Zero Turn Mower. I'm stumped.

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Yes, I agree. I was surprised when about three months ago I read I should check the floats in a newly purchased (supposedly off the shelf) Edlebrock 1913, regardless of the "bolt-on and go" sales pitch. I did open it up after about 3 months of running and was surprised to see water at the bottom of the float base. No fuel, only water, or what looked like water. Maybe other issues here but I will be putting electric fuel pumps on all my classics to avoid dry starting.
 
RustyRatRod said:
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.
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Duh, should've looked at that first!! I feel dumb now lol

I had a brand new Husqvarna push mower (I still have it, and it's great), and after the first winter....no fuel.

Flushing the fuel line into a rag revealed a chunk of what looked like white petroleum jelly with little actual bubbles that were all full of water. Removing that and switching to pure fuel with no ethanol has kept it solid ever since.
 
RustyRatRod said:
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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I dont use anything but real 91 or 93 octane in everything , from mowers ,chainsaws,weed eater, leaf bower ,etc. , no problems , een letting them set for extended periods , humid/rain or not ..side note , run it in the 505 fish and the polaris too ...
 
ALL I can say is "I HATE MOWERS!!!!!"

I have a mower problem, I work on it and can't fix it, I take it to a PRO shop, they work on it, I PAY them, and it still ain't fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then it goes to the second pro shop>>>>>>>etc etc etc etc

On top of that wife says after all, "it is years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shoot me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
 
barbee6043 said:
ALL I can say is "I HATE MOWERS!!!!!"

I have a mower problem, I work on it and can't fix it, I take it to a PRO shop, they work on it, I PAY them, and it still ain't fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then it goes to the second pro shop>>>>>>>etc etc etc etc

On top of that wife says after all, "it is years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shoot me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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turn loose of some of that mo./tx $ , and go buy you a new one !!!
 
famous bob said:
turn loose of some of that mo./tx $ , and go buy you a new one !!!
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Yea but, but but. but ........... I bought an old commercial big Husker Z turn off a friend last year. It needs some work and its too darn hard to get under and all over that sucker to fi it. It goes to someone that CAN fix it soon! Its like a 12 valve Cummins it is hard to wear it out and killl it dead!

The Cub Cadet "lawn tractor" is crap.
 
jos51700 said:
Duh, should've looked at that first!! I feel dumb now lol

I had a brand new Husqvarna push mower (I still have it, and it's great), and after the first winter....no fuel.

Flushing the fuel line into a rag revealed a chunk of what looked like white petroleum jelly with little actual bubbles that were all full of water. Removing that and switching to pure fuel with no ethanol has kept it solid ever since.
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No need to feel dumb. How do you think I feel? I let the damn thing sit TWO YEARS. LMAO. I filled it up with 93 super (as I intend to use it frequently) and cut with it for about two hours. It's still a "little" weak to engage the PTO. If I engage the blades at a stand still, it will still kill the engine, but if I engage while rolling it engages and cuts great. Since I don't cut sitting still, that works for me. LOL
 
barbee6043 said:
ALL I can say is "I HATE MOWERS!!!!!"

I have a mower problem, I work on it and can't fix it, I take it to a PRO shop, they work on it, I PAY them, and it still ain't fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then it goes to the second pro shop>>>>>>>etc etc etc etc

On top of that wife says after all, "it is years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shoot me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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This one is a Toro Timecutter 16/44 and it's probably from the mid 1990s. I've had it about ten years now and it's still runnin pretty good.
 
famous bob said:
I dont use anything but real 91 or 93 octane in everything , from mowers ,chainsaws,weed eater, leaf bower ,etc. , no problems , een letting them set for extended periods , humid/rain or not ..side note , run it in the 505 fish and the polaris too ...
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Yeah, if I'm gonna put it down for the season, I'l run it out and put a tank of non ethanol AND Sta-Bil in it, but I normally run ethanol fuel in it during the season, because I was using it frequently, so it always ran fine, until it didn't.
 
RustyRatRod said:
No need to feel dumb. How do you think I feel? I let the damn thing sit TWO YEARS. LMAO. I filled it up with 93 super (as I intend to use it frequently) and cut with it for about two hours. It's still a "little" weak to engage the PTO. If I engage the blades at a stand still, it will still kill the engine, but if I engage while rolling it engages and cuts great. Since I don't cut sitting still, that works for me. LOL
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That bog on blade engagement isn't uncommon. I've seen some that kick a fast idle solenoid when you engage the blades. It ain't great to have that engine firewalled when you kick the blades in either.
 
I've got a Craftsman riding mower that is so old.....I'd be curious to know what Noah done with the other one! I put a fuel shut off valve between the tank and carb. When I'm done mowing, I cut the valve off and let it run out of gas before I shut it down. Haven't had a carb problem since. I run non ethanol 91 octane in all the little motors and keep Marine Stabil in the jugs.
 
RustyRatRod said:
No need to feel dumb. How do you think I feel? I let the damn thing sit TWO YEARS. LMAO. I filled it up with 93 super (as I intend to use it frequently) and cut with it for about two hours. It's still a "little" weak to engage the PTO. If I engage the blades at a stand still, it will still kill the engine, but if I engage while rolling it engages and cuts great. Since I don't cut sitting still, that works for me. LOL
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If your mower has a choke you can pull the choke on a little when engaging the PTO.. I have a gas Grasshopper and since new that has been the easiest way with-out stalling the engine or slipping the belts with a higher RPM...
 
Glad you got it sorted out RRR... as soon as I see runs better with the choