carbs for arbs

Quick update... I was away at work for a few days so unable to do anything. Back now though and did as above. No oil came out of the SP hole when pulling with it removed. And no smoke at all when I fired it up to use. So all's good. Got about 45 minutes mowing in before it started raining heavy. It's quite heavy on the more awkward bits, but manageable and a helluva lot quicker than strimming! Look forward to continuing on the next dry day. Thanks again for all the help. I'll no doubt have some follow up mower questions at some point but will save them for a new thread. Cheers

And lastly a bunch of photos of all the places I've found oil. There was also oil in the groove of the deck. Some show just small amounts of oil. I've uploaded them all to help gauge how minor or bad it could potentially be, and where else might be best to check (if anywhere):

To start with, here's a potentially dodgy looking photo of the creamy oil. I'd say that's maybe around 5% of how much I got out of the filter: And here's the spark plug:

This isn’t a wind up, I promise! I’ve got a hell of a lot of learning to do! I think I’ve been similarly stupid with the “creamy oily filter”. Here’s what happened… When I first checked the filter it was thick with oil. I’m guessing that a lot of the oil that escaped ended up there, and the sponge being a sponge soaked it up. It only turned creamy when I had it in a bucket of soapy water and was trying to clean it up. From what I’ve now read, oil does that in water!! Sorry about that. It’s looking like the machine has been sideways, upside down, etc during transit, which has led to whatever amount of oil was in there getting to places it shouldn’t. It was sent from the Netherlands I think, so has probably been loaded and offloaded several times, and I doubt people have been bothered to keep it the right way up. Not that they would have needed to had it been shipped empty (which it was meant to be). I’ve no idea why there was oil in there. I haven’t put any fuel in yet and tried to start it. I’m concerned that trying to run it with oil in places oil shouldn’t be could cause problems. So I’m now on a mission to see where the oil has got to and to clean it up as needed (if needed). Because of work I've not been able to do as much as I had hoped on it. I've taken the spark plug out and it was clean on the inside but a little dirty on the outside. I've taken the engine cover off to look for signs of oil. And that's about it. The mower is a Sprint 460P and is has B&S 450e engine. It is a push mower, not self-propelled. I don't think it has an oil drain point; you have to drain it from where you put the oil in. I’ll add some photos below. Thanks a million for the help, and for sticking with it even in light of my small engine faux pas! Any advice on what to do next (apart from giving up, as sensible as that might be) most welcomed. Cheers

Thanks. I'll see about getting a new air filter. I've given the existing one a good clean, but the oily creamy goo just kept coming (ooh err etc). It's pretty good now but I'll see about getting one anyway. Where else should I check the machine for oil being were it shouldn't be? In layman's terms please (see first post!!) Thanks again PS - I've amended the title to steer the thread away from my initial idiocy and onto the newer issues...

Yep, and brain tested = cross / ett err (family fortunes noise). Off topic - seeing as the machine strangely had a little oil in it, I thought I would check the air filter... It's clean (looking) but clogged with a thick creamy kind of oily paste. Any ideas?

Note to self...: Read the basic 101 about small engines. I'm blushing as I write this... I had not connected the throttle cable, handle etc, and was trying to move the blade/pull the cord like that. It then suddenly dawned on me what a tw@t I was being! I was going to try to delete the thread, but then thought best to 'fess up. You never know, someone else might be in the same boat one day. Although I'm not sure anyone else would be so stupid!

Hi I bought a new petrol mower and it is DOA. The first strange thing is that it had some oil in, but was meant to be sent empty. I mention that just in case it gives any clues... I haven't put oil or fuel in yet. I gave the pull cord a gentle pull and it only comes out around 10cm. That led me to look beneath the machine and the blade is very stiff. It needs a lot of force to rotate it... What can be wrong? Does it sound fixable? And where do I start in diagnosing / fixing it if so? If anyone knows, I'm sure some of you folk will Many thanks

Just returning to say thanks for all the replies. I'm still mulling it over and using the strimmer in the meantime. Perhaps if any good secondhand options crop up I'll come back to see what you guys think. Cheers

Hi folks I need to get a lawnmower. I've got two "lawns" and a whole load of paths to cut. None of it is particularly flat, and it's not really a lawn as such - more just an area of grass! So no need for it to look like Wembley, no need for stripes, etc Up until not I've been doing it with a strimmer. And I might continue to use the strimmer on the paths. But for the two "lawn" areas it takes ages with a strimmer. What are people's thoughts on old vs new? There are a few old Honda Izys about, and some old Mountfields and Kawasakis and similar. All around the £150-£200 mark. Not knowing much about such things, I'm not sure if I am better off with one of those or getting a brand new budget machine in the same price bracket. Any thoughts from those more in the know? Cheers

OK, that makes sense then. Thanks for explaining.

Sure thing. Here's the first one I found. There are many others!

