Phew! Thought she was a goner!

Me and combustion engines do …not … get … along. That’s why this everything-can-be-battery powered world we live in is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Yes. I said “the greatest thing ever” . . . sorry wife and kids. Sorry you had to find out this way.

Remember I bought my dream Honda lawnmower? Bought it used because that’s what I do. If I had unlimited money, I would get a brand new battery-powered Honda lawnmower, but those things are around $1,000 … and $200 used gas-powered versus new $1,000 battery-powered? I’ll be frugal for now.

Anway. I got her (my lawnmower identifies as she/her) home, the oil looked OK. I got some premium gas. And I used a brush and compressed air to clean the dust outta the air filter.

That was a mistake.

See … forever, I’ve started each season with a brand new sparkplug, brand new air filter, and premium gas (I know, I know … I need to find “rec fuel” but I always forget or get lazy). But, a couple years ago, one of my mechanically inclined friends said, “oh, man, I never change my oil. You don’t need to do that. And I think my spark plug is 10 years old. I don’t even know.”

So I was like, “Don! You fool! Be like this mechanically inclined guy.”

Thing is … I ain’t mechanically inclined. So when I got my new, used Honda a month ago, my instincts would’ve been to replace the air filter, spark plug, and spray some carb cleaner around the carburetor.

I didn’t.

And last weekend, the ol’ girl was surging and choking and stalling. I thought, “oh, Don… you suck at gasoline powered anything. You should’ve gotten the battery-powered new Honda and never looked back. Then I thought … OK. Let me run this withouth the air filter just to see what’s going on and … voila!!!

My Honda lawnmower was starving for good, clean air.

I replaced the air filter (and got a new spark plug) and I’m proud to report she’s running like the day she was built.

The lesson … unless you’re actually a person who fixes things and knows how engines work … replace your lawnmower’s air filter, spark plug, and oil every season.