Vroommmmmm, vroommmmmm, put, put, put, put, vroommmmmmmm………………. – silence. My futile attempt to express in English the sounds of a dying Briggs & Stratton engine :-) . Another crank of the key rendered a similar experience for over a dozen times :-( . The engine belonged toHPIM7396  our 20+ year old MTD riding lawn mower. It has faithfully served our family for so long, but was having an awfully hard time coming out of a long hibernation. Neglect not the gift that is in thee… (1 Timothy 4:14).

Through advice from a friend of the family who has years of experience working on small engines, I commenced the troubleshooting project. Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established (Proverbs 15:22). First, the battery was HPIM7395 replaced. I learned that each cell on a battery represents 2 volts. Hence, our 12 volt battery has 6 cells. The liquid inside a battery consists of sulfuric acid. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost (Acts 15:32). When the level of the fluid drops below the pre-marked line on the exterior of the battery, it is to be replenished with distilled water (a recommended maintenance item on all batteries). With minerals such as calcium found in tap water, contamination of the sulfuric acid can only be avoided with distilled water. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times (Psalms 12:6).

The original battery’s sulfuric acid level had dropped so low to render rejuvenation futile. A multi-purpose battery (ie. ATV, dirt bike, etc) from Home Depot proved an ideal replacement. Whenever replacing a battery, I am told special care must be HPIM7397 given to remove the positive cable first.

After finally realizing that the engine was out of gas :-) , the new battery brought life to the lawn mower. But only enough to start it once at which time bluish white smoke billowed out – ‘oh dear’ I thought. Black smoke is a sign of rich fuel and bluish white smoke is a sign of burning oil. In our case, out of place oil was burning off and rendered no real issue, though a fire extinguisher was kept handy.

After the initial run, the engine refused to be restarted. Adjustments of the choke and throttle proved ineffective. Looking inside the hood with Dad, we discovered a missing The engine's carburetor screw on the air filter, a loose screw on the carburetor, and another completely missing screw on the other side of the carburetor. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (James 1:4). This rendered an ineffective carburetor. Praise the Lord for people in our household who save old screws, for the oddly shaped air filter screw was found in a small container of misc screws and nails. A little ‘jerry rigging’ provided an almost perfect fitting screw for the carburetor – we were rolling. Everything was reassembled and with greasy hands but eager anticipation, the key was turned – vroooooommmm! The engine roared to life.

Squeaky sounds, dying engines, smokey hoods, and leaking fuel can often be traced back to a small problem (ie. loose screw, dirty carburetor, old gas, etc) that once addressed and through proper maintenance results in a smooth running machine. What a picture of the body of Christ!

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 7:45 pm and is filed under Family News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.