Where Is the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower?

Do you know which component of your lawn mower engine is responsible for its smooth functioning? If not, it’s the carburetor. Usually metal or plastic-based, this part mixes the air and fuel in proportion for the spark plugs to create combustion. As a result, you get the required engine power and fuel efficiency.

With time, the carburetor can also go bad and give rise to various problems, from minor to major. Thus, it’s necessary to inspect its condition regularly and do the needful for its better state. But where is the carburetor on a lawn mower?

The carburetor is generally found under the gas tank of push-behind mowers or behind the air filter of riding mowers and certain push-behind models.

Continue reading as I discuss the carburetor location in detail and other useful things every lawn mower owner should know.

Table Of Contents

0.1 Key Takeaways:

1 Where Is the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower? Access It Easily with These Steps ‌
- 1.1 Push-behind Lawn Mowers (All Types)
- 1.2 Riding Mowers (All Types)
2 What Is the Importance of the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower?
3 Symptoms of a Faulty Carburetor ‌
4 Expert Cleaning & Maintenance Guide for the Carburetor‌
5 Some Safety Tips for Working on The Carburetor of a Lawn Mower‌
6 Where Is The Carburetor on a Lawn Mower? FAQs
7 Conclusion

Key Takeaways:

Made of metal or plastic, a carburetor is an important component of every gas-powered lawn mower as it ensures the perfect air-to-fuel ratio for combustion.
It’s either under the gas tank or behind the air filter in push-behind mowers. In riding mowers, you’ll find it right behind the air filter.
The carburetor can go bad if not taken care of regularly; various symptoms indicate this.
Cleaning the lawn mower carburetor is easy. You can easily get the job done with the right tools and some basic mechanical understanding.

Where Is the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower? Access It Easily with These Steps ‌

If you’re still looking for the carburetor on your lawn mower and the user manual didn’t help much, don’t fret. Below is its exact location on most push-behind and riding lawn mowers.

Push-behind Lawn Mowers (All Types)

If you’ve got a push-behind lawn mower, a carburetor can be found at two different places in these.

The first is under the gas tank. This is also the most beneficial location for the carburetor, as it can use gravity as the main fuel feed from the gas tank.

Another carburetor location is behind the air filter installed on the side. The main benefit manufacturers try to reap by installing the carburetor behind the air filter is that no complex ducting is needed to get the air where it’s required.

Riding Mowers (All Types)

When it comes to riding mowers, like zero turn and riding lawn mowers, you’ll mostly find the carburetor on the side of the engine, with the air filter overlapping it.

Tip: To access the carburetor behind the air filter, follow the steps discussed in its deep cleaning section below.

What Is the Importance of the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower?

A carburetor is important for your lawn mower as:

It ensures only a high internal combustion mixture of air and fuel is passed on to the mixture
It increases or decreases the mixture amount per the engine speed and load
It controls the engine’s speed
The carburetor also maintains a small amount of fuel in the float as well

Besides, the carburetor can also perform other functions, depending on its type.

Symptoms of a Faulty Carburetor ‌

If you suspect your lawn mower carburetor is faulty, the following symptoms will confirm the same.

You’re facing starting problems
The engine is consuming too much fuel and still producing inadequate power
You see black smoke from the exhaust
The spark plugs are wet
Strange noises from the engine

If you experience any of these symptoms, it indicates your carburetor isn’t sending the perfect air-to-fuel mixture to the engine and, thus, is faulty.

Note: The ideal air-to-fuel ratio is 12:1 or 15:1 ratio of air to fuel.

Expert Cleaning & Maintenance Guide for the Carburetor‌

Now that you’ve understood what problems a faulty carburetor can lead to, why not clean and maintain it well in the first place? Are you wondering how? Follow these steps.

Start by Cleaning the Exterior of Your Mower’s Engine

It’s important to clean the exterior of your lawn mower engine. This will remove the stubborn dirt and debris, making accessing the various engine components easy, including the carburetor. Also, have a clean workbench ready to disassemble the carburetor there.

Access the Carburetor by Removing the Air Filter

Since your lawn mower’s carburetor sits underneath the air filter, you must remove the latter first. For this, use a screwdriver and loosen the screws. Gently pull it towards you. Once removed, you’ll come across the carburetor.

