Not impossible

Mom always used to tell me I should try something I wasn't entirely sure I would succeed at. I try to do that from time to time, but I also try to make sure nobody's going to suffer in the process.

So when the lawn mower finally just stopped, the first thing we did was invest in a replacement, albeit an economy model. Then (i.e., this weekend) I did it - dismantled the carburetor for a good cleaning.

The Internet's a wonderful thing. Somebody was kind enough to write all about how a novice should carefully pay attention to which wire was supposed to go where, and how to remember how the throttle plate lined up before it was disconnected from the shaft (draw a picture!), and Google helped me find it. I must admit that as a little added insurance, I checked out two books on small engine repair from the local library. Turns out the diagrams were helpful, but not absolutely necessary.

The good news is that I put it all back together again - no extra pieces - and the thing is running again! Total investment? About $5 for a T10 torx head driver, another $4 for a can of carburetor cleaner, and a few hours of my time. The pride of accomplishment was well worth the investment (and all the cleanup efforts, too). It's always surprising how quickly one can get really greasy. And now we've got a backup...