I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.

On Mar 25, 8:27 am, wrote:
Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something?

I'll put fifty bucks each on "safe as long as you keep extremities
from underneath" and "does not explode"... a fin on "does not start".
-----

- gpsman

On Mar 25, 7:27*am, wrote:
I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. *In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. *It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? *Thanks.

What do you mean , Put some gas stablilser through, if the carb is
completely empty it should be ok. You could remove the spark plug
squirt a few drops of oil in and turn it over a few times. Without the
plug in it. Then just put in new gas and hope for the best, the oil
isnt bad yet but change it after you know it runs and its run a half
day or so.

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:27:40 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.


You did the right thing with the stabilizer, oil replacement, and
storage. Try to start it up! If that fails, put in some fresh
well-known-brand high-octane gasoline then check for leaks,
broken/corroded cable/wires, foul plug, etc.

It should be fine. Lawnmowers know no time.

s


wrote in message
...
I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:55:33 -0400, Phisherman
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:27:40 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.


You did the right thing with the stabilizer, oil replacement, and
storage. Try to start it up! If that fails, put in some fresh
well-known-brand high-octane gasoline then check for leaks,

I don't know why one would use high-octane. There are no high
compression lawnmowers afaik. If the engine didnt' knock** with
low-octane when it was running before, there is no advantage to high
octane now.

**I have never heard of a lawn mower knocking, using the definition of
knock that relates to octane.

broken/corroded cable/wires, foul plug, etc.

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:03:31 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:27:40 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.

After that long, I'd be surprised if the rings and bearings haven't
rusted in place. I would definitely remove the spark plug, squirt some
penetrating oil in the cylinder and work it by hand first as a
minimum, before trying to actually start it.


Also, the OP can use the thumb over the plug hole compression test.

Rotate the crank through all the strokes..intake, compression, power,
exhaust.... (keep plug wire away from touch )

Before starting, pour some fuel into the cylinder, replace plug an
then start.

wrote in message
...
I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.

I'd be tempted to tip it upside down for a second first to get oil on the bottom
of the cylinder walls before cranking it, in addition to the squirt of oil into
the plug hole.

Phisherman wrote:
On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:27:40 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.


You did the right thing with the stabilizer, oil replacement, and
storage. Try to start it up! If that fails, put in some fresh
well-known-brand high-octane gasoline then check for leaks,
broken/corroded cable/wires, foul plug, etc.

LOW OCTANE, not high. The higher the octane rating, the less volatile the
gasoline.

In fact, squirting the sucker's air intake with "starter fluid" (diethyl
ether) would be even better.

On Mar 25, 8:27*am, wrote:
I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. *In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. *It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? *Thanks.

Didn't Murray ever ask for his lawn mower back?

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Should be fine. If you're really worried, call a priest to bless it.
Or, take it to a mower repair shop and have them give it a tune up.
Don't mention the seven years bit.

Unless you're like the person on the news last week with the seven
year old lawn mower that exploded, threw burning gasoline every
where, and burned down the garage. Put the poor guy in the burn ward.

On the other hand, I could be teasing.

Alternatively, you could get an illegal alien from the HD parking lot to
come attempt to start it (claim "bad back" or somesuch) while you stand off
a safe distance.

I, too, could be teasing.

On Mar 25, 5:27 am, wrote:
I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.

IT should be safe as ever.
The grass should be getting pretty tall by now, though.

On Mar 27, 8:57*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
No, he's busy selling bagels.
* *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdFbU...eature=related

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

...
On Mar 25, 8:27 am, wrote:

I have a Murray lawn mower w/ Briggs and Stratton engine, bought in
'97, used until '01. In '01 I emptied the gas and ran some gas
stabilizer through, and replaced the oil. It's been sitting in the
garage ever since. Is it safe to try to start it, if I put in fresh
oil and gas, or is it going to explode or something? Thanks.

Didn't Murray ever ask for his lawn mower back?

No, he's busy selling bagels

Ahh...how I long for the days of the independent bagel shops, where
they (we) hand rolled each bagel just prior to boiling and baking.

I used to deliver bagels for a friend's shop in Queens NY, filling 70
- 80+ bags with 5 dozen steaming hot bagels from the coffins at 3AM,
loading them into a station wagon and driving 150 miles through the
boroughs of NYC, dropping off bags at various grocery stores and delis
- all before most opened for business. Old style - leave the bags of
fresh baked goods in front of the door for the owner to carry in when
he arrived.

I'd chat with the owner of an Italian deli in Brooklyn over a quick
cup of coffee, grab some hot doughnut holes from the bakery at the
Pathmark in Queens, and drive the 2 mile Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at
stupid speeds. The cops in Brooklyn would turn around at the toll
booths as would the cops on Staten Island. Never saw a cop *on* the
bridge unless there was an accident. Topped 100 MPH on more than one
occasion. Like I said - stupid.

The Bruegger's and Manhattan Bagels of the new world have just about
eliminated the independents, just like the Lowe's and HD's have done
to the neighborhood hardware stores.

Sigh...