# Brand New Murray Mower Won't Start



## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

OK, I know this is a snowblower forum, but my post is related since I went to put away my snowblower today & took out a mower. I drained the snowblower of fuel & let it run out of what was left. Is it better to just shut off the fuel valve & use fuel stabilizer? This relates to the mower situation, because the mower was brand new a year ago & never used to mow lawn. I filled it with oil & a little fuel & started it just to make sure it worked. I remember letting it run out of fuel before storage. But I could not get it started today.

It has nearly the same Briggs & Stratton 0900 series OHV 4-cycle engine as my snowblower. But it has a primer bulb & no manual choke. At first, I pulled the cord, forgetting to hold the bale (I was thinking in snowblower mode). Obviously the resistance made it hard to pull. I was thinking maybe it needed to be cycled a few times after sitting all year. Then I realized I wasn't holding the bale in. After this, it pulled much easier, of course.

It wouldn't even give a hint of starting. It feels as if the bulb is not priming, but I took the air cover off & it was somewhat wet. Did I do any harm by pulling on the cord without holding the bale on? Again, it's brand new & never ran for more than 10 minutes.

THX in advance.


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

Probably no harm... I'd try again and if it doesn't start pull the spark plug and see if it's wet, perhaps the engine flooded.

If it's dry then we can go from there.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I am guessing flooded as well, unless some residual in system shellacked/corroded up.

All my equipment gets treated gas, and I never drain any tank or run dry any equipment, summer or winter.

All my 5 gallon gas cans get 2oz of Stabil and 2oz of SeaFoam when I fill them, this way I know all my machines are with treated fuel year round.

I do periodically start all my machines throughout the year ... I have never experienced a fuel problem in any of my equipment , and my equipment always starts just fine... including 2 cycle.

The only machine I syphon out gas every 2 years, and put in fresh, (and I put that old gas in something running that season), is my generator, .... as luckily for me, it is only periodically started by me, and not needed to run for any length of time.

Others might do it differently, but this is what has worked for my all my life since running equipment.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

GUARANTEED you did not cause any damage. The bale does 2 things, when released it shorts out the engine so it stops, the other is there is a very small fiber brake pad that presses against the flywheel and stops it thus very quickly stopping the blade. The resistance you felt is similar to driving a car with the parking brake on.

Gasoline loses it's explosive power after a month. Try again, spray some starting fluid in the carb, drain the gas, in that order. Make sure you have fresh clear gas with no water, if the gas in your can is golden it's old, use it in your car; if it's cloudy it has water in it which will sink to the bottom.

You can always remove the spark plug then pull the cord to partially clear the cylinder.


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

Gasoline _treated with ethanol additive_ goes bad very quickly, yes.

If you can get 100% pure gas it lasts much longer, and thus is much less likely to cause mischief.

In this case I'm thinking the slow pulls weren't enough to get a decent spark (or any) with the bale open, hence flooding... we shall see.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

Thanks very much for responses & advice. It's really aggravating when the thing is brand new & won't start. It is still on warranty until July, but I called a couple places & they said if it's bad fuel or varnish it wouldn't be covered.

I'll keep you posted on progress. I may not get to it for a few days because i have to move a vehicle & other things to get it out. I have a very small single garage.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

Yanmar Ronin said:


> Gasoline _treated with ethanol additive_ goes bad very quickly, yes.
> 
> If you can get 100% pure gas it lasts much longer, and thus is much less likely to cause mischief.
> 
> In this case I'm thinking the slow pulls weren't enough to get a decent spark (or any) with the bale open, hence flooding... we shall see.


We have 10% ethanol in our gas. I've never seen a pump without the 10% sticker in my area. I believe it might be mandatory for air emissions in this area & surrounding counties.


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

Here’s a link to stations in OH that sell non-ethanol (E0) fuel. As you scan the list, note that some are marinas.





Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada


pure-gas.org is the definitive list of ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada




www.pure-gas.org


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

One more thing: This mower is still on warranty (2 yrs). I'm concerned about how much I can do without voiding it. I imagine I could pull the spark plug or spray starting fluid, but I don't want to start taking apart the carburetor.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

I agree that you probably flooded it when you were trying to start it.