Hi all I've been looking for a second hand petrol mower and I noticed in a lot of the adverts that people have the pull cord pulled out and tied (or hooked round) the handle, or some other bit of the machine. It's been a few years since I've had a mower, but I never used to do that when I did have one. A quick google search has not been able satisfy my curiosity, so I wondered if anyone here could explain the reason for doing so? Many thanks

Thanks @spudulike - I really appreciate the help. I thought best to check about the TF-90 - and more generally the use of carb/break cleaner - because someone told me that they can damage certain plastic and rubber parts. They recommended instead something like Gunk or Jizer. Point taken RE air compressor / air gun. Perhaps I should look to get one, as I'm sure it will come in handy for other stuff. I've never had one though and know nothing about them. Any recommendations for a novice / occasional user? Cheers

Good morning. Had to go to work on Thursday so tday's now the day.... Turns out I don't have any carb/brake cleaner after all. What I have is this: TF-90 Fast Drying Industrial Cleaning Solvent and Degreaser Spray | Action Can WWW.ACTIONCAN.COM Action Can Manufactures & Distributes TF-90 Fast Drying Industrial Cleaning Solvent and Degreaser Spray, Industrial... Is that any use? And if so, as the main cleaner instead of white spirit? Or as the flusher/rinser instead of the carb/break cleaner? Thought I'd best check as I don't want to do more harm than good! Cheers and have a great weekend.

That's great - I'll get to it today. Thanks again for the help.

Thanks for the quick reply and the help, much appreciated. I actually reused the spring/coil piece from the old boot, rather than the salvaged one from the chainsaw. It has two right angled prong bits, whereas most of the others I've been seeing have one. Anyhow, because it was the "original", the holes in the HT lead lined up nicely so that was good. As for cleaning, I don't have a compressor, but I do have white spirit and carb/brake cleaner. So do I use the carb/brake cleaner to kind of rinse it (I've never used it before!). And are there any areas that I need to avoid, or can I go ahead and clean every bit I can see? Presumably the white-ish stuff is some kind of corrosion? Again, sorry for being such a novice! Cheers

Hi all OK, so it's a bit late in the year to start the strimming, but I've been busy...! And so have the mice. The little bleeders have had a feast on the spark plug boot. Local shop didn't have any replacements, but I have a defunct chainsaw and have taken the one off that to use. Is that ok? Are they quite universal / interchangeable, or model specific? Whilst I've got the cover off the machine, is it worth giving it a clean up (photos below)? If so, what's best to use? Sorry for the basic questions. I'm not much of a machine man! Cheers

So sorry - totally forgot to come back to this to say thank you for the help and replies. It was only a small section of fence that needed repairing after a tree had come down onto it. In the end, the farmer said it did not need to be all that tight, so I just tightened it manually and put the tool away But I will try to get some chain to use with it for when I have larger fencing jobs to do in the future Cheers

Hi A while back I picked up an old tensioning tool for stock fencing but haven't had a need to use it... Until now! I'll attach a photo. I can't wrap my head around how to use it, and so far have not been able to find any videos on YouTube using this kind of tool. Could anyone who knows please explain, or link me to a description / video? Many thanks

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions. I'll be the first to hold may hands up and say this is a quintessential first world problem! But it's the firebricks in my stove that I find really ugly, being the pale yellow-ish colour that they are. Especially when the fire is lit and bright and you can really see them. So I was hoping to paint them so they disappear more. I'll also be giving the baffle plate a once over at some point and was planning to finish with some paint on that too. No big problem though if no paints would be suitable. The VHT paint that @Macpherson linked to above looked hopeful. But reading the instructions for it, I'm not sure how I'd do that sure if it is suitable. Perhaps I can check with the makers... Cheers

Hi I'm not finding anything beyond 650C after an initial search. Does anyone know if higher temp paints are available? It's for internal parts, not the stove body. If 650C is as good as it gets, is this suitable? It's not specifically for stoves, but... High Temperature Spray Paint 500ml Matt Black WWW.TOOLSTATION.COM Safe working temperature is up to 650°C. No primer required. Touch dry in 15-30 minutes. Ideal for use on the surfaces of... Cheers

I went for the DeWalt set in the end. Haven't used them yet and am starting to get near to my 30 day return deadline. So following the advice here, I've had a look and tried to compare offerings from other sites. I had to give up in the end. There are so many different model numbers, and then slight variations to the same numbers... To compare within one brand would need a degree in power tools. To do the same for all competing brands would need a PhD! What I did find is that whilst the Screwfix set seems to be exclusive to SF, the individual tools - DCD778 and DCF787 - are available to buy in a few other shops. Taking the impact driver (DCF787) as an example, the best bare unit I could find was around £70. Which to my mind makes £160 for impact driver, drill, case, charger and two batteries quite a good deal. If anyone can find or knows of a comparable set for less money, or a better quality set for around the same money, please do let me know. I'd love to hear before the deadline to return is reached. Whilst I am tempted to splash out and go for a more professional better quality and more expensive set (or Milwaukee, etc), I don't think my use would justify it. I do like to buy well and buy once, but these tools might get used solidly for a week or two, then left for a month. Once the house is renovated, they'll only see small DIY jobs around the house, and things like fences, wood shelters, etc. outdoors. But that won't be all the time either. So I didn't go el cheapo, and not super pro either. All ears to any suggestions. Cheers PS - even the DeWalt batteries are hard to compare! Some are block with a yellow button and some the reverse. Is there more to it than just colour? Does that signify different quality ranges or something?

That's interesting. I always thought they were the same as told available elsewhere but with a slight tweak to the model number so they could claim it's an "exclusive". That seems to be the game played with other goods. For example, many exclusive home appliances at places like AO are the same item but under a different name or number. Which specs aren't great on those models? And where have you seen them cheaper? Cheers

Likewise. We've got a section of our house with concrete render / roughcast which we'll be removing next year. We'll then leave the stonework exposed and repoint in lime. Unfortunately though, there's another section of the house that is already exposed stone, but was pointed with standard mortar. Seems the verdict is that removing the current pointing would cause too much damage, so we're stuck with it as is. Bit off a thread derail, but hey - it's all interesting and good stuff!