Zero Turn Mower. I'm stumped.

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RustyRatRod

RustyRatRod

I was born on a Monday. Not last Monday.
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I have a Toro Timecutter Zero turn mower. I've always hated....no LOATHED zero turn mowers, but it was given to me a long time ago and it's always run very well until lately. The one thing I can brag on it about is, it cuts FAST. It cuts good, too. However, now it will not run unless the choke is engaged. When it does run, it will not get up to speed enough to engage the pto and blades. The extra load just makes the mower die. Of course, that's classic carburetor symptoms, right? I thought so. I pulled it and soaked it and put a kit in it. New float and all. Same thing. So I said to hell with it and got a new carburetor. Same thing. It's a Briggs 16.5 HP engine and it's always run very good. I've checked and adjusted the valves, put a new plug in it, air and fuel filters. Blown the fuel hoses out. Just done everything I can think of to cover all the bases. Has anyone else had a similar issue?
 
Might want to check the water in the gas.

Pour a quart of the gas into a clear Mason jar and see what floats to the bottom.

There are new warnings at the local gas stations saying that the Non-Ethanol gas now has some Ethanol in it.

Ethanol draws moisture right out of the air, especially in a humid climate.

Could try an alternate fuel source of known new good fuel.

Onboard fuel pump diaphragm going bad not pumping required amount of fuel. Some of those fuel pumps are Vacuum driven and are prone to clogging.

Good Luck

☆☆☆☆☆
 
Does it happen to be an import/ China "replacement carb?" Does it have an adjustable main jet? I'm thinking something is plugged. But I'm sure you blew it all out. I always use a straw and aerosol carb cleaner to check, clean, and blow out ALL passages.
 
George Jets said:
Might want to check the water in the gas.

Pour a quart of the gas into a clear Mason jar and see what floats to the bottom.

There are new warnings at the local gas stations saying that the Non-Ethanol gas now has some Ethanol in it.

Ethanol draws moisture right out of the air, especially in a humid climate.

Could try an alternate fuel source of known new good fuel.

Onboard fuel pump diaphragm going bad not pumping required amount of fuel. Some of those fuel pumps are Vacuum driven and are prone to clogging.

Good Luck

☆☆☆☆☆
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Fuel pump was another thing I replaced. Sorry, I forgot to mention. I have also tried known good fuel.
 
67Dart273 said:
Ya know what, how about timing?
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I'm certainly open to it, but it just doesn't "act" like timing. It acts like it's starving for fuel.....but since I don't know, I'll check it all.
 
Its either water in the carb bowl or blocked passage in the carb. Pull the carb and clean it good. To clean the holes in the "jets" you can use a wire from a wire brush.
 
Hey Rusty does it have a fuel cut off solenoid on the carb bowl? If so that’s most likely your problem they will sometimes fail and let a little fuel in and of course when you choke it you restrict the air intake to match the low fuel supply so it runs but not well. Make sure it has a good 12 volt supply going to the fuel cut off solenoid as well.
 
Check compression, these little engines, especially the one lungers got to have good compression.
 
cudascott said:
Hey Rusty does it have a fuel cut off solenoid on the carb bowl? If so that’s most likely your problem they will sometimes fail and let a little fuel in and of course when you choke it you restrict the air intake to match the low fuel supply so it runs but not well. Make sure it has a good 12 volt supply going to the fuel cut off solenoid as well.
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It does, but when I replaced the carburetor, a new one came with it.
 
Rule out a fuel delivery issue. Spray carb cleaner (good flammable stuff, of course) into the carb and see if that helps get enough power to engage the blades.

If it’s definitely getting fuel, I would assume it’s on the ignition side. My two cylinder Kawasaki had a coil crap out on one cylinder. Still felt smooth and started ok, but it was down on power. Replacing the one piece coil and wire assembly fixed.

Had a two stroke dirt bike with one cylinder do the same thing; down on power but started and ran smooth.
 
Yes, I would disconnect the fuel supply hose to make sure that it flows into a jar more than the engine could need. Or....vacuum leak/blown intake gasket type of thing. Or.....if the engine IS under some undue loading, figure out what that is. The need for the choke could be a lean deal or needed to handle that load, a la carb power-valvish.
 
I think the first thing I'm gonna do is ASSURE the fuel is not contaminated. I've never actually flushed the ENTIRE fuel system. It's been sitting a while since I have another mower. Since the weather's good, I'm gonna get it back and give it another whirl.
 
A few years ago I worked in the service department at a green tractor dealer. A customer brought us a good sized but older garden tractor, and complained that it would cut out frequently, and he'd had to push it onto the trailer. It ran fine when it came in. We ran it and mowed with it (a lot of fuel delivery problems only show up under load), couldn't get it to act up. We parked it and had him come and get it. A few days later, I was driving it to his trailer to load it, it died and wouldn't restart. After some more analysis, we fished a red shop rag out of the tank. Somebody must have used it as a fuel cap at some point. We've all seen that. It apparently dislodged itself from the pickup on the trip to our shop, and the harder we worked it the more it floated the rag. It settled back down when we parked it. so you never know what you might find in there! We often removed the fuel tank and flushed it out with a pressure washer. We frequently blew air toward the tank from the fuel pump or carb. That wouldn't really fix it, but gives a place to look if it suddenly runs better afterward.
 
cudascott said:
Hey Rusty does it have a fuel cut off solenoid on the carb bowl? If so that’s most likely your problem they will sometimes fail and let a little fuel in and of course when you choke it you restrict the air intake to match the low fuel supply so it runs but not well. Make sure it has a good 12 volt supply going to the fuel cut off solenoid as well.
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Had this same thing happen to mine. Ended up cutting plunger to fix problem. Caused same problem your having Rusty!
 
Well, after all this time, it was the gas. I disconnected all the hose, blew and flushed the tank and hose and filter out, emptied the carburetor bowl. Put it all back together and put most of a remainder of a gallon of True Fuel I had in the tank and dumped a little in the carburetor and da beeotch popped off and ran as good as it ever has. I even cut some with it. LOL This is good, because now I can use it for the more heavy cutting and save my Troy Bilt for all of the grass around the house. Thanks for the ideas fellers.
 
In the automotive world having to choke a motor suggests a vacume leak.

More fuel needed to combat the extra air.
 
I was plenty pissed off at Kubota last year when I discovered the BX series had another fuel filter in line up under the unit, in addition to the exact same part at the motor. Pretty similar symptoms.
 
Ethanol fuel is disaster for engines. I wish we could charge back to the climate activists all the time and parts we replace for the damage that fuel has caused.
 
BullyDodge said:
Ethanol fuel is disaster for engines. I wish we could charge back to the climate activists all the time and parts we replace for the damage that fuel has caused.
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I agree, BUT if you use it in a everyday or near everyday vehicle, it's not near as bad and actually has some good (detonation resistance) qualities. The problem is when it sits up for any appreciable length of time. ......and this one did just that.
 
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