Small engine troubleshooting
Work through each manufacturer’s listed causes in order, starting with the safety steps and the simple fixes.
- Won’t startWhy a walk-behind mower engine won’t start, using the causes Briggs & Stratton, Honda and Kohler list: controls, fuel, spark plug, air filter and when to stop.
- SurgingWhy a mower engine surges or hunts, revving up and down, from the causes Kohler and Briggs & Stratton publish: air filter, fuel, carburetor and governor.
- SmokingWhat white, blue or black smoke from a mower engine means, based on Briggs & Stratton, Honda and Kohler guidance, and which causes you can fix yourself.
- Stalls or diesWhy a mower engine starts then dies, stalls at idle or loses power mid-mow, from Briggs & Stratton, Honda and Kohler troubleshooting tables.