Posted: 8/15/2025 4:58:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: NotIssued][Edited]
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Have a brush hog that I can't get started. Don't have a trailer so hauling it to a shop is a headache. Anyone that knows small engines willing to make a house call in Clark Co.? Edit: Ok, so for more info... It's a Briggs and Stratton engine, with electric start. A few weeks ago I was cutting grass; it was running fine for about an hour, and I stopped to refill the gas. (Gas was bought within a week of pouring it in). I also noticed the oil was low, so bought new oil and filled it. Since then, nothing. No clicks, no cranks, nothing. Put the battery on a trickle charger, then when that didn't help, replaced the entire battery. Battery wires properly installed/grounded. Replaced the spark plug. Air filter is clean. There's a valve on the fuel line, that's in the open position. Fuses intact (though I broke one, it's the dumb glass cylinder types, it's now replaced). My next thought is drain all the oil and see what happens but that's a hassle. Guess I can do the carburetor, like mentioned below. Don't know if there's other things to check, but I'm getting tired of dealing with it and running out of ideas. |
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I'm not in your area so don't know of anyone to recommend. That being said, I have taken a few small engine repair classes at a community college long ago, and have "tinkered" with them for 40 years. I repaired all the small engines used at the roofing company I once worked for. My granddaughter's husband is a damn good small engine mechanic... he earns his living repairing chainsaws and lawn mowers/tractors etc., he\s certified by Stihl, Husquevarna, Cub Cadet and others. But he's up in Arbor Vitae. It needs 3 basic things to run - compression, spark, fuel. Spark is easy to check. So is compression - just pull out the spark plug and see if it pulls much easier without one. The problem in most cases of not running is fuel delivery... or fuel/air mixture. IOW, the carbeurator. Carbs ususlly need periodic cleaning to mix properly. Pull the plug, drop a little gas in the cyllinder, replace the plug and try it. If it runs on the gas you just put directly into the cylinder, your problem is the carb isn't delivering fuel properly. Most carbs are inexpensive these days, usually better to just replace it rather than clean or troubleshoot it. Grandson-in-law gets them on ebay, most of the time. New carb for my generator (that was hard to start and ran like crap) was $18 from ebay seller, made by Oregon, the company that makes chainsaw stuff. 20 minutes to swap it out, runs like new. 
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You didn't mention if it cranked over with the new battery. If it didn't I'd try just jumping direct to the starter from the battery as it might be the switch. If it won't crank over going direct to the starter, that's where the problem probably is. Is there a way to manually turn it over without the starter? Some engines have a plate on top of the flywheel to use a cord on. |
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Originally Posted By kapusta: You didn't mention if it cranked over with the new battery. If it didn't I'd try just jumping direct to the starter from the battery as it might be the switch. If it won't crank over going direct to the starter, that's where the problem probably is. Is there a way to manually turn it over without the starter? Some engines have a plate on top of the flywheel to use a cord on. Thats a good thought. Nothing I've done has changed its function. No cranking. Maybe an intermittent faint click. I'll look at where the starter is and if there's a manual option. |
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Oops. I didn't know it was an electric start that doesn't do anything, I thought it was a no-run issue on a pull start. Changing carbs won't do anything. On some engines like a Briggs, the starter needs to be grounded to the engine. They're typically grounded by the mounting surface or mounting bolts. If you can see mounting bolts on the starter, check to be sure they're not loose. If they are tight, it wouldn't hurt to remove them and the starter, clean the mating surfaces with sandpaper, and reinstall it. There is also a possibility of a broken wire or loose wire connection somewhere in the key switch circuit, or possibly the starter itself has gone bad. I'll ask my grandson-in-law if he has any other ideas. |
| Can’t help you with shops as I’m south central but troubleshooting wise when you key on and hear no click/faint click and no starter engagement, that indicates an electrical issue. Either a safety interlock is stuck open (seat plunger, foot clutch switch, left the blade lever on, etc) preventing the starter circuit/relay from energizing, or the starter relay is bad. At worst, the starter itself is bad but if it worked and suddenly didn’t, I’m leaning towards an interlock. |
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Originally Posted By braapJob: Can’t help you with shops as I’m south central but troubleshooting wise when you key on and hear no click/faint click and no starter engagement, that indicates an electrical issue. Either a safety interlock is stuck open (seat plunger, foot clutch switch, left the blade lever on, etc) preventing the starter circuit/relay from energizing, or the starter relay is bad. At worst, the starter itself is bad but if it worked and suddenly didn’t, I’m leaning towards an interlock. Grandson-in-law concurs with above. He said he also sees a lot of walk behinds that have an electric PTO button, and if that is depressed/ engaged, when you try to start it, it won't start, it won't crank, it does nothing. He said check it if it has one, to be sure it's not depressed. |