Troubleshooting A Toro Lawn Mower That Doesn’t Run Properly

Toro is one of the most popular lawn mowers. Just like any machine, there may come a time when yours does not perform properly. You could call in a repair representative from your local Toro lawn mower dealer to check your mower out. However, it is more cost effective to do it yourself. Moreover, it is not a difficult task.

A Toro lawn mower. Courtesy: Cavalier92

If your Toro lawn mower does not perform properly, the first thing you need to do is drain that gasoline from it and re-fill it with fresh gas.

To perform this task, you will need a hand siphon that you can purchase from a Walmart, Amazon, eBay or Home Depot.

To siphon the gasoline out of the mower fuel tank:

  • Push the lawn mower to a level place and put a container that is authorized to hold gasoline next to the mower.
  • Insert the straight portion of the hand siphon into the mower fuel tank and place the flex hose of the siphon into the container.
  • Squeeze and release the bulb on the top of the siphon to withdraw the gas from the mower into the container.
  • Remove the siphon when all the fuel has been removed from the mower’s fuel tank.
  • Locate the carburetor bowl drain under the carburetor if your lawn mower has a bowl drain. The bowl drain looks like a small cup with a screw slightly off center on the bottom of the cup.
  • Put a plastic cup under the screw of the bowl drain.
  • Loosen the screw with a wrench and allow the small amount of fuel to drain into the cup.
  • Tighten the screw back onto the bowl.
  • Empty the cup of gasoline into the container.
  • Run the mower until the last remnants of the gasoline are gone.
  • Refuel the tank with fresh gasoline.

To continue the troubleshooting, remove and examine the air filter and spark plug and replace items that appear to be extremely dirty or worn.

If you own an electric Toro lawn mower, plug it in and charge it until the indicator light is green, then inspect the fuse located behind the battery compartment and replace it if it is blown out.

Now test the mower.

If the Toro lawn mower isn’t cutting properly, disconnect the spark plug and prop the mower up.

Put on a pair of gloves and then inspect the cutting blade and tighten the bolt in the center of the blade if it is loose.

Examine the edge of the cutting blade to make certain that it is properly sharpened and not damaged. If the blade needs sharpening, sharpen it with a metal file. If it is damaged or too dull to sharpen, then replace it.

About Robert Janis

Written by Robert Janis for LawnEq - Your specialists for Lawn Mower Parts and Small Engine Parts. We offer genuine premium OEM parts for Land Pride, Toro and many more dependable manufacturers.