13 Reasons Your Husqvarna Mower Starts Then Dies (Solved!)

To me, nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of mowing when my lawn mower stops working. My mower never dies in a convenient spot.

It’s usually in the middle of my yard in the full sun. Why couldn’t it have just died closer to my garage or at least in a shady spot?

Your Husqvarna lawn mower starts and then dies when your mower is unable to regulate the air-to-fuel mixture required by the engine to form combustion.

A dirty carburetor, bad fuel, plugged air filter, broken fuel pump, and plugged fins can cause your mower to shut off and die.

Keep reading for a complete list of items that can cause your Husqvarna to die. I provide tips to identify the problem along with solutions.

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Follow all safety instructions provided in your equipment operator’s manual before diagnosing, repairing, or operating. Consult a professional if you don’t have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely.

Reasons Your Husqvarna Lawn Mower Dies  

1. Lack of Gas

Everyone knows if you don’t have gas in the tank, your gas-powered lawn mower will not run. However, when you’re in the middle of trying to figure out why your Husqvarna died, you can forget the simple, most obvious item to check: gasoline.

2. Bad, Old, or Wrong Fuel

Make sure you’re using the right fuel in your Husqvarna mower. Read the label on the fuel pump before selecting your gas to make sure it contains what your mower needs.

Small engines require unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 or greater. The gas must also contain no greater than 10% ethanol.

Regular gas lasts about 30 days before it begins to break down and lose its effectiveness. A corn-based product added to gas, known as ethanol, attracts moisture.

Over time the moisture and ethanol solution can separate from your gas causing harm to your mower and engine. It will also cause many fuel-related problems.

Learn more about the effects of ethanol and the correct gas to use in your Husqvarna in my article, “Right Gas for Your Husqvarna Mower“.

Ethanol is not good for small engines. It can leave behind a gummy substance that can clog your fuel system and cause it to sputter and die. Adding a fuel treatment to fresh gasoline will help stabilize your fuel.

I really like a product called Sea Foam Motor Treatment. Sea Foam reduces moisture in the fuel system and cleans it. Read more about the advantages of Sea Foam in your lawn mower here.

Solution: Drain the fuel tank. Fill with fresh fuel treated with Sea Foam Motor Treatment. Start your mower and let it run for a few minutes to allow the treated fuel to work its way through the fuel system.

If you still have problems after using the wrong type of fuel, you should bring your mower to your local Husqvarna dealer or a small engine mechanic to check for damage to the engine.

3. Plugged Air Filter

An engine requires air to run. The air filter on your Husqvarna mower filters contaminants to keep dirt and grass from entering the engine.

When the air filter becomes extremely dirty, the mower is starved of air and may die while it’s mowing. A plugged filter doesn’t only cause your engine to shut down, but it can result in your engine to overheat causing internal engine damage. 

Solution: Clean your air filter. Steps vary on the type of air filter you are running in your Husqvarna lawn mower: paper or foam.

• Paper Filter: Remove the air filter from the air filter housing. Don’t knock any dirt into the air intake. Wipe out any dirt left in the housing with a dry cloth.
  
  Tap your air filter against a solid surface to remove any loose dirt. Next, hold the air filter up to a light and make sure you see light through the filter.
  
  You will need to replace the air filter if you are unable to see light through the paper filter.  Tip: Never use an air compressor to blow out a paper air filter as this can cause damage to the filter.

• Foam Filter: Remove the filter from the air filter housing. Remove any dirt remaining in the housing with a dry cloth. Be careful not to knock any dirt into the air intake. Wash your filter with mild dish soap and rinse until all the soap is removed. Let air dry in the sun until it is completely dry.
  
  Apply foam filter oil to the filter until it is lightly coated. Reinstall the filter. If your filter has any brown spots, or has become brittle or torn, you must replace it with a new filter.

4. Plugged Fuel Filter

The fuel filter strains fuel coming from the fuel tank before it enters the fuel system. The filter is designed to keep dirt and debris from running through your fuel components and engine causing damage.

When the filter isn’t changed out regularly, it can become plugged with so much dirt that it begins restricting the amount of fuel that is able to pass through it. A reduction in fuel getting to the carburetor can cause your Husqvarna to begin running sluggishly and possibly die.

Solution: Remove the fuel filter and install a new one. Make sure the new inline fuel filter is inserted between the fuel lines with the arrow on the filter pointed in the direction of the fuel flow.

5. Blocked Fuel Lines

Fuel lines can get clogged from dirt and gummy buildup from old fuel. Use the methods above to start and stop fuel flow to check for blockages in the fuel lines.

You should replace your fuel line if you notice the lines are becoming dry and cracked.

Solution: To clear the line, remove the fuel line, and add carburetor cleaner to the line to help loosen the clog. Next, blow compressed air through the line to remove the clog. Reinstall the line.

Install a new fuel line if you are unable to dislodge and remove the restriction.

6. Faulty Fuel Pump

If your gas tank sits lower than the carburetor, your Husqvarna will have a fuel pump to assist fuel flow by pumping it to the carburetor. Check for damage or leaking around the seams of the fuel pump.

Over time, fuel can cause the seams of the pump or the pump itself to fail. Internal damage will be hard to spot, so you will need to test your pump to check its operation.

Solution: To check your fuel pump, you are going to have to be able to start and stop the fuel flow. You can use the fuel shut-off valve if your mower uses one. If it doesn’t, use a clamp to pinch the fuel line to stop the flow.

