Solved: 18 Causes of a White Outdoor Lawn Mower Not Starting!

Even though your mower is getting older, you’re not quite ready to sell it. If the mower has been well-maintained over the years, your starting issue might just be a typical minor issue.

When the fuel line, spark plug, carburetor, ignition coil, fuel pump, battery, air filter, choke, carburetor is dirty, the spark plug is dirty, the ignition coil is faulty, the fuel pump is bad, the battery is bad, the cables and wiring are loose or corroded, the White Outdoor lawn mower won’t start.

Discover more items that could be the source of your White mower’s starting issues by reading on. Remember to adhere to all safety instructions listed in your White operator’s manual. Before making repairs, this entails removing the spark plug wire.

Reasons Why Your White Outdoor Mower Won’t Start

Empty Gas Tank on Your White Mower

Everyone is aware that a gas-powered lawn mower won’t operate if the tank is empty. I only bring up this simple explanation for why a mower won’t start in case you decide to skip this step out of frustration.

FIX: Fill the mower with brand-new, 87-grade or higher octane gasoline.

Select a gas that contains no more than 10% ethanol.

You must use a fuel and oil mixture if you have an old push mower with a 2-cycle engine. Here is more information on selecting fuel.

Bad or Old Fuel in Your White Mower

After about 30 days, gas begins to degrade and loses some of its effectiveness. Fresh fuel should be purchased and used within 30 days.

The ethanol present in modern gasoline is an eco-friendly additive that functions well in the majority of vehicles, but it is not a good fit for the small engine in your White Outdoor mower.

The moisture that ethanol attracts can evaporate, leaving behind gummy residue deposits that can clog the fuel system’s fuel lines, filters, and carburetor.

SOLUTION: Get rid of the old fuel. A fuel siphon pump is effective. Before adding fresh gas to your fuel tank, mix in a fuel additive. After running on old gas, it’s a good idea to use a fuel additive like Sea Foam. Read this article to learn more about the benefits of sea foam.

In addition to stabilizing gas, it also helps to reduce moisture and clean the fuel system. Start the mower after adding this gas and additive mixture, and let the mixture circulate through the fuel system.

Continue going down the list to find the issue if you can’t get the mower to start.

Wrong Choke Position on Your White Mower

The mower has a part installed to limit airflow, called the choke. To start a cold engine, less airflow is required. When the choke is engaged, the choke plate is closed, allowing a higher fuel concentration to be burned in the cylinder.

A cold engine won’t start if the choke isn’t in the closed/on position. Similarly, a warm engine won’t start if the choke is not in the open/off position.

SOLUTION: When starting a warm engine, make sure the choke is off and engaged when starting a cold engine. Once the engine has warmed up, turn the choke to the off position while starting a cold engine.

Check for a clogged air filter, a stuck choke, or a worn choke cable

Plugged Air Filter on Your White Mower

To ensure that your engine can continue to draw in clean air, your air filter should be cleaned or replaced frequently. The engine runs hot and searches for air wherever it can find it, including air still in the crankcase, when airflow is blocked due to a clogged air filter.

In addition to making it difficult to start the engine, a clogged air filter increases the risk of the engine overheating, smoking, and being damaged.

SOLUTION: If your paper air filter is very dirty or damaged, clean it or replace it.

Clean a white outdoor lawn mower paper air filter:

• From the air filter housing, remove the filter. Don’t let any dirt get into the air intake, please.
• With a clean cloth, remove any dirt that may be present in the housing.
• To remove extra dirt, tap the filter against your hand or a stable surface.
• To see if light can pass through the filter in all areas, hold it up to the light. You must replace it if the light cannot be seen, the filter is ripped or damaged, or it no longer properly seals.
• Fit the filter in.

