Is your Lawn Mower Surging up and down every time you use it? A lawnmower surge is defined by an engine that revs up and down, and it’s something you can fix yourself. If your lawnmower falls into this category, this guide will walk you through the six steps you use to stop lawnmowers from surging.
After all, Lawn mowers surging while you’re using a mower is very frustrating and dramatically affects the performance of your mower’s ability to cut your lawn effectively.
Why does a Lawn Mower engine Surge? Mower engine surging problems are caused by any of these engine functions not working correctly.
Lawn Mower Engines Require These 3 Things to Function Properly:
- Fresh Gasoline (fuel)
- Fresh Air (oxygen)
- Good Spark (spark plug)
To make sure each of the above three requirements Is working properly – Let’s look at the Six (6) potential problems below related to these functions – and determine which requirement is not working correctly on Your Lawnmower.
How To Fix Lawn Mower Surge: Six Step Checklist
1) Bad Fuel
The number one cause of mower engine surge is using old or contaminated gasoline – perhaps by water condensation, usually due to leaving gas in the mower over the winter.
Many homeowners forget or choose not to drain the gas from their mower’s tank at the end of each season. At the start of a new season, they either add fresh gas to the old gas or try to start the mower engine using the old gas.
The quality of gasoline deteriorates quickly over time. For this reason, buy only enough gas you can use within 30 days. When your lawnmower sits idle over the winter with a half-empty gas tank – condensation builds up inside the gas tank and mixes that water (condensation) with the gas.
If the lawnmower starts, it will not run correctly with old or diluted gas in the tank. If your lawnmower surges up and down – you can repair it as follows:
How To Repair Bad Fuel in Lawnmower
- Drain old gas from the tank. Use a siphon if you have one – and save spills on the engine and floor.
- Add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank (manufacturers recommended mix ratio) and top with a full gas tank.
- Run the engine for 2 minutes to circulate the fresh gas. Check for mower engine surging.
Tip: Briggs & Stratton recommends only using gas for small engines with no more than 10% Ethanol, which has a minimum 87 Octane rating. This is one way to keep your Briggs & Stratton engine surging issue from happening.
Briggs & Stratton Video Best Fuel For Lawn Mower Engine:
Alternative Fuel: “Pre-Mixed” Lawnmower Gas:
You can also choose to use “Canned (or Boutique) Fuel” for 2-Cycle small engines, discussed here at Popular Mechanics.
It may sound weird – but canned fuel for mowers does provide three essential benefits to your lawnmower engine vs. typical gas pump fuel.
- Canned fuel contains Gas – but No Ethanol (Ethanol is a grain-based by-product) is used to make petroleum fuels more affordable and does more damage than good to engines.
- Canned fuel has a High 94 Octane rating – Provides superior engine performance.
- Canned fuel includes Stabilizer to protect engines
We recommend VP Small Engine Fuels at Amazon – as the best choice of canned fuel available online.
2) Dirty Lawn Mower Air Filter
If you find that your Briggs & Stratton mower engine revs up and down (surges), it may be likely that your lawnmower air filter is dirty.
As noted, mower engines require air (oxygen) mixed with fuel, then a spark, to ignite the mixture and run the lawnmower engine.
If your air filter is dirty – it’s like forcing your lawnmower engine to “suck air through a straw” – nothing runs efficiently under those conditions.
How To Repair Dirty Lawnmower Air Filter
- Remove the lawnmower air filter.
- If your lawnmower has a “Foam” type reusable air filter, follow the instructions to wash, dry, and reuse the lawnmower filter.
- If your lawnmower has a “Paper” type (disposable) air filter – replace the air filter with a new one to match your lawnmower air filter requirements.
If You Need To Replace a lawn mower air filter – You can use the links below for the most popular brands. Be sure to verify the specifications that the air filter you select matches your existing filter:
- Briggs & Stratton Engine Surging? – Consider this “Flat Air Filter Cartridge” at Amazon
- Honda Engine Surging?- Consider this Genuine Honda Air Filter at Amazon
- Craftsman Engine Surging? – Check out this Air filter Cartridge at Amazon
- Kohler Engine Surging? – Consider this Kohler Air Filter at Amazon
3) “Clogged” Lawnmower Gas Cap
Most people are unaware that the fuel tank “cap” has a small hole on the top, which allows air to enter the gas tank and create back pressure. This air pressure helps deliver fuel to the carburetor and run correctly.
Sometimes, the gas cap hole is clogged with dirt or debris when a lawnmower surges up and down. Not to sound too redundant, lawnmower engines need a steady flow of fuel delivered from the gas tank to the carburetor to perform as designed. Use the two steps below to make sure the gas cap is not clogged:
How To Repair Clogged Lawnmower Gas Cap
- Inspect the Fuel Cap for a plugged hole.
- Use a small wire or compressed air to clean any obstruction in the hole.
