Let’s just call it laziness on my part but I have an MTD tractor that has been sitting for probably 3 years now. Is there anything I need to do to the engine before I try starting it? I’m sure the cylinder walls are corroded.
Drain the fuel and clean out the carb, put in some fresh ethanol free fuel.
Probably need to see if the battery is any good, charge it or replace it.
Pull the plug and put a little oil, penetrating fluid in the cylinder and let it sit overnight, then crank it with no plug in it so you can get oil pressure up
Put in a new plug, turn on the fuel and crank it.
Posts: 24725 | Location: Gunshine State | Registered: November 07, 2008
_________________________________________________________________________ “A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.” -- Mark Twain, 1902
Posts: 9422 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 04, 2005
Once the other things suggested have been done then maybe a squirt of "old school" lighter fluid in cylinder area or fill up base of spark plug with lighter fluid prior to re-installing and attempting to start.................................. drll sgt.
Posts: 2183 | Location: denham springs , la | Registered: October 19, 2019
Originally posted by 229DAK: Can you still buy starting fluid?
Absolutely . I got a mower going for a girl the other day . It sat up since last summer with gas in it and wouldn't crank this time around . I dumped the old gas , put fresh gas in it and added a dose of SeaFoam . Gave it a shot of Starting Fluid and let it burn through the Starting Fluid and repeated a couple of times . Then I let it sit overnight and did it again the next morning . It ctanked and ran good after that . It doesn't work every time but I've done it enough times to always try it first .
Posts: 4446 | Location: Down in Louisiana . | Registered: February 27, 2009
