My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

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mirak
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My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by mirak » July 25th, 2017, 11:22 am

I have a Toro Recycler about 9 or 10 years old. I've changed the oil in it maybe 5 times but haven't maintained it as well as I probably should. Last oil change and new spark plug was spring 2016. I saved the old spark plug because it still had some life in it. All season, it has taken about 3 pulls to get the engine running.

Yesterday I poured new gas into the tank and fired it up. Started normally (took 3 pulls) and ran for about 1 minute and then abruptly died. Was not making any unusual noise at the time. Now I can't get it to start. Doesn't even make noise when I pull the cord like it is trying to start. Blade is not obstructed and still rotates by hand.

My first thought was spark plug, so I put the old spark plug in from before the last tune up. No difference.

Thoughts? I don't want to put significant money into fixing up this mower because I planned to get a new one next season anyway (hence not bothering with the spring tune up this year). But if this is a cheap fix I'd gladly do that so I can get through the rest of the season and sell it for a little money next spring!

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Jackpine
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by Jackpine » July 25th, 2017, 11:52 am

Did you notice if the plug was wet when you took it out? Either way check for spark. Take the plug out, set it so it touching the cylinder head and crank it over. (helps to see the spark if not in bright sun) you may here it as well.

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » July 25th, 2017, 6:10 pm

is the plug gapped appropriately? try squirting some wd40 in the plug hole before starting it after you check.

imauafan
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by imauafan » July 25th, 2017, 6:52 pm

That sounds to me as if the ignition coil has gone bad. I agree with the previous poster about checking the spark.

superkaz661
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by superkaz661 » July 25th, 2017, 10:37 pm

99% of small engine issues are the carburetor, and this sounds like one of them. Go buy a new one on Amazon or eBay and for $20 or less you should be back in action. I used to clean and rebuild if necessary, but Chinese clones are so cheap it's not even worth the hassle to tear into them. Just replace.


mirak
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by mirak » July 26th, 2017, 9:32 am

I put a brand new spark plug in and added oil (it was low). It did start once but with a lot of shaking. Now it makes a knocking noise when I try to start. I'm going to try to sell it as is for repair and move on.

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andy10917
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by andy10917 » July 26th, 2017, 7:19 pm

How low was "low" on the oil? That sounds the piston/cylinder is damaged, in which case the mower has scrap metal value.

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kevreh
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by kevreh » August 12th, 2017, 4:05 pm

This is a known problem and both my neighbor and I have had to address it on our toros. You have to remove the little fuel reservoir, and clean out the carburator jet. Do a search on youtube.

mirak
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by mirak » August 12th, 2017, 6:27 pm

Yes, cleaning the carburetor did the trick, even though it didn't look that dirty. Was surprisingly easy task. I didn't even have to empty the fuel line - I just propped the mower back on its handle while I cleaned.

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kevreh
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Re: My Toro suddenly quit - thoughts?

Post by kevreh » August 12th, 2017, 8:38 pm

Cool! The hole in the jet is really small, it takes a small spec of dirt to clog it.

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