4) Vacuum Line Leak
The lawnmower carburetor is designed to operate with controlled air intake. If you have leaks in your air intake – the carburetor and, therefore, the engine – will not run smoothly. Try these five steps, which require minimum tools, to inspect your lawnmower for vacuum leaks:
How To Repair Lawnmower Vacuum Leak
- Inspect vacuum hoses leading from the air filter to the carburetor.
- Check vacuum hoses for cracks, holes, or loose hose clamps, and fix or replace as needed.
- Check the condition of the Carburetor Gasket – Replace if needed.
- Tighten carburetor (4 bolts)
- Tighten engine manifold bolts to ensure a tight vacuum seal.
5) “Bad” Lawnmower Spark Plug
The engine will not run correctly without a proper spark delivered from the lawnmower engine spark plug. If you’re unsure how to tell if a lawn mower spark plug is bad, check out this article from Best Home Gear.
We recommend the following four steps to inspect and repair a bad spark plug:
How To Replace Bad Lawnmower Spark Plug
- Disconnect the spark plug wire
- Carefully remove the spark plug
- Inspect the spark plug for any cracks or a worn-out electrode.
- We recommend you replace the spark plug with a new one – use the same size recommended by the manufacturer.
6) Dirty Carburetor
The role of the carburetor is to mix the perfect ratio of gas and air. It does so with tiny jets and passages designed to get the correct air/gas ratio to the spark plug. Sometimes the jets can get clogged with dirt, debris, or corrosion, which can also be caused by using old gas.
Therefore, a surging lawnmower engine can be fixed by cleaning the carburetor.
In short: The main carburetor jet supplies gas to the engine during the engine’s full throttle; when that main jet gets clogged, the engine stalls, as no fuel is delivered.
As soon as the engine stalls, a governor on the engine automatically closes the engine’s throttle. This situation causes the carburetor idle circuit to supply fuel and the engine – which will fire again, returning the throttle to full.
If the carburetor is not cleaned, this stall and firing cycle will repeat, causing the engine to die and then surge.
Try these five steps to clean a dirty lawn mower carburetor:
How To Repair a Dirty Lawnmower Carburetor
- If you’re handy with tools, remove the carburetor and clean it with carb cleaner
- Use Stabil Small Engine Treatment
- Inspect and replace any torn gaskets
- Securely tighten the carburetor after cleaning.
- Alternate method: If you’re uncomfortable removing and repairing the carburetor – try using a carburetor cleaner spray. For under $4.00, you can spray the carb cleaner directly into the carburetor without removing it.
- If this method doesn’t effectively clean the carburetor – you may require the service of a small engine repair technician.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Lawn Mower Surging
Why Does a Lawnmower Engine Backfire?
Even though it sounds terrible – an engine backfire does not typically damage a small engine. It can, however, be a sign that one of the following issues is occurring:
- Using gasoline with too much alcohol – (Use maximum recommended 10% Ethanol). Get rid of old gas and buy fresh gas.
- Turning the engine speed down too quickly (lower engine throttle slower)
- High engine temperatures (mow during cooler temperatures – or mow in two shifts – if possible)
- Lack of adequate air (dirty filter)
- The carburetor is running lean (adjust carburetor for proper air/gas mix)
How Do You Know If Your Spark Plug Is Bad?
A bad spark plug will undoubtedly cause your lawnmower to run poorly or not at all. Fortunately, it is relatively simple to determine if your Spark plug is terrible and needs to be replaced. If you’re unsure what to look for, check out this short article How To Read a Spark Plug.
How Should You Store Lawn Mower for Winter?
Before lawnmower storage – you should always add a good fuel stabilizer to the tank (such as Sta-Bil) – then fill the tank thoroughly with fresh gas. Next, run the mower engine for 2 minutes to circulate mixed gas through the engine. The fuel stabilizer will fix your problem by keeping gas stable for up to 24 months.
What Is The Best Way to Fix Bare Patches on Lawn?
Bare patches in your grass lawn can be the result of many causes. The most prevalent are pet urine and bug infestation, which can be fixed in a jiffy. Check out our article and learn how to plant grass seeds in bare spots.
How Do You Change Oil On Lawn Mower?
Changing the oil on a lawnmower is relatively easy. Make sure the engine and engine oil are good – and before you start, read this quick 4-step oil-changing guide from Briggs & Stratton.
Conclusion:
While lawnmower engines require some routine maintenance, they are usually very dependable outdoor equipment – considering the work and conditions they perform.
As with owning any equipment with a small engine, lawnmowers also have three basic requirements to ensure dependable performance. Clean gas, Good Air Flow, and Proper Spark.
We hope this Mower Guide for solving lawn mower surging has been beneficial – and that one of these five solutions do the trick!
Thanks for Visiting Besthomegear.com – Please don’t hesitate to leave us a Comment or Suggestion Below!
References and Additional Reading:
- How To Dispose of Old Gasoline – WikiHow.com
- How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades – Besthomegear.com
- The Best Way To Store Gasoline At Home – Familyhandyman.com
- The Best Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers – Besthomegear.com
- The Best Gas Fire Pit Tables for 2020 – Besthomegear.com
