"Won't Start"

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By the way, the rope-in-the-hole trick also comes in handy when you want to take off a mower blade to sharpen it. And it automatically ensures that the spark plug is safely disconnected when you're fiddling down below with the blade. (Speaking of mower blades, here's an extra Burkholder hint: If you find your mower frequently getting bogged down in too-tall grass, replace the current blade with a new, slightly shorter one. The extra deck clearance will reduce grass clogging and help the mower plow right through that tough stuff.)

Now, screw a nut flush on the top of the flywheel shaft, and have a helper pick up the entire mower by the flywheel. Set a board over the central shaft (both the flush nut and the board help protect the shaft from getting damaged by the blows about to come), get a heavy hammer, and give that board a good whack right over the shaft (Fig. 7). The mower should drop down with a clang, leaving your helper holding the now-freed flywheel. Warning: If this technique doesn't work by the third blow, stop using it. Take your machine to a pro. If you bang too much on the shaft, you're liable to mess up the oil seal at the bottom of the mower. And if oil starts running out the bottom of the mower (during your repair work or any other time), you're mechanic-bound for a new oil seal.

OK, the flywheel came off just fine (we hope). Underneath it, you'll see a metal box containing the points and condenser. Open it up (Fig. 8). You may want to clean the points and reset them according to manufacturer specs (the thickness of a matchbook cover will do). Most people, though, would go the simple, reliable route of purchasing a new points-condenser-spring set and putting it in.

When you're done, reassemble the engine. Make sure you reinsert that little rectangular or half-moon metal piece that aligns the flywheel on the crankshaft (Fig. 9). And if that part-called a shaft key-looks at all worn, replace it. (Some mechanics recommend replacing the key anytime you remove it to avoid future breakage.)

If none of that gave you the spark you've been looking for, it's dead-end time again. Pack 'er off to a pro.

Chasing Fuel

Suppose you've got spark all right, but the engine still doesn't start. OK, 'fess up: Did you store your mower "wet," i.e., full of fuel? That's a mistake. If you keep your mower in an enclosed space, the fumes that accumulate can be hazardous. In addition, that gas, after repeatedly getting chilled and warmed over the winter, may have invited water to condense in the tank. If the water sank to the bottom of the tank-where the engine draws its fuel-you're now trying to run a gasoline engine on H2O. Got to get shed of that water, partner.

You may have been smart enough to store the mower "dry," but then careless enough to fill it from a fuel can that's been sitting half full all winter. Whoops. Well, don't get down on yourself: A lot of people fool themselves with the bad-gas trick every spring. (Incidentally, if your machine has been stored full for several seasons and the fuel now smells like paint thinner, you've got spoiled gas. It, too, will need replacing.)

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