Remove the spark plug and dry it off, give a few pulls on the cord and then re install the plug.

Then follow the steps in the owners manual on how to start it, I think it will fire up for you.


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## Dusty (Dec 13, 2018)

Shoot starter fluid into the throat of the carb. If it starts and dies, you know you have spark and compression, only thing left is fuel, which means a gummed up carb and those new briggs carbs are notorious for how easy they gum up. I had a pressure washer with a new briggs engine, it had a gummed up carb. I cleaned it got it running, shut it off and the crappy fuel in the tank immediately clogged it again, wouldn't start 3 minutes later. If you dont have mechanical experience with small engines and cant remove the carb to clean it thoroughly, remove the bowl nut and clean the passages on that nut known as a quick and dirty, shoot a little carb clean up the hole of the carb and put the nut back in. Pull the fuel line off the carb, drain all the gas out of the tank, run some fresh stuff thru, slosh it around, let that run out, hook the line back up and add fresh gas. Hopefully that fixes your issue. They also sell a new product now, called gum buster, its an Aerosol can with carb clean in it, the tube screws into the hole in the bottom of the carb, depress the button and it forcefully moves the carb spray throughout the carb, forcing out, newly formed gunk. It works well I tried it. All else fails, carbs gotta come off and be cleaned thoroughly and tank should be pulled, completely drained, carb clean shot in and a rag forced in to clean all the gunk out, compressed air shot in and the tank allowed to dry in the sun with the cap off. The problem with even running a carb dry, if you dont put it on choke and keep pulling that rope until that engine stops running and dieing about 5-6 times, or the bowl popped off and dumped, a small amount stays in their, gums up and clogs that main jet pickup hole near the base of the carb and even with stabilized gas, the fuel tank is vented, so the ethanol in the gas still breaks down faster in a vented fuel tank, causing it go bad faster. One of the two probably occured, or both.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i doubt warranty covers carb issues due to bad gas. if it is one of the ones with a plastic carb they are very prone to having the carb clog. sometimes rocking the mower can jar the crap loose that is clogging things up but there is a good chance you may need to clean the carb.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

CO Snow said:


> Here’s a link to stations in OH that sell non-ethanol (E0) fuel. As you scan the list, note that some are marinas.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link for E0 fuel. The gas cap is marked E10 OK, E15 & E85 have a line through them.


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

So E0 will be perfectly fine.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

Dusty said:


> Shoot starter fluid into the throat of the carb. If it starts and dies, you know you have spark and compression, only thing left is fuel, which means a gummed up carb and those new briggs carbs are notorious for how easy they gum up. I had a pressure washer with a new briggs engine, it had a gummed up carb. I cleaned it got it running, shut it off and the crappy fuel in the tank immediately clogged it again, wouldn't start 3 minutes later. If you dont have mechanical experience with small engines and cant remove the carb to clean it thoroughly, remove the bowl nut and clean the passages on that nut known as a quick and dirty, shoot a little carb clean up the hole of the carb and put the nut back in. Pull the fuel line off the carb, drain all the gas out of the tank, run some fresh stuff thru, slosh it around, let that run out, hook the line back up and add fresh gas. Hopefully that fixes your issue. They also sell a new product now, called gum buster, its an Aerosol can with carb clean in it, the tube screws into the hole in the bottom of the carb, depress the button and it forcefully moves the carb spray throughout the carb, forcing out, newly formed gunk. It works well I tried it. All else fails, carbs gotta come off and be cleaned thoroughly and tank should be pulled, completely drained, carb clean shot in and a rag forced in to clean all the gunk out, compressed air shot in and the tank allowed to dry in the sun with the cap off. The problem with even running a carb dry, if you dont put it on choke and keep pulling that rope until that engine stops running and dieing about 5-6 times, or the bowl popped off and dumped, a small amount stays in their, gums up and clogs that main jet pickup hole near the base of the carb and even with stabilized gas, the fuel tank is vented, so the ethanol in the gas still breaks down faster in a vented fuel tank, causing it go bad faster. One of the two probably occured, or both.


