How to Tell If Lawn Mower Engine is Seized

It is not always easy to tell if your lawn mower’s engine has seized or if something else has gone wrong with it. If you think your lawn mower’s engine seized, there are a number of ways to tell if your suspicions are correct or not.

In this article, we will take a look at ways to see if the engine is seized up and if it can be fixed or not. Many backyard lawn mower mechanics have come up with quick solutions to get that locked engine up and running without spending too much money.

If you want to know how to check whether it is seized and how to fix it, keep reading.

Why Would Your Lawn Mower Engine Seize?

There are a number of reasons why your lawn mower engine would seize up, and we are going to take a look at them.

• There is no oil in the lawn mower or the oil level is too low, which may cause the engine to seize.
• If the lawn mower sits for a long time and is not used, it can seize up if you start it without replacing the old oil.
• When you use the incorrect oil for your lawn mower, the viscosity may not be enough to properly lubricate the engine.

These are the most common reasons why your lawn mower engine seizes up, as the internal engine components are oxidizing because of a lack of lubricant.

How to Check If It is Seized

The following is a list of some of the ways you can determine whether the lawn mower engine has seized up. When this happens, your lawn mower engine will simply not turn at all and will be locked in one position.

• If your lawn mower uses a battery to start, it will not be able to turn the engine at all.
• When you try to start the engine with the crank rope, it will be stuck in one position and will not turn the engine.
• If you turn the lawn mower upside down and try to turn the blade by hand, you will find that it will not budge.

How to Fix This Problem

There are a number of quick ways you can fix a seized engine to save you some money in the long run. By fixing the problem yourself, you will save money on a new lawn mower, but is it worth the effort?

Let’s look at the ways to solve the problem of a seized lawn mower engine.

A Quick Fix

This method is a quick and easy fix that will not cost you a lot of money, and it can be done by anyone. Even those with no or only a little bit of tech experience will be able to do this fix for their lawn mower at home.

• First, get yourself a bottle of PB Blaster spray lubricant.
• Turn over the lawn mower so that the spark plug points upwards.
• Now, remove the spark plug from where it is installed.
• Spray some of the PB Blaster right in the hole where the plug is supposed to go.
• Let it sit for about 1 hour just to be on the safe side.
• Next, you need to rotate the engine manually, and that can be done by moving the blade back and forth to move the piston.
• When the engine starts to move more freely, you can leave it for another hour and then check to see if the crank is loose enough.
• After you leave the lawn mower and let the PB Blaster do its work, fill it up with the right type and amount of motor oil.
• Return the spark plug to where it needs to be installed and make sure everything is plugged in.
• Go ahead and fill the lawn mower with fuel
• The lawn mower should now be ready to start when you turn the crank.
• Let it run for a few minutes so that it can properly lubricate before you shut it down.

To see a complete step-by-step tutorial on how to do the quick fix, watch the following Youtube video.

Other Products

There are a number of products that will be able to get your lawn mower going quickly. The above steps will be the standard with all of these products.

Important Note

Most of the time, when a lawn mower engine seizes, there will be some type of damage that you can not fix. It is also possible that this quick fix will not remedy the problem, and the lawn mower will not start after you have followed all the steps.

If that is the case, your lawn mower engine needs to be replaced, as even if the fix works, it will not be the same. You may hear some weird sounds coming from the lawn mower engine when you start it, which is another problem that needs fixing.

When the engine runs without oil, there will be some scratching marks inside the cylinder. Thus, the cylinder wall will be permanently damaged by the dry bearings on the piston that move inside the cylinder.

In this case, as mentioned before, the only solution will be to replace the engine or buy a new lawn mower. Watch the following video to see what a lawn mower engine looks like that was seized because of a lack of lubricant.

Maintenance Advice

In order to prevent the engine of your lawn mower from seizing up, there are a few steps you need to follow.

• Clean the lawn mower after each use to make sure no dirt has accumulated on the engine.
• Always check the oil level before you start the lawn mower.
• Make sure the plug wires and all wires and nuts are properly fastened.
• When you store the lawn mower for a long time, remove the fuel and oil and replace it with new oil when you eventually use the lawn mower again.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there is an easy way to temporarily keep your lawn mower running to save you money. In the end, there will always be damage to the engine, and the inevitable is just being postponed.

If you are lucky, the engine will run for a few more seasons before you will have to replace the engine or the lawn mower.