Question
Hi Ronald,

I was wondering if you knew anything about lawn mower maintenance and how to fix a troublesome mower.  The reason I ask is this:  I recently purchased a refurbished lawn mower so I could trim my lawn whenever it didn't need a lot of work done to it.  This past weekend, I went outside to try to do some lawn mowing with said mower and I noticed, when I went down to prime the mower, that the priming button was sticky and left a sticky, smelly residue on my index finger (the one doing the priming).  I checked to see if there was enough gas in the tank and there was, and it didn't look like it was a troubling color.  Anyway, after I did the necessary priming, I pressed the bar down and yanked on the string as hard as possible but the mower wouldn't start.  I did this three more times, making sure to prime before each time, and it never worked.

What do you recommend I do in this instance?  I would really like to start mowing the lawn as soon as possible and would welcome any suggestions on how I can get the mower to work.  I assume it's a problem with the priming button but don't know how to fix it.  I wouldn't imagine it'd be like fixing a clogged faucet spout fixture (i.e. soak it in vinegar until the little holes are cleared of gunk) and I know very little about mowers so your assistance would be extremely appreciated.

Thanks,

Diane

Answer
Diane, I am not a mechanic but I believe that the priming bulb (button) needs to be changed. You can do this yourself. I will try to link you to a site. If I am unsuccessful, just type - changing the priming bulb -on the google search bar and a number of sites will come up.
Just remember that Dirt is the enemy! Clean off dirt at every step.
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