# Problem Starting Swardman Engine



## Ken_K (Apr 16, 2020)

I just got my Edwin out for the first time since last October. After much pulling it finally ran for about 5 seconds and then died. Couldn't get it to start after so I left it for a couple of hours. Second try = about the same as the first but ran about 10 seconds and died. The mower is 10 months old and I've always used ethanol free fuel. I shut the fuel off and ran it dry before putting it away for the winter. All the basics double checked - run/kill switch on, fuel line open. Any ideas on troubleshooting?


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## sheiraas (Jun 6, 2019)

I've had issues here and there with my swardman but never and issue with the actual engine. I'm sure you have done the obvious but make sure fuel is full. Fuel switch on. Throttle to middle and use choke full. Once it turns over turn the choke off right away. I have never had to pull more than 2 times and almost every time only 1 pull.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Someone may have better advice, but I would probably still start with cleaning the carb.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Start with the carb, cleaning the jets. If it runs for a few seconds it's usually fuel related. If that doesn't work change the plug and go from there but I suspect it will.


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## r-trussell (Aug 24, 2021)

After checking the obvious things like gas turned on, I would pull the plug and put some gas in the cylinder. Put the plug back in and try to crank again. If it cranks and then dies I would then clean the carb and look for anything blocking gas from getting to the cylinder. Pinched lines or trash in the tank.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Change the plug and air filter. Drain the fuel tank and add fresh gas. That is yearly maintenance on any small engine (the XR550 manual recommends new plug, fuel filter, and pre-cleaner yearly and cleaning the air filter every 25 hours). I have found the Briggs XR550 engine on the Swardman to be sensitive to dirty plug and air filter. If air filter and plug don't fix the issue, then I would clean the carb. After that, the troubleshooting gets more complicated.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Quickest check for a fuel delivery issues is aerosol carb cleaner. Remove air filter, 1 second blast down the throat of the carb. If it starts, hit it again as soon as the engine starts to stumble. If it pops right back to life, you have a fuel delivery (Carburetor, 99% of the time) issue.


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## Ken_K (Apr 16, 2020)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, Foolishly, I thought I had discovered the problem. When I took the cap off the fuel tank I noticed the pick up tube was almost above the fuel. I added more fuel and managed to get it to run for about 20 seconds and then it died again. Smoky exhaust but I died before I could turn the choke off.
The manual is almost useless (at least to me) regarding engine controls. If you're looking straight on at the fuel shutoff and the choke levers, do you slide the choke lever to the left or right for FULL ON CHOKE? Likewise to shut OFF the fuel do you slide left or right?


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## littlehuman (Jun 10, 2020)

Ken_K said:


> Thanks everyone for your suggestions, Foolishly, I thought I had discovered the problem. When I took the cap off the fuel tank I noticed the pick up tube was almost above the fuel. I added more fuel and managed to get it to run for about 20 seconds and then it died again. Smoky exhaust but I died before I could turn the choke off.
> The manual is almost useless (at least to me) regarding engine controls. If you're looking straight on at the fuel shutoff and the choke levers, do you slide the choke lever to the left or right for FULL ON CHOKE? Likewise to shut OFF the fuel do you slide left or right?


If memory serves, lever far left is full choke. Lever far right is fuel on/open.


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## Ken_K (Apr 16, 2020)

Thanks. I'll give that a try.



littlehuman said:


> Ken_K said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone for your suggestions, Foolishly, I thought I had discovered the problem. When I took the cap off the fuel tank I noticed the pick up tube was almost above the fuel. I added more fuel and managed to get it to run for about 20 seconds and then it died again. Smoky exhaust but I died before I could turn the choke off.
> ...


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

There is a neat graphic on the carb that gives you fuel shut off information. The choke, if I remember correctly, is left for choke (same as fuel off) and right for no choke (same as fuel on).


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

The carb on the demo Swardman I had was finicky. I had to take it off and clean it to get it to run when it arrived.


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## Guest (9 mo ago)

"demo Swardman" ? still using it ?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Nixnix42 said:


> "demo Swardman" ? still using it ?