First, you are going to check to make sure you are receiving fuel from the fuel pump. With the fuel shut off, remove the line from the inlet port of the fuel pump and place it in a container. Start the fuel flow.

You should have fuel running into the container. If there isn’t fuel running out of the hose into the container, you need to look for any blocked lines or plugged filters. (Make sure the container is lower than the fuel supply so fuel can run downhill).

Once you have verified the fuel flow to the pump, reattach the fuel hose to the inlet port. Second, you’re going to check to see if the fuel pump is actually pumping fuel up to the carburetor.

Do this by removing the fuel line from the carburetor and placing the end in a container.

Start your lawn mower. You should be receiving a steady or pulsating flow of fuel out of the fuel line if your fuel pump is still working.

If you aren’t getting fuel flow, shut off the mower and shut off the fuel valve. Make sure you don’t have any blockages in the fuel line to the carburetor. If nothing is plugged it’s time to replace the fuel pump.

7. Dirty Carburetor

A dirty carburetor can prevent your carburetor from properly regulating the amount of air and gas mixture for the engine.

The float, needle, and other components can become gummed up causing your mower running problem.

Solution: If you are somewhat mechanical, you can attempt to clean your carburetor to get it working again. There are a lot of little parts to work with.

If you are not sure if you can handle it or would just rather have someone else take care of the issue, bring your carburetor to your local mower repair shop to be cleaned or rebuilt.

Read my steps on how to clean your lawn mower carburetor here. 

8. Bad Gas Cap

Something as simple as a gas cap can cause your Husqvarna mower to die. Fuel caps are designed to vent. When the vent is blocked, a vacuum is created in the fuel tank which restricts the amount of fuel flowing through the fuel tank. 

Solution: Remove your fuel cap and start your lawn mower, and allow it to run. If your Husqvarna no longer shuts off, this can be your problem. Be careful to not let any dirt or debris enter your fuel system when testing your mower without the fuel cap. 

You can try to see if you can clean the cap to allow it to vent. If you cannot, you need to replace the gas cap. 

9. Dirty Spark Plug

A fouled spark plug on your Husqvarna can cause the plug to fire intermittently causing it to run sluggishly or die. In addition to a fouled plug, a spark plug can cause running problems when it is not properly gapped, it is damaged, or the spark plug wire isn’t securely connected.

Solution: Clean your spark plug tip. If you find the tip of your spark plug is very dark, has a burnt electrode, or is damaged, replace your spark plug. Make sure the plug is gapped following the engine manufacturer’s specifications.

Securely attach your spark plug wires. I recommend replacing the spark plugs annually to minimize starting and running problems due to dirty or worn plugs.

10. Faulty Ignition Coil

The winding on the ignition coil can separate and short out when your mower is hot. When this happens, the spark plugs are unable to get the voltage they need to create a spark. This can cause your Husqvarna to die after it’s been running a while.

Solution: Identify a bad ignition coil using an ohmmeter to check for a break in continuity. Replace the ignition coil if you find there is a break.

11. Plugged Cooling System or Damaged Cooling Fins 

Cooling fins can become damaged or packed full of grass and mud. When this happens, the fins are no longer able to circulate air around the engine block to keep it cool. When this happens, your Husqvarna could overheat and die in the middle of mowing.

Solution: Remove the engine cover and clean the cooling fins. Replace any damaged fins. 

12. Too Much Oil or Too Little Oil

High engine oil levels in your Husqvarna lawn mower can cause your engine to smoke and die after starting. The smoke can clog your air filter causing your engine to look elsewhere for air. 

Too much oil in your lawn mower can cause significant damage including internal engine damage and the possibility of having to replace your engine.  

Low engine oil levels in your Husqvarna mower will cause additional friction in the engine that can cause your engine to overheat and die. 

Solution: Perform your engine oil change according to Husqvarna’s recommendations. Always fill oil to the correct oil fill levels. 

If you continue to have problems after correcting your oil level, you should have a small engine mechanic look at the engine to determine if permanent damage was caused to the engine. This is often the case when a lawn mower shuts down due to a low engine oil level.

13. Plugged Husqvarna Mower Deck & Dull Blades 

A mower deck that is packed with grass and other debris can cause the engine to have to work harder because it needs to rotate the blades through the buildup under the deck.

Running dull blades can also have the same effect putting more load on your engine that can eventually cause it to shut down.

Solution: Inspect your mower deck for any damage. Scrape the deck to remove debris and sharpen the blades. Always run your mower at full throttle when cutting grass. Avoid cutting wet grass. 

Why is My Husqvarna Battery Not Charging?

Make sure you are running your engine at a high engine speed. Don’t allow your mower to idle for long periods of time. It requires the power of the engine to charge your battery.

If you continually have to charge your battery and have confirmed the battery and wiring are in good condition and securely attached, you may have a problem with the charging system.

Solution: There are some steps you can take to check the condition of your battery and charging system which I explain in this article. If after performing these tests, you find you have a bad battery, replace your battery.

When you find the charging system isn’t working right, I highly recommend having an experienced mechanic diagnose and repair the problem.

There are so many components that can cause the charging system to fail that, unless you know the charging system, parts can be thrown at it hoping it repairs the issue.

Electrical components can get expensive and they most likely can’t be returned because they are electrical parts.