Tip: In this step, check the air filter for wear and tear. If it asks for cleaning or a replacement, do the needful.

Take out the Carburetor

Once the air filter is removed, take out the carburetor. It’s generally bolted to the engine using 2 bolts. Thus, use a nut driver to remove these bolts. Next, disconnect the choke linkage and throttle from the carburetor. Do all this while wearing durable gloves.

Disassemble the Carburetor

Before you start disassembling the carburetor, note that you’ll have to put every piece back in the same position while reassembling. Hence, taking photographs here will help.

Next, spray any high-grade carburetor cleaner like the STA-BIL Fast Fix on the carburetor for the initial exterior cleaning. Unbolt the fuel bolt and see if the hole in the nut is clear. You can check this by poking a thin wire or paper clip through it. Remove the float attached to the carburetor with a hinge pin. If required, change the needle as well.

Keep all these small parts of the carburetors in one place and in the correct position.

Replace Worn-out Parts

While cleaning the carburetor, it’s always better to quickly look at the parts nearing their age. For example, the pin, float, gaskets, needle, etc. These parts wear out more quickly than others and, thus, must be replaced.

Clean the Carburetor and Its Parts

Now that the carburetor is fully disassembled, let’s thoroughly clean it and its small parts. To begin with, spray some carburetor cleaner on the inside as well. The same is true for the parts as well.

Tip: If you’ve got a liquid carburetor cleaner, empty it into a bucket and leave the carburetor housing and parts in it for an hour.

After an hour or so, remove everything from the bucket and let it air dry before the reassembling stage. To speed up things, use a blower instead.

Reassemble the Carburetor

When the carburetor housing and its parts are completely dry, start reassembling them. Use the photographs clicked at the beginning here. Once done, mount the carburetor on your mower and reconnect the choke linkage cables, throttle, and fuel lines.

Fasten the 2 bolts on the carburetor and cover it with the air filter.

You can now test your lawn mower and see if the cleaning succeeded. If any issue persists, don’t wait further to take your mower to the repair shop for a deep diagnosis. Alternatively, a professional carburetor repair/rebuild kit is not bad either.

Some Safety Tips for Working on The Carburetor of a Lawn Mower‌

Adhere to the following safety tips when working with your lawn mower’s carburetor.

Don’t immediately touch the carburetor after turning off the mower. Let it cool down a little bit. Otherwise, you may burn your fingers by touching an extremely hot metal carburetor.
Ensure you remove the spark plug before handling the carburetor.
Wear proper safety gear, especially gloves, and goggles.
Choose a properly ventilated place.

In addition to these safety tips, don’t forget to read the operator’s manual since it may contain some more useful Do’s and Don’ts for you.

Where Is The Carburetor on a Lawn Mower? FAQs

How Do You Clean A Lawn Mower Carburetor Without Removing It?

I recommend a high-grade carburetor cleaner for cleaning your carburetor without removing it.

How Do I Know if My Carburetor Is Bad on My Lawn Mower?

There are several symptoms of a bad carburetor. For example, diminished engine power, more fuel consumption, black smoke from the exhaust, starting problems, etc.

How Do I Unclog My Carburetor on My Lawn Mower?

Disassemble the carburetor, clean its parts, and reassemble it. This will unclog your carburetor. If required, replace any worn-out parts.

Where Do You Put Carburetor Cleaner in a Lawn Mower?

You must spray the carburetor cleaner into the carburetor’s throat to clean its exterior. To clean its internal parts, you’ll need to remove it entirely from the mower’s engine.

Where Is The Carburetor on a Zero Turn Mower?

On a zero turn lawn mower, the carburetor is located on the side of its engine.

Conclusion

Here you go. That’s everything you should know about the lawn mower carburetor. A shiny metal object, it’s responsible for mixing the fuel and air in just the right proportion for internal combustion, which ensures maximum power generation with minimal fuel consumption.

On most lawn mowers, you’ll find this carburetor bolted under the petrol tank or on the side or top of the engine. It may also find its place behind the air filter or on the opposite side of the muffler. Your user manual will help you locate it.

By knowing this, you can regularly check if the carburetor is working fine or not. If not, follow the above tips to maintain it like new. However, it’s important to adhere to the aforementioned safety tips as well.

Where Is the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower – Here’s the Answer