Toro 22" Recycler Lawn Mower Problem

I have a Toro mdl 30008 about 8 yrs old push mower, not self propelled. After using mower in back yard without any problem, I went to frt yard, refueled, and mower would start but then shut off within about 5-10 seconds. Tried this several times with same result. The mower needed a PM service anyway since I has been postponing due to the heavy spring traffic on repairs.

Returned mower to dealer where purchased for repair. after saying it would be up to three weeks, dealer service dept called after 5 days to say it was ready. So yesterday went to pickup. Besides the normal oil chg, air filter change, blade resharpened,new spark plug, I was told a main jet in carburetor had been replaced. But when trying to start mower at the dealer, it would not start. I saw gasoline blowing out from carburetor. Tech checked gas tank and it was empty so he added about a qt. Tried to start again and mower fired up. By the time I returned home, all the gas had dripped out of carburetor. Naturally I was ill-still am. I left mower alone and did not attempt to start. I will call dealer Monday AM as it was too late to call Saturday as they close at 2. This repair cost was not inexpensive and I expected better.

So any idea what exactly is wrong?

Thanks for reading this long post and any and all advice is appreciated.

 

The shop should have never let you go home with the mower. It's obvious that the float was leaking when the gas blew out once it started. Couple that with the empty gas tank and them having done carb work, it should have been painfully obvious to them that that the carb was not properly fixed. They shouldn't have had to replace the main jet either, just clean the piece of dirt that clogged it. Chances are, some trash got in the carb when it ran the tank dry. A piece of it clogged the jet, keeping it from starting, and another piece got in the float needle/seat area, keeping it from shutting the fuel off. That's why it dripped and ran out.

 

Thank you for the reply Cheese.

Back to the Shop hopefully tomorrow. Definitely will call them first.

In the meantime, I intend to do a little research on a small engine repair shop that knows what they are doing, takes a little more pride in their work,and has more reasonable pricing. I won't say what the charge was but this shop charged a $30.00 diagnostic fee upfront at drop off that was to be applied toward the overall repair cost. That was a giveaway and I should have walked away but had spent about 20 minutes driving across town at what I thought was a reliable dealer. This was a large independent dealer. Taught me a lesson. Bigger is rarely better.

 

Ask all of your questions here and you won't need to take your equipment anywhere, there is more small engine experience on this forum than you will find at any shop, just post the engine mfg, model, etc and you will get the correct answers. Have a good one. Geo

 

Otherwise, you might make some old timers grumpy although it is necessary for an accurate and prompt diagnoses.

 

For the pros on this forum

I will need to check the engine mdl but reasonably certain it is a B & S. I believe the top plastic cover on the recoil says 6.5 HP.

As stated in my initial post, this is a Toro Mdl 30008, 22" Recycler, purchased June 2004.

And yes I did have a word of prayer with the service mgr today. I was firm and let him know their work was absolutely unacceptable.

Thx for reading.

 

Toro site doesn't show a mower with that model number. Have a good one. Geo

 

I am coming back since this forum is not only a DIY site but also a place to inform and learn.

Sorry about the incorrect mdl number. It is X0008 purchased in June 2004, 22" Toro Recycler 6.5 HP. Hope this is correct info. The ID tag was very soiled.

Now to the issue. Returned mower on Saturday. I was still ill not only about the cost but the quality of the repair. Have to admit though that the service mgr was so nice that I really couldn't be too mad. He personally spent about 45 minutes off and on working on my mower. Many interruptions as you can imagine this is a busy time plus it was Saturday. Not real clear what my original problem was other than a dirty carburetor but definitely mower was not leaking when originally brought in. It appears from what I could tell that there is a plug at btm of carburetor with an o-ring type gasket that was either not the correct part replaced or not seated correctly. I would consider this is a rookie mistake by any seasoned small engine tech.

I would like to ask this question. What is involved in cleaning a dirty carburetor and how difficult is this?

I believe I could have repaired this myself with a little help from the pros on this forum. Makes me want to investigate whether our community college has a small engine class for wannabe DIY homeowners.

Thanks for reading.

 

Usually cleaning the carb is pretty simple. Probably 80% of the time, I don't even have to remove the carb to clean it. I usually achieve success by removing the bowl, clean the bowl nut jets, run a wire through them and the main jet up the middle of the carb, spray cleaner through it, clean the bowl, and depending on the condition of the rest of the carb and the problem it was giving, I take the needle out and clean or replace it. A $3 can of carb cleaner, a set of torch tip cleaners, and 20-30 minutes is usually more than adequate.