Yeah, they sent me one several years ago to demo. It was the one with the American flag painted on the grass catcher. I wasn't the first person to get it, but I think it was the first mower they shipped to the United States. This was back before Reel Rollers became a dealer. I do not have it anymore.

I'm not sure how it long it sat before it arrived at my house, but I had to clean the carb to get it to run.


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## Guest (9 mo ago)

what did you think of it, Sir?


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

This site built up swardman mowers, and slowly stopped talking about them. If the unit wasn't free or sponsored for the YT crowd, most slowly moved away. They are mostly homeowner junk, with gypsy support points from a foreign support base.

There's a resin job don't see them shined up around here, and it ain't because the freebies died off.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

FATC1TY said:


> This site built up swardman mowers, and slowly stopped talking about them. If the unit wasn't free or sponsored for the YT crowd, most slowly moved away. They are mostly homeowner junk, with gypsy support points from a foreign support base.
> 
> There's a resin job don't see them shined up around here, and it ain't because the freebies died off.


The American home-owner reels aren't exactly setting the world on fire either. The reel-mowing homeowner in North America was hungry for features that both Swardman and Allett provide. Problem is, both of those brands cater to homeowners with very small lawns (by US standards) and cool-season grass. 15-20 minutes tops to mow the grass and another hour to polish the machine just isn't the typical American way. :lol: That application isn't very demanding on the equipment so these "light-duty" mowers do much better overseas.

I think Swardman would have done better if they had quietly released a few machines to North American testers that were not going to pamper them and started mass sales with the Edwin 2.1 which did address many of the durability concerns.

ETA:

On the support side of things, we have an allergy in this country to anything that requires more than the bare minimum of care/maintenance in order to perform well. See it all over, cars, equipment, appliances, etc. And it's not just owners/consumers. It's the technicians that are supposed to maintain things as well. Non-stop b****ing about things that require more than 10 minutes, 2 bolts, and computer regurgitated diagnostic codes to solve. [/rant off :mrgreen: ] Imagine if the average mower shop -embraced- reels and their needs instead of saying, "can't work on them" "never seen one like that" "so old we don't even know where to get parts for it" every time one needs work? I could see reels selling more, driving manufacturers to make a few more of them and develop them to be as consumer-friendly as possible. We live in a world where battery electric tools are struggling (still) to overcome the power requirements of rotary mowers in many applications, and a more energy efficient mower design has existed for over a century because it was born before the infernal [sic] combustion engine.........


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Nixnix42 said:


> what did you think of it, Sir?


It had some features that would be appealing to some users, but as I've said before - I wouldn't have traded my GM1600 for it.


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## Guest (9 mo ago)

MasterMech said:


> FATC1TY said:
> 
> 
> > This site built up swardman mowers, and slowly stopped talking about them. If the unit wasn't free or sponsored for the YT crowd, most slowly moved away. They are mostly homeowner junk, with gypsy support points from a foreign support base.
> ...


I agree the market is screaming for a homeowner possibly battery-powered "Ego"? type reel mower. Hell, even a gas-powered one would suffice. This is not just a niche market the demand for a good high-quality homeowner reel unit is there its just a question of who will meet this ever-growing demand.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Nixnix42 said:


> ....
> 
> I agree the market is screaming for a homeowner possibly battery-powered "Ego"? type reel mower. ....


Enter the Allett Stirling models. From an application standpoint, a Kensington with most of the Liberty/Kensington quibbles addressed and EGo battery power. But of course the first thing everybody hollers about is the $4,500+ price tag. Those in the know on reel-mowers know you can get a VERY nice greensmower for that. It just won't be new, not attachment capable, and most likely not battery powered. I wonder how much they are in the U.K? (I'd look it up but the site is blocked by my work internet filter) It probably would be significantly cheaper (in the U.S.) if offered by a U.S.A manufacturer.


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## Guest (9 mo ago)

MasterMech said:


> Nixnix42 said:
> 
> 
> > ....
> ...


As I stated there is a demand for such in the US...the $4K price tag though ooofaa


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