Clean a white outdoor lawn foam pre-filter:

• Just a quick reminder: To help trap dirt, a paper air filter is used in conjunction with a foam pre-filter. Pre-filters should never be filled with oil because doing so will harm the main paper air filter.
• Take a look at the foam pre-filter. It should be changed with a new one if it has dark spots, is brittle, or is torn.
• In a solution of water and mild detergent, wash the foam filter. Rinse the filter thoroughly to get rid of the detergent.
• Dry squeeze. Don’t ring out the filter to prevent tearing it.
  until completely dry, lay flat.
• It is ready for installation once it has dried.

Consult the operator’s manual for your White mower or read Guide to Lawn Mower Air Filters if it employs a different kind of filter.

Bad Fuel Pump on Your White Mower

The mower will have a fuel pump if your fuel tank is lower than the carburetor. Fuel must be pushed up to the carburetor using this. Three ports will be present on the fuel pump: an inlet port, an outlet port, and a port that connects to a crankcase pressurization line.

By looking for small cracks or fuel leaks, you might be able to visually identify a bad fuel pump. If the fuel pump has cracks or is leaking fuel outside of the pump, it needs to be replaced.

Even if the fuel pump seems to be in good shape, you should check the fuel lines to make sure fuel is getting to the pump and leaving the pump.

SOLUTION:

Verify you are getting fuel to the fuel pump:

• To stop the flow of fuel, close the fuel valve or apply a clamp. (Not all lawnmowers feature a fuel valve.)
• Place the line in a container that is lower than the fuel tank after detaching it from the fuel pump’s inlet port.
• Check to see if fuel is flowing out of the tube and into the container by unclamping or turning on the fuel valve.
• Check for blockages in the fuel filter or the fuel lines if you are having trouble getting fuel.

Verify your fuel pump is pumping fuel to the carburetor:

• By reattaching it to the fuel pump inlet, the fuel line you removed can be reinstalled.
• Remove the carburetor’s fuel line.
• Start the lawnmower, put the tube in a container, and keep an eye on the fuel line’s end to make sure fuel is being pumped into the container from the fuel line.
• Fuel should be pulsating or flowing continuously from the fuel line.
• If the fuel pump cannot reliably pump

Plugged Fuel Filter on Your White Mower

In order to remove any dirt or debris, your fuel filter filters the fuel leaving your fuel tank and flowing through your fuel system. When old fuel evaporates, gummy deposits may form. This could clog the fuel filter, along with fuel that is dirty.

SOLUTION: A plugged fuel filter needs to be changed.

Clogged Fuel Line on Your White Mower

Your White mower’s fuel line may become clogged with old, gummed-up fuel. As you check the fuel flow from various fuel line sections, test the flow through the fuel line by stopping and starting the fuel flow.

SOLUTION: Shut off the fuel supply if you come across a line that has a fuel restriction. The mower’s fuel line should be removed. Spray a carburetor cleaner into the tube, then blow air through it with compressed air until the line is clear.

The restriction is loosened using the carb cleaner. It is pushed out of the line and freed using the air. If necessary, repeat these two steps. If you are unable to remove the obstruction from the fuel line, replace it.

Dirty Carburetor on Your White Mower

Your White lawn mower’s carburetor is a critical part. Its purpose is to ensure that your engine receives the proper gas and air ratio for combustion.

Your lawn mower may run poorly and may not start if the gas and air mixture is off.

SOLUTION: You can clean or replace your carburetor. Cleaning your carburetor will usually solve the problem, allowing your White lawn mower to function normally once more.

If you discover any damaged components, you might need to use a carburetor rebuild kit to replace them. If cleaning the carburetor does not work, replace it.

This article includes instructions for cleaning your carburetor.

Bad Battery, Loose Cables, or Corroded Terminals on Your White Mower

Check the battery, cables, and terminals if the mower won’t even turn on. The battery needs to be charged at 12.7 volts or more. Starting problems may be exacerbated by corroded terminals and loose cables.

SOLUTION: In a solution of 2 cups of water and 3 rounded tablespoons of baking soda, clean corroded terminals. To thoroughly clean the terminals, use a wire brush.

Utilize a multimeter to test your battery. You must charge your battery if the reading is less than 12.7 volts. The steps and items required to charge your battery are detailed in more detail here. You will need to buy a new battery if your old one cannot maintain a charge.

