Why Would a Lawn Mower Stop Running After a Few Hours of Mowing?

As a lawn mower gets older, it is expected to have problems with parts wearing out or leaking hoses, but a mower that has only been mowing for a total of a few hours can present a challenge when it suddenly stops running. Several logical reasons account for why a new mower would stop operating. Check the basic problem areas before panicking or calling a repair shop.

One of the things that most people do not check on a new lawn mower is how tight the spark plug cable is on the spark plug. If your new mower suddenly stops, locate the spark plug to see if the cap and wire have come lose. Wear gloves when working on the spark plug. The cap and wire should easily snap back onto the top of the plug, and you can mow again instantly. If the problem persists, you will need to take the mower in for repairs or contact the company for warranty information.

Even after a few hours, your mower throws a lot of grass up into the blade housings, and some can get on the engine. The gas cap of your lawn mower has several small holes in it to allow proper ventilation to the fuel system and prevent vapor lock. If the holes are clogged, your mower will stop running. The remedy is to unclog the gas cap holes and allow the mower to run for a few seconds to circulate fuel before mowing.

If the blades of your mower are so clogged with grass that they cannot properly turn, your mower will not run, which can happen after a few mowing sessions of spring grass that can get exceedingly high. Remove the spark plug cap for safety reasons, and carefully remove the excess grass from around the blades and the blade housing. Removing the spark plug cap will ensure that the mower does not start when you turn the blades to clean them.

If you follow the cable that comes from the throttle controls on the handle of your mower down to the engine, you will see a small lever with a hole in it that appears to be a part of the engine, which is the part of the throttle that acts as a choke on the engine. When you press down on the throttle, the throttle cable moves that lever and opens up the throttle. On a new mower, that throttle cable can sometimes vibrate out of the hole in the lever, which will cause the mower to stop operating. Replace the throttle cable and give it a slight twist around the lever to hold it in place.

Obvious mistakes can be made, which is true even with brand new lawn mowers. A new mower can stop operating in two ways that can happen to even the most observant of landscapers. See if your mower is out of gas. You can get so caught up in all of the other mechanical options that checking the gas level will sometimes escape you. Make certain the mower is not sitting on top of a small tree stump or something that can prevent the blades from turning. Not only will this damage your blades, but it will also prevent the mower from running.