Tired of pulling your back out trying to start your lawn mower, only to have it sputter and die? Perhaps your mower needs a new spark plug – the device that creates the electrical spark that ignites the fuel in your engine. If the spark plug is worn or bad, it can cause the mower to run rough or not start at all.

Check the spark plug annually as part of your regular lawn mower maintenance. Sometimes the spark plug can be cleaned and adjusted by resetting the spark gap at the end of the plug. If not, it will need to be replaced.

Even if you’re not mechanically inclined, you can replace a spark plug in a matter of minutes for less than $5, which makes a world of difference in helping your lawn mower start and run properly. Read on to find out how to go about it.

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Tags: , lawn mower

4 Comments on “How to Change a Lawn Mower Spark Plug”

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1. Judy S. Says:
   July 23rd, 2011 at 7:03 pm

   Following your instructions, I changed my mower’s sparkplug. (Good, clear instructions!) It started easily and ran normally. The next time I needed to mow, it wouldn’t start and sounded like it did before changing the spark plug. Thinking I might have made a mistake with the plug, I replaced it with a new one. It started right up and ran normally. Couple of weeks later, same story. I have now used 4 plugs this season. Am I doing something that causes the plugs to have shorter lives? Thanks!

2. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   August 10th, 2011 at 12:45 pm

   Hi Judy,
   Your question has been answered on our website at Problem with Lawn Mower Engine Running Rough. Hope that helps!

3. JACKIE SHEPARD Says:
   April 22nd, 2012 at 11:20 pm

   The article on changing spark plugs was excellent– it was clear, easy to follow, easy to understand. Most important, it took the fear of attempting to do a mechanical repair away! I have compleat confidence I will be able to to other maintenance jobs as well to start up my riding lawn mower in a properly maintained manner. I purchased it last year with 11 hours on it, but want to make sure it is in good shape before I start up. Thanks for the great articles Jackie Shepard.

4. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   April 23rd, 2012 at 9:23 am

   Hi Jackie,
   Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear that our article was helpful!

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