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All types of machinery and equipment experience wear and tear and develop faults with time.
After owning a Toro Recycler 22 for a couple of years, it will eventually, one day, refuse to start.
A host of factors can lead to this problem.
Some of the things that can prevent a Toro lawn mower from starting are:
- Insufficient air or fuel in the engine,
- Faulty electrical system
- Bad battery, gas cap, or spark plug,
- Dirty carburetor,
- Clogged air filter.
The following are instructions on how to troubleshoot these problems whenever they arise.
1. When The Gas Tank is Empty
What should be the first thing to check out when your lawn mower, which is powered by gas, won’t run?
If there is any gas in the tank. It seems like a fairly obvious thing but sometimes, you can forget when you are frustrated.
Not remembering to fill up the gas tank after use can happen to anyone.
Solution
Simply fill up the tank with fresh fuel.
2. Not putting in the Correct Type of Gas or Having Old Gas in the Tank
If you do not use the correct type of gas in your lawn mower, two things will happen.
Your lawn mower will not start, and there will be major damage to your engine.
The Toro Recycler 22 needs to be powered with regular unleaded gasoline which has no more than 10% ethanol. The less ethanol is present in the gas, the better.
Apart from the right ethanol content level, your gasoline must also not have an octane rating below 87.
Anything from 87 and above is ideal.
Gasoline with an 87-octane is sold as regular gasoline and can be found virtually everywhere.
Inspect the label on the lawn mowerś fuel pump for the ethanol content and octane level,
Solution
Make sure that you use fresh gasoline in your Toro Mower
3. When the Toro Recycler 22 Gas Cap Won’t Vent.
Most people don’t usually notice this in their Toro Recycler 22.
There’s a little hole in the gas cap which allows air to pass through so that the tank can vent.
When the cap’s vent in your Toro lawn mower is clogged, a vacuum is formed in the fuel tank.
Because the air is not being allowed to pass through.
When the vacuum forms, it prevents fuel from moving out of the tank.
This means your Toro Recycler 22 won’t start.
Not because there’s no fuel but because the fuel is not being allowed to perform its function.
The best way to check if your gas cap is plugged is by first removing it from the tank.
After this, start the lawn mower and let it run.
While it’s still running, put the gas cap back and observe it for a while.
If the mower shuts off or sputters out, there is a high chance something is wrong with your gas cap.
Solution
Attempt to clean the cap in order to open up the vent.
However, if you still cannot get it to vent, you will have to change the gas cap.
4. When Your Spark Plug is Bad or There is a Loe Connection.
If your spark plug is extremely dirty due to a buildup of oil and carbon, it can foul out.
This will cause the engine to misfire.
If the spark plug is not properly gapped, it can cause your Toro Recycler 22 to refuse to start.
This can also happen if the spark plug is not able to make a good connection.
Solution
Take out the spark plug and check it for signs of any excess buildup of oil or carbon.
Look also for a splintered porcelain insulator.
You’ll have to get a new spark plug(s). Ensure that these are correctly gapped.
5. When Your Air Filter is Plugged In.
For your Toro lawn mower to start and keep running, it requires air.
Your Toro Recycler 22 is being used outdoors.
This means it is in contact with natural elements such as sand, dirt, and grass.
These can easily clog your air filter.
To prevent problems with starting your mower and engine issues, you should inspect your air filters frequently, and clean them.
This is because when the air filter in your Toro Recycler 22 gets blocked, the engine will not get any air. This will make it overheat.
Overheating of the engine can lead to internal engine damage.
If a clean air filter is installed, this will prevent severe problems brought about by a lack of air.
Solution
Take out the air filter from the air filter housing to inspect for a buildup of dirt or grass.
If it is made of paper, clean it by tapping it against a hard surface.
This will force out as much dirt as possible.
Hold the filter up to the light.
You should be able to still see light through the surface.
If you can’t observe any light shining through the paper, then you will have to replace your air filter.
If the filter is made from foam, then the best thing to do is replace it with a new filter.
Especially if it has brown splotches on it, or is torn or brittle.
You should clean your foam filter by washing it with mild dish soap.
This will eliminate as much oil and dirt as possible from the filter.
After this, rinse the filter until the soap is completely gone.
Then, squeeze the water out of it and lay it flat so that it can air dry.
Placing it outdoors, in the sun, will enable it to dry more quickly.
When it is dry, spread a thin oily coat over the filter with oil made specifically for foam filters.
6. When Your Fuel Pump is Bad.
If you have been using your Toro lawn mower for a while, then your Toro Recycler 22 fuel pump may go bad.
Gasoline left in the fuel pump can break down the plastic and other parts of the pump.
This will make it no longer able to stand the pressure necessary to pump gas.
This is the first step in determining whether you have a faulty pump: check for gas dripping at the seams.
It’s not usually so easy to tell just by looking if your gas pump is bad or not.
So, the next thing to do is test it.
Confirm that you have a flow to the fuel pump.
You can do this by using the shut-off clamps or valve to start and stop the flow of gas.
Look out for fuel flow from the hose that is attached to the inlet port of the fuel pump.
After you have confirmed that fuel is flowing to the pump, you need to observe whether fuel is being pumped out of the pump.
You can do this by removing the fuel hose from the carburetor and putting it in a container.
Now, start your Toro lawn mower and watch the hose for any uncoordinated flow, whether pulsating or constant.
Solution
If there isn’t a pulsating or constant flow from the pump, you will need to change your fuel pump.
7. When Your Fuel Filter is Plugged in.
Your fuel filter can get clogged with dirt as well as build up from old fuel. This will obstruct fuel flow.
Inspect your fuel filter to ensure it is permitting the flow of fuel to go through the filter into the fuel hose.
Solution
The only way to fix this is to get a new fuel filter.
Conclusion
As we have seen, sometimes, there can be multiple issues occurring at the same time and it gets overwhelming trying to pinpoint the problem.
But now, you have the basic knowledge on how to troubleshoot your Toro Recycler 22 when it refuses to start.
Please ensure that you take note of all the safety instructions written in the equipment operator’s manual before you set about operating, diagnosing, or repairing.
If you are at a loss for what to do, skill-wise, please consult a professional.
