Toro lawn mower issues

[Cr33p3r]

I am kinda disappointed with our Toro after hearing great things about them. This year for some reason it does not want to start and stay running, it has only one speed and after I took the engine cover off and looking at it it does not have a choke but a floating type choke. It adjusts on its own as the engine warms up kinda like a vacuum choke. Any how to get to stay running until it warms up I have to hold the choke in wide open and try to get it to stay idling, while doing this the speed is faster than normal operation.

TOROS web page on the mower and no it is not variable speed like they state

Toro | 22" (56 cm) High Wheel (20331) (http://www.toro.com/en-us/Homeowner/Mowers/Walk-Power-Mowers/Pages/Model.aspx?pid=20331-High-Wheel)

Here is the web page for the motor,


http://www.briggsandstratton.com/engines/push-mower/detail/?series=675ex+Series%26%238482%3b&id={094AA32B-AAE4-4B78-AF75-156872A15452}


if anyone has any clue as to why it wont start and stay running please help me out on this. It does have new plug, fuel, filters.

[Cr33p3r]

Well so far everything I am finding is the carb may need rebuilt and a High Altitude jet installed.

[Hypoid]

I've never seen one of these marvels, but from your description, it sounds like you are holding the governor open.

When you changed the fuel and filter, did you take the carburator bowl off and look for water?

Water in the fuel is the biggest problem I've had with my equipment. The Ethanol in our fuel sucks water from the air. If you don't make it a point to drain the fuel bowl, water collects over the winter and corrodes the pot metal carburator. Never mind how I learned this. :mad:

[Jim]

What's the history for this unit? You mention "this year" so I'm assuming you had it last season as well and perhaps then, it worked w/o issues / worked well. As it's near the end of the cutting season for 2012 did it have issues all summer?

Like Mike said - you might be seeing / moving the governor linkage to the throttle plate where you can directly control the throttle plate position and perhaps speed. If you're inclined - see if you can remove the bowl to see if there's anything unusual in there. Removing the carb from the motor and stripping it down to metal parts only and soaking in carb cleaner might be in order (a carb rebuild). Toro might offer (should have available) carb rebuild kits - all of the soft bits - gaskets and such. Cost for a kit should be less than $25 I'd guess. You'd be looking to open up any plugged closed passage that might be the root cause of the issue.

Edit: Reason for asking history ties in with your thinking it might need to be modified for high altitude. If it worked well in the past you likely don't need any modification and I'd lean towards a cleaning.

0.02

[dannanw]

I agree with the cleaning part, and check the governing linkage my husky is bad and it makes it about the same as you described. I only have like 4 other mowers so I just put it out to pasture...

[Cr33p3r]

Thanks guys yeah I am going to rebuild the carb as a first step and see what happens. This is the 3rd season for this mower and I completely ran it out of gas last fall to winterize it before storing it. This all came about on like the third or fourth time of using it this summer. I change the oil each summer and run it out of gas at the end of the season to make sure to aid in prevent shellacking from fuel left in the system.

[xaza]

hmmm, now you got me thinking it is time to do some work on my mower. Have had it for 4 years now and have never changed the oil, plug or filter (got it used...not sure how much though). The first year I had it I did not run it out of gas either. Guess I am lucky it still works. I bet there is a kit out there for you to bore and stroke the motor...maybe that'll help! :lmao: