Drowned 4 stroke mower.

stroppy · 12-24-2007, 08:04 AM

Hello and Merry Christmas to all from a nutty Aussie from down under. Last week in my home city of Melbourne we had a torrential downpout of the like I haven't in all my life. The result was that my garage flooded with about two feet of water and with it all my tools, garden tools and my beloved two-month old mower. The mower is a Chinese job made by the SANLI company.
(See here: http://www.smallmotors.com.au/Upload...ary-mowers.pdf
Mine is the PowerMulch PMS400)
I've been the motor is very similar to the Honda OHV 4 stroke engine. At the time it was all I could afford and, fortunately, it used to run well, start with the first pull of the starter cord and it had plenty of guts. The flood water (...storm water drain overflow...) changed all that. The mower was submerged for about an hour.

I tried to revive the mower doing what I thought my dad would have done years ago when he had a mower that had been accidentally inundated with water. I dumped the fuel and oil into a recycling can, I dried out the air filter and the mower as much as possible. I popped the spark plug out and cranked the engine to push out any impurities. Then I sprayed some WD40 into the plughole, through the vent holes around the pull cord and on the plug tip before replacing it and then filling up with all new fluids.
I used a similar method in getting the whipper snipper (I think you guys in the US call these "Line brush cutters") going and the 2 stroke air-blower and it worked, but not for the mower.

Problem: Just a tiny spark happening at the plug tip...sometimes no spark at all. Net result...the damned thing won't start. My insurance may cover the loss but it's a pity to throw her away. Also, if the insurance company don't pay I'll be in a real pickle. Could it be that spraying WD40 around the pull cord cowl fouled the magneto???
Any suggestions???

**carsey** · 12-24-2007, 08:07 AM

It might be that there is a small amount of rust somewhere in the electrical wiring thus creating a small spark.

Have you changed the spark plug?

stroppy · 12-24-2007, 08:38 AM

Hi... No, I just soaked it in WD40 and then dried it. There's no rust on exposed metal parts that I can see.

12-24-2007, 08:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
stroppy Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2 OS: xp	Drowned 4 stroke mower. Hello and Merry Christmas to all from a nutty Aussie from down under. Last week in my home city of Melbourne we had a torrential downpout of the like I haven't in all my life. The result was that my garage flooded with about two feet of water and with it all my tools, garden tools and my beloved two-month old mower. The mower is a Chinese job made by the SANLI company. (See here: http://www.smallmotors.com.au/Upload...ary-mowers.pdf Mine is the PowerMulch PMS400) I've been the motor is very similar to the Honda OHV 4 stroke engine. At the time it was all I could afford and, fortunately, it used to run well, start with the first pull of the starter cord and it had plenty of guts. The flood water (...storm water drain overflow...) changed all that. The mower was submerged for about an hour. I tried to revive the mower doing what I thought my dad would have done years ago when he had a mower that had been accidentally inundated with water. I dumped the fuel and oil into a recycling can, I dried out the air filter and the mower as much as possible. I popped the spark plug out and cranked the engine to push out any impurities. Then I sprayed some WD40 into the plughole, through the vent holes around the pull cord and on the plug tip before replacing it and then filling up with all new fluids. I used a similar method in getting the whipper snipper (I think you guys in the US call these "Line brush cutters") going and the 2 stroke air-blower and it worked, but not for the mower. Problem: Just a tiny spark happening at the plug tip...sometimes no spark at all. Net result...the damned thing won't start. My insurance may cover the loss but it's a pity to throw her away. Also, if the insurance company don't pay I'll be in a real pickle. Could it be that spraying WD40 around the pull cord cowl fouled the magneto??? Any suggestions???

12-24-2007, 08:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
carsey Moderator, TSF Articles Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hunwick, Co. Durham England Posts: 9,569 OS: XP Pro SP3 My System	Re: Drowned 4 stroke mower. It might be that there is a small amount of rust somewhere in the electrical wiring thus creating a small spark. Have you changed the spark plug? __________________ Submit New Articles Here

12-24-2007, 08:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
stroppy Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2 OS: xp	Re: Drowned 4 stroke mower. Hi... No, I just soaked it in WD40 and then dried it. There's no rust on exposed metal parts that I can see.