how to clean a carburetor on a lawn mower

If you're a lawnmower user, you've probably heard one of the itching questions most lawnmower users ask, which is how to clean a carburetor on a lawn mower without removing it.

Well, the carburetor is a key part of your lawnmower as long as its engine quality working is concerned, if you've been asking yourself this question and you're looking for an answer, you're at the right place.

In this article, I'm going to give you the right answer to that question, and then show you how you can clean your lawnmower's carburetor without removing it painlessly.

clean a carburetor on a lawnmower

To be honest, if you're a self propelled lawnmower user, you've got to keep a sharp eye on maintaining it, speaking of maintenance, your lawnmower's carburetor should be well functioning. This is why this article is here for you.

If you're looking to clean your lawnmower's carburetor without removing it, it is wise to know what makes it stop working in the first place to help you watch out and clean it regularly.

That said, lawnmower carburetors are mostly affected by blockages and different types of dirt materials. These blockages can range from gasoline deposits, oil deposits, and varnishes, among others.

Now, can you clean a lawnmower's carburetor without removing it? The simple answer to that question is a fat "YES."

And with that said, here are the steps of cleaning your lawnmower's carburetor without removing it. In fact, I'm going to align for you a step-by-step process so that you'd find it easy to clean your carburetor without removing it.

To clean your carburetor without removing it, you need tools at hand; one of them is an Aerosol spray cleaner for carburetors and a lawnmower maintenance kit.

You'll be using the aerosol spray as the cleaning agent while the kit houses essential tools needed, such as screwdrivers, which would be used to opening and closing the air filter, the carburetor cover, and the linkage.

With these tools, let's go ahead and clean your carburetor.so, here are the steps to follow:

Steps To Clean Carburetor On A Lawn Mower

Check the situation and assess it completely

Let's be honest, if you don't assess the situation as to why your carburetor stopped working and you just rush to cleaning it without being 100% sure what's the issue is, your cleaning might bring more harm than good. clean carburetor

So, first things first, make sure you're perfectly certain about cleaning the carburetor, I mean if your mower engine stops working, you can suspect the carburetor but unless you're certain that it's cleaning needed to help and not otherwise.

If you're certain, here's what you should do: get your aerosol lubricant and apply it on the carburetor or use any cleaner that's specified for carburetors if you've got no aerosol spray close.

Once you've applied the lubricant, start your mower accordingly, this is done to see if its start properly after the lubricant application, if it does, then cleaning isn't going to help, if it doesn't start, then it is a sign that the carburetor needs cleaning so move to the next step.

Expose the carburetor's inside part

Once you've decided to clean it because the mower didn't stop, turn it off to cool down first.

When it's cool, open the cover of the air filter using a screwdriver, this is going to expose the carburetor itself so you'd access it easily.

When you've opened it, remove the carburetor's exterior cover and the linkage as well, doing this will expose the inside parts of the carburetor.

Once it is exposed, clean it and leave it that way for some time to dry, after drying, start the engine and see if it works properly.

Spray with the aerosol cleaner

As I've told you earlier, you've got to have a good and quality carburetor cleaner aerosol spray to clean it thoroughly; this is where it's going to be used while cleaning your carburetor without removing it.

Here's what to do:

Place the tip of your spray into the center of your carburetor, and start to spray onto it, while doing this, make sure your mower's engine and its carburetor are running as you're spraying.

To clean it effectively, make sure you hold your spray properly so that it's penetrating to the carburetor's throat.

Remove deposits

During cleaning, there are oil and dirt deposits that stuck at the lower throttle of your carburetor; these need to be removed carefully. When done, respray the aerosol on the choke shaft.

If you don't know where the choke shaft is located, check at the base of the carburetor throat and you'll see it. During this time, make sure the engine isn't running.

Replace cover and Linkage

Okay, here's the thing: if you're looking to work with a lawnmower that wouldn't bring issues there and then after you've cleaned its carburetor without removing it, the best thing is to make sure you replace your carburetor's cover and linkage.

Once you've replaced it former cover and linkage, make sure to return the air filter back properly to where it was located before because if you don't, you'll have done zero work and the mower would bring more issues than before.

To make sure the air filter is fitted correctly, use a screwdriver to tighten it.

Finally, do an inspection before ending your cleaning

Most mower users might not buy this or agree at first, but here's the truth: your carburetor cleaning process is incomplete without this endpoint, why? Because while you're busy cleaning, you might open up some wires that are crucial for your engine's working.

With that said, use a flashlight to check and inspect if you've fixed all parts properly. When you're done, make sure to start the engine and hear if there's chugging or shaking sound when the carburetor is thoroughly cleaned, you should have a smoother start.

Problems You May Face With Dirty Carburetors

dirty lawn mower carburetor

Now, you know how to clean your carburetors, and you should know that regardless of anything else. But if you are wondering what issues you may encounter with a dirty carburetor, then this section is for you.

Here are the problems that come alongside a dirty carburetor in your system.

The performance gets worse significantly.

When your carburetors have a lot of dirt in them, you will see a significant change in the performance of your mower. It will have issues cutting grasses properly.

You won't be able to cut the thick grasses as smoothly as you could do before.

The overall performance will have a huge impact on the efficiency of your mower. And the longer you let this keep happening, the worse it gets from thereon.

Sometimes the engine may even go completely bad, which is something you don't want.

So, the easiest solution to avoid all these is to clean the carburetor.

Black smoke production

This is a cry for help from your carburetors to be cleaned. Because when you see black smoke emitting from your mower, it means the engine is taking up fuel without any control at all.

Now, this causes multiple issues for you.

