The Lawn Mower Fault

This customer couldn't start his mower. All seemed well when the mower was put away after the last use. When he tried to start it, the starter motor didn't seem to have enough grunt to turn the engine a full revolution. After doing several tests it was deemed there was a problem with the decompressor.

This device is fitted to the camshaft and opens the intake valve slightly on the compression stroke, this reduces the compression of the engine so it can be started with a lot less effort.

Once the engine starts, the device flings outwards with centrifical motion and has no effect on the running engine.

In this case the device had broken off. This caused full engine compression on start up, which made it impossible for the starter motor to turn over.

The repair was completed by fitting a new camshaft and lifters.

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