You guys have all been great & gave me the motivation to try again today.

I made progress today but you're probably right about the carb. I pulled the plug & it was bone dry & clean (should be, only ran once for 10 min over a year ago). I took the air cleaner & housing off & squirted a bit of fuel into the intake, and it started right up, but died. I filled the tank with new fuel, tried to start but no start. I shot a bit of fuel into the carb inlet again, and again it started up but died out after it used up the fuel squirted in the carb.

So I know it's getting spark. It must be fuel / carb related. I used a fuel cleaner & stablizer when I filled the tank & left it full for now. One good thing is I got it turned around in my garage so that I can access the carb side without moving a vehicle again. The carb appears very deep in this engine, compared to the Briggs & Stratton on my other mower. I have taken that whole fuel system apart in the past. For this new one, I'm missing something about how the carb works. The linkage for the butterfly is behind some diaphragm-like thing blocking the air inlet. And I can't figure out how the priming bulb operates. There's a liquid fuel line from the tank to the carb. The primer bulb has a tube that appears to come from the top air space in the tank, and I can't see how fuel or air gets to the carb from the primer bulb. The bulb has a hole in it (on purpose).

I really think it got gummed up even after I let it run dry. So aggravating for a brand new piece of equipment to require servicing! Any "how to" advice or links on carb cleaning would be appreciated. The engine is a Briggs & Stratton 500e, 140cc, 5 lb-ft torque, OHV, engine ID/Model 090000. DOM 1/28/19.

Thanks again to everyone. I felt a lot better when it started if only briefly. I can't believe how sensitive a new engine is to fuel problems.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

the only thing holding the carb on is the fuel line and the air filter housing. i think you have to remove about 4 bolts and the fuel line and remove the govenor linkage/spring while pulling the carb off. the carb on the new briggs pulls off just like the old ones.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

crazzywolfie said:


> the only thing holding the carb on is the fuel line and the air filter housing. i think you have to remove about 4 bolts and the fuel line and remove the govenor linkage/spring while pulling the carb off. the carb on the new briggs pulls off just like the old ones.


I had all 4 bolts off. I didn't know I was so close to getting the carb off! Just a squeeze clamp on the fuel line & I'd have had it. I put everything back together, so I'll have to start over. I'm going to do it ASAP, but we're getting temps dropping to freezing the next few days & I prefer to work in a little better conditions.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

The Clean Carburetor Gum Buster is $40 from Amazon. If it works, I'm sure it does, is it worth it? Time saver. Better than carb cleaner using the red straw? How many carbs can you do with 1 can? How many seconds do you hold the button down?


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

you can try cleaning it with the carb with it still on the engine. just remove the air filter housing to make things easier to get at. then just use the a wrench and screw driver bits to remove the screws and then pop the float bowl off. i believe you should be able to pop the main jet out with the carb on the engine but it is usually a lot easier to pop out with the carb off the engine.


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## Dusty (Dec 13, 2018)

JLawrence08648 said:


> The Clean Carburetor Gum Buster is $40 from Amazon. If it works, I'm sure it does, is it worth it? Time saver. Better than carb cleaner using the red straw? How many carbs can you do with 1 can? How many seconds do you hold the button down?


$40 bucks? Thats crazy. I got my bottle free with a honda snowblower at the curb lol. Although I do remember looking it up and believe I found it cheaper than 40 bucks. I know how to pull a carb off an engine and throughly clean it, so I never would have bought the stuff, but since I got it for nothing with a free machine, I had the opportunity to try it and it actually works, wow I guess I scored even better than I realized, because I sold that blower for $375 3 days later, unlike some of the other products they sell for 10 bucks or less that do not work, like mechanic in a bottle, that doesn't work, because all your doing is adding that stuff to the fuel, carbs already gummed up, that stuff does not force out gum like that gum buster. But for someone who doesn't know how, even at $40 its a lot cheaper than taking the unit in for service.
One other thing I forgot to mention. I already used that stuff to get 3 carbs functioning again and still have half a bottle and it had already been used once by the guy who left it on the blower he gave away and he claimed his carb was clogged, but I brought that one home and it too started right up, so he must not have waited to see if the stuff worked. That's 4 carburetors that stuff got working 100% and still a half bottle left, so looking at it that way, yea actually it is worth the $40 bucks, especially to those who aren't mechanically inclined to do a carb clean/rebuild. Although pretty sure I saw it cheaper, gonna look again now.
Update, nope your right as of right now, cheapest I found the stuff for was $39.95. However I still recall seeing it cheaper when I looked it up a month and a half ago, although I think I looked it up thru a different site last time, because this stuff was marketed thru honda originally and the guy who had it, had it with a honda. Still, it already cleaned out and got 4 carbs working perfectly without having to pull them off and theirs still well over a half bottle left, I'd say that's worth it, especially to someone who doesn't know how to pull a carb. One thing to note, they sell different purge valves for different carbs. The one that comes with the bottle happened to work on the 4 carbs it got used on, but all carbs aren't the same and some would require one of the other purge valves as shown on the bottle. Still, a great product, that actually works and if it gets 8 carburetors that were gummed up working again, I'd say it's well worth it. To someone bringing their machines in for service if the repair bill was $100 bucks × 8 that would be $800 bucks. So one $40 bottle could potentially save someone $760 bucks, their abouts. Thats a big savings. Probably why they sell it for $40 bucks.


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## Dusty (Dec 13, 2018)

Yea, its one of those new plastic carburetors. I cant stand those. I only had to clean one of those out so far. Not a fan of them at all. Although they claim their a lot easier to clean than the older aluminum walbros, I don't know, I'm so used to the old walbro's. Also I forget if you can even do a quick and dirty on one of those. The bottom nut is large allen head and its just a drain. Don't even think that gum buster can be used on that carb. I think you actually have to pull it, no matter what to clean it. Its been ahwile since I did one. Those are supposed to be those new environmentally friendly disposable carbs like the Tecumseh vector was. Heres another good how to on servicing one of them. Good luck, let us know how things go for you.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

Dusty said:


> Yea, its one of those new plastic carburetors. I cant stand those. I only had to clean one of those out so far. Not a fan of them at all. Although they claim their a lot easier to clean than the older aluminum walbros, I don't know, I'm so used to the old walbro's. Also I forget if you can even do a quick and dirty on one of those. The bottom nut is large allen head and its just a drain. Don't even think that gum buster can be used on that carb. I think you actually have to pull it, no matter what to clean it. Its been ahwile since I did one. Those are supposed to be those new environmentally friendly disposable carbs like the Tecumseh vector was. Heres another good how to on servicing one of them. Good luck, let us know how things go for you.


Great video. Can't believe I'll have to clean the carb on a brand new mower that's never mowed a blade of grass!! When I looked up the 500e engine not starting, almost every answer pointed to the new plastic carb. I have a feeling this is going to become a yearly maintenance item no matter what gas or stabilizer I use. If it plugged up from being run once for 10 min, I don't see how you can ever be sure it's totally empty & clean for long term storage.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

Best solution may be to fire it up every month during the winter and get fresh gas into the carb. Small amounts of gas go bad quicker than large amounts or you could run that expensive store bought gas before putting it away at the end of the season


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## Dusty (Dec 13, 2018)

I would drain the fuel system 100% at the end of the season. Thats always the best method. All gas out of the tank and drain the carb. On those, their is an allen head bolt in the center. Remove that and let every drop of gas out of that carb. After that, pull the rope on choke or primed a few times until the engine stops kicking over 3 seconds, than you know its completely out and your good to go.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

Good advice both ways from Crazywolfie & Dusty After this episode, I'm not sure I could trust that I drained all the fuel out. I thought I did that when I let it run dry. So I'm inclined to go the monthly start route.

I called Murray, and after getting cut off, called again, then put on hold forever, they absolved themselves of their warranty obligation due to fuel problem, since I started it up once over a year ago when new. Briggs & Stratton included their own manual + 2-yr warranty, I can't even get to a live person on any menu item. The recording just incessantly steers you to the "nearest authorized service center" no matter what option you pick.

