconds. Is there anything I can clean or replace to fix it? Thanks

SOURCE: Yard Machine MTD push lawn mower won't start

Sounds like you need a complete tuneup. Start with the carb. then clean all coil contacts, air filter and this will start you in the right direction. Good luck.

SOURCE: I HAVE A MTD YARD MACHINE 12A446B729. RUNS FIVE

was having the exact same problem with my 6.5 hp Toro lawnmower with a Tecumseh engine. The engine would start up okay but after a few minutes of mowing, the mower would start missing and eventually shut down. I would pull and pull and pull on the starter rope, getting angry and frustrated and eventually going back in the house to let it cool down.

I looked up all kinds of information and I finally decided it was a bad coil (something about the resistance being low when the mower wasn't hot and then when it heated up the coil would conduct enough electricity to somehow make the engine shut down.)

I called a local shop and wanted to get an estimate on replacing the coil. I have no clue about engines so I dared not get into the guts of the mower myself. He told me to check the gas cap. HUH??????

He told me to make sure there wasn't a part missing out of it. I thought, what the heck would a gas cap have to do with the engine shutting down. Well, apparently there is a mechanism on these caps that prevents a vacuum from pulling on the fuel system and my gas cap indeed had a part missing. To verify this, I cut the grass for about 5 minutes. When it started to run rough, I took the gas cap off to allow pressure to escape from the gas tank and voila! it started to purr like a kitten.

So, I'm only out $4 for a new gas cap and I'm as good as new. Man I wish I was more mechanically inclined so I hope your problem is as easy to solve as this one.

Hope this helps!

SOURCE: Can't keep mower running without consistently pushing the primer.

It sounds like there is water in the gas. The only way to remedy this is to take the carb off of the gas tank and replace the diaphragm, there is a small reservoir between the tank and carb...clean with WD-40 to remove water

SOURCE: lawnmower wont start

Possible Causes Corrective actions
Unit will not start Control handle is not engaged Engage control handle
Spark plug wire is disconnected Connect spark plug wire
Fuel tank empty or stale fuel Replace with clean, fresh gas
Blocked fuel line Clean fuel line
Faulty spark plug Replace, clean, or adjust gap
Engine flooded Wait to restart, do not prime
Air filter filled with dirt or debris Replace or clean air filter

SOURCE: yard machine mtd 123cc mower stalls after starting

dirty gas. the fuel bowl likely has junk in it which plugs the jets as soon as it starts. you may get luck just emptying the carb bowl but a good carb clean and new gas will do the trick. (dump out the old gas