One is that you will see yourself spending a whole lot more on buying gasoline for your mower. This isn't good for the efficiency or the cost of your mowing, and it's not worth it at all.

The second issue is that the black smoke will cause the engine to go bad bit by bit. And along with all that, these smokes aren't good for your lungs either.

So, it's best to avoid this problem from ever existing at all.

If a simple cleaning of the carburetor can help you get rid of this, why would you make your engine and yourself suffer?

Overheating issues in the engine

Whenever an engine is trying to do more work than it should, it will have overheating issues. And the engine tries to put more force when there is a faulty ratio mix of fuel and air.

That work is completely dependent on the carburetor.

A dirty carburetor usually means having a lot of residues that are blocking its full power. As a result, the engine has to do extra work. That's what results in overheating eventually.

Avoiding all these problems is simple, clean the carburetor, and you can avoid all these from happening.

Sudden power cut

Typically, you can use any standard lawnmower for about two hours with ease. But if you see yours shutting down suddenly before that duration, there is likely dirt in your carburetor because a carburetor has a lot to do with the engine's power.

Keeping a clean carburetor can always help you avoid these sudden shut-down situations.

Trouble starting or jump-starts

In general, starting your lawnmower should be smooth sailing without any issues whatsoever. So, when your lawnmower is going through a shaky start or having trouble starting up, there are problems with the carburetor.

And most of the time, it's just dirty.

Cleaning up the carburetor can bring back the smooth start to your lawnmower and start your day great.

As you can see, something as simple as cleaning the carburetor can get you rid of so many issues all at once. It's not like a dirty carburetor is the only reason for these issues.

There are several other reasons for that, but a dirty carburetor plays a huge role there. And if you can avoid all this from happening with some maintenance, then why not, right?

Why Should You Avoid Removing Your Carburetor To Clean It?

This question is pretty straightforward; without proper mechanical experience, it's very difficult to remove the carburetor.

Well, removing it may not be the biggest issue either. The real trouble is putting the carburetor back into place properly.

Even though it's easier and better to clean the carburetor after removing it, it's not suitable for everyone.

Unless you have mechanical experience and know what you are doing, it's better not to remove the carburetor for cleaning. Because that way, you can completely ruin the carburetor anyway, so it's not worth trying it.

That's why if you choose to do it yourself, then cleaning your carburetor without removing it is the best option you should go for.

Some Additional Tips For Lawn Carburetor Cleanup

how to clean lawn mower carburetor

Well, you will have to clean your carburetor every once in a while. That should not be a problem since you now know how to clean lawn mower carburetor, right?

So, here are some additional tips and tricks that you can follow to make sure the carburetor stays in better shape without you having to go through too much trouble.

Regular Maintenance

You must always go through a maintenance schedule with your lawnmower. This can help you keep everything much cleaner for a longer time. It also helps reduce the dirt and grease buildup in your carburetor and other internal components.

Identify The Problem Before Repair

Whether you choose to do it yourself or you want to opt for professional help, always identify the problems with your lawnmower. And here I mean, identifying the source of the problem.

For example, there can be a variety of reasons for your lawnmower not to start. So, before you go to the repair shop, make sure to identify the exact reason why your lawnmower isn't starting.

Getting The Proper Cleaner

Typically, you can use any general aerosol cleaners that you can find almost anywhere. However, to get the best result and some slight improvement in the performance, you should get a cleaner dedicated for the job.

You can find various aerosol cleaners out there that are meant only for cleaning carburetors.

Top Carburetor Cleaner Brands You Can Check Out

Using a dedicated carburetor cleaner will always give you better results than using a general one. There are many carburetor cleaners that you can find out there, but here are some popular brands you should try out first.

Berryman

Berryman is one of the most renowned brands for carburetor cleaners. They are pretty effective and efficient when it comes to cleaning your carburetor.

Gumout

This is another brand that you should know about when it comes to carburetor cleaner. They come in as aerosol spray that lets you clean your carburetor without having to remove it.

And the effectiveness of this spray is quite impressive, so everything is just perfect with this.

CRC

Now, this is a well-known brand for various cleaning products for your car. If you are struggling with any dirt or sludge in your car or lawnmower engine, you can rely on this brand for cleaning that out.

Also, it's available in most automobile or mechanic shops.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What causes a lawn mower carburetor to go bad?

Many things can make the carburetor go bad like dirt from the gas or from the surrounding environment, rust build-up from the gasoline. Any tiny particles can clog the carburetor jets easily.

How do I know if my lawn mower carburetor is bad?

If you notice the engine seems difficult to start, stalling engine while mowing, rough engine running, black smoke while the engine is running or it's consuming too much fuel – all of them the signs of bad lawnmower carburetor.

Why am I not getting gas to my carburetor?

A tightly plugged fuel filter can prevent the fuel from passing through. So, the carburetor won't have any gas. There are other reasons as well.

How do you stop a carburetor from build up?

Using premium quality fuel without any alcohol is the secret to keep the carburetor free of any buildup.

Can you put carburetor cleaner in a lawn mower?

Yes, you can. And you can put the cleaner even without taking the carburetor out of the engine!

Takeaway

With this article at hand, we believe you've known how to clean a carburetor on a lawn mower without removing it, but here's something you should keep in mind for safety:

When the lawn engine is on and the carburetor is running, you shouldn't touch your carburetor at all even with gloves and secondly, don't work on an open carburetor until it's freezing.

As you can imagine, it's that easy cleaning your carburetor without removing it, so get started and enjoy your mowing. If you still have some confusion, watch the in-depth instructional video on it.

Den Hicks

Traveler, food lover, interior designer, and blogger. I love gardening a lot! I designed my home myself with the help of my beloved wife. You are welcome!