Bad Safety Switch on Your White Mower

To keep you secure while operating the lawn mower, a White uses a number of safety switches. These switches may develop problems and prevent your lawn mower from starting.

SOLUTION: To find a bad switch, test it with a multimeter or temporarily bypass the safety switch. For your safety, never use a mower without the safety switch installed. Always ensure that your equipment has installed and functional safety switches.

Bad Spark Plug or Loose Connection on Your White Mower

A poor spark plug connection or a damaged spark plug could be another factor keeping your White lawn mower from starting. Intermittent spark issues can also be brought on by a dirty spark plug.

SOLUTION: Check your spark plug(s) for burnt electrodes, porcelain insulator cracks, and carbon buildup by removing it and inspecting it. You should replace it with a new spark plug if any of these symptoms are present.

Ensure that you gap them in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Once you have finished troubleshooting and repairing the mower, firmly attach the spark plug wire.

A starting or intermittent running issue can be brought on by a loose wire or the incorrect electrode gap.

Bad Ignition Switch on Your White Riding Mower

Your White lawnmower won’t start or even turn over after you insert the key into the ignition switch and turn it. The issue might lie with the ignition switch.

SOLUTION:To test the ignition switch, use a multimeter. If faulty, replace the switch.

Bad Recoil on Your White Push Mower

A recoil is used to pull-start a lot of White push mowers. The mower can no longer be started using the recoil if the recoil is damaged or if the parts malfunction.

A broken recoil is most likely caused by a bad pulley, a broken spring, or broken clips.

YOU CAN TRY TO REPLACE THE SPRING AND RESTRING THE RECOIL AS A SOLUTION. It is better to just replace the recoil assembly if it doesn’t work because other parts of your recoil, like the clips or pulley, are broken.

Faulty Ignition Coil on Your White Mower

The spark plug receives voltage from the ignition coil in order to fire and start the engine. If the spark plug cannot ignite, the engine will not start.

SOLUTION: After making sure your spark plug is in good shape, use a multimeter to check the continuity of your ignition coil. If the continuity is broken, replace the ignition coil.

Bad Starter Solenoid on Your White Mower

An electromagnetic switch similar to an on/off switch, a lawn mower solenoid activates the starter motor to start the engine. When turning the ignition key, a click or hum is a sign that the solenoid needs to be checked.

When a wire connected to your solenoid gets hot, starts to smoke, or melts, that is another sign that your riding mower solenoid may be faulty.

SOLUTION: Follow these instructions to test the solenoid on your White lawn mower. If your solenoid is found to be defective, replace it.

Faulty Charging System on Your White Mower

While the charging system isn’t the primary cause of your White mower’s inability to start, it can play a role in the mower’s inability to start due to a weak battery.

The battery may not be able to start the mower the following time you try to use it if the charging system fails to charge it.

Along with other electrical parts, a bad stator or alternator could be the issue. Read this article to learn how to use an ohm meter to test your charging system.

SOLUTION: Ask a small engine mechanic to determine the real cause of the failure if you discover that the charging system is the issue. You will only be speculating about the issue, which can be quite expensive, and it could be a number of different things.

Incorrect Operating Procedure to Start Your White Mower

Start-up instructions for various White mower models are provided. These particular procedures were implemented for safety reasons, among other things. For instance, push mowers identify the operator using a safety bar.

A seat switch on riding mowers is used to make sure the operator is still on the machine. They also employ a brake switch that, if the brake is not applied, can malfunction and prevent the mower from starting.

SOLUTION: To avoid activating the safety features that turn off your lawn mower, make sure you are operating your lawn mower according to the instructions in your White Outdoors operating manual.

Bad Fuel Cap on Your White Mower

There is a vent in your gas cap. Gas cannot flow through the fuel lines when this vent becomes blocked, creating a vacuum in the fuel tank. When the cap is not properly vented, your White mower cannot pull gas and appears to be running low on fuel.

SOLUTION: Replace a fuel cap that has broken and isn’t venting properly.