So looks like I'm on my own with the manufacturers. But thankfully I have you guys & I'm confident I'll get it running soon.


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## chipg1956 (Mar 28, 2021)

The plastic carbs are actually very good, they clog easy but so does everything else that is new. The good thing is that they clean out real easy and they do not rust like the Honda or China Honda clones. The "jet" is not a jet in the conventional manner, it is white plastic and looks somewhat like tubes molded together, takes the place of a standard emulsion tube as well. It pry's out of the carb. It cleans easy but you need to be careful using compressed air. The plastic jet assembly has a tiny metal insert and if you put air through the wrong way the insert will go flying and you wont find it. I always wrap it up in a rag to make sure I do not lose the tiny insert.


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## chipg1956 (Mar 28, 2021)

Oh by the way for those of you that do not have reasonably priced non ethanol gas available, it is not hard to remove the ethanol from the gas. All you need to do is put the gas in a clear bottle, a 2 liter coke bottle for instance, add a few ounces of water. Shake well and let it set for 10 minutes or so. The ethanol will mix with the water and separates out in a few minutes, just pour the gasoline off the top. Not very practical for filling up your car but you can get a gallon or two pretty quick.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

chipg1956 said:


> The plastic carbs are actually very good, they clog easy but so does everything else that is new. The good thing is that they clean out real easy and they do not rust like the Honda or China Honda clones. The "jet" is not a jet in the conventional manner, it is white plastic and looks somewhat like tubes molded together, takes the place of a standard emulsion tube as well. It pry's out of the carb. It cleans easy but you need to be careful using compressed air. The plastic jet assembly has a tiny metal insert and if you put air through the wrong way the insert will go flying and you wont find it. I always wrap it up in a rag to make sure I do not lose the tiny insert.


Thanks for that last bit of advice. I was planning on using cleaner + compressed air to clear it out. 

I hope to have the carb cleaning job done within a week or two. I'll post result.


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## Darby (Dec 18, 2020)

*Schadenfreude is not an admirable sensation but I confress I'm feeling it. My old abused craftsman started on the very first pull. I'm a bad mower owner, and was a bad blower owner till I started hanging out here.
The mower get stowed under a poor lean-too and never given any love. However, I do keep oil in it and fill with stabilized fuel at end of season ala Oneacer. First pull ! And to think I paid 50 bucks for it years ago.*


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

*SUCCESS!!!!!!!!*

I took the carb apart & cleaned it as directed in the video. It didn't look dirty or varnished. I can't believe how small the jet orifice is - seems like it will clog easily without a really fine fuel filter.

You guys are the greatest. It really sucks to have a brand new piece of equipment that won't start, then get "abandoned" by the manufacturer while still under warranty. I filled the tank & added stabilizer. I plan to start all my power equipment on a monthly basis as a result of this experience.

One last item: The air filter element had some dirt specs, and I sprayed it with carb cleaner & squeezed it dry. A yellow oily sludge came out. It was soaked in gas the last time I tried to start it. Anyway, it appears clean & started again, but I wondered if the filter element was originally oiled, like the air filters in the old days that used oil to help trap particles. The carb cleaner took the Briggs & Stratton logo off the filter!

Thanks again & happy mowing or snow blowing, whichever the case may be!


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

I wouldn't use carb cleaner on those foam filters. I am pretty sure they are supposed to be oiled after you clean them so dirt sticks to the filter instead of being sucked into the engine. If you do service the filter pretty sure soap and water is all you need to clean it. I just dont know what your suppose to oil them with.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@NE,

Yeah, I would not clean a foam filter with carb cleaner .... If dirty, wash with soap and water, rinse, dry ... Then just a bit of oil and squeeze to get it throughout it. Many newer units have the paper style.


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## NE_OH_Snow (Feb 17, 2021)

I did some research online & found out Briggs & Stratton air filters are supposed to be cleaned with soap & water (as suggested above), dried out, then dabbed with motor oil. I'll re-clean my air filter, but I also found many places that stock the filter for my engine ($5-6).


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

By the way, next time your at Harbor Freight or Amazon order, get yourself some of the throw away gloves, there great for working around your machines, especially oiling a foam filter.


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