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Old 17-05-2008, 11:19 PM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2006
Posts: 253
Default Push Lawnmower Repair Question??? HELP!!!

MICHELLE H. wrote:
Hello everyone,

I am new to the group, and hoping that somebody can help me out ASAP???
I have a 2 year old Sears Craftsman 3-in-1 ( side
discharge/mulching/bagging ) push lawnmower.

Last summer I noticed that the lawnmower started leaking gasoline
through the air filter, when I would turn the mower on its side, to
clean the underneath, after mowing my lawn.

Anyway, I took the lawnmower to Sears, because it was still under a 2
year factory warranty, and told them of the problem.

After a few weeks, they got back to me, and told me that the reason it
was leaking gas through the air filter was because I "must have run over
something, because the crankshaft was bent".

They told me that I would have to pay $160 dollars, because a crankshaft
is NOT part of the 2 year factory warranty!?

Anyway, I went to Google and Yahoo and did a search on bent crankshafts,
and I DIDN'T see not even ONE thing that stated that a "bent crankshaft"
will cause gas to leaking through the air filter???

I saw a bunch of stuff that said that when gas leaks through the air
filter, its usually a carberator problem with the float and needle being
stuck???

So, what I would like to know, is Sears ripping me off $160 bucks??? I
did read that it is possible for oil to leak out of the lawnmower from a
"bent crankshaft", but will a "bent crankshaft" cause GAS to leak out
through the air filter???

Any info. will greatly be appreciated!!

Thanks!


It's not unusual for fuel to leak when tipping a mower. That's not an
indication of a problem. When tipping it, find the spark plug and always
tip it such the the spark plug is on the highest side. That should
lessen the chance of oil or gas leaking. Don't tip it any higher than
necessary or longer than necessary. Technically the fuel and oil should
be drained before tipping, but that's not very realistic.

Tell Sears that you don't want the crankshaft fixed, just put it back
together so it runs and then pick it up asap. I would not suggest
dealing with Sears repair dept. Find a local power equipment shop and
use them for your mower maintenance and repairs. Forget about getting
anything covered warranty. Since it made it through the first season
without problems it's very likely that any problems you encounter now
will not be a result of any defects.

If the crankshaft really is bent you would probably have noticed that it
vibrates a lot. Warranty never covers bent crankshafts. Using the mower
as intended, to cut grass, it's just not possible to bend one. It has to
strike something solid that it was not designed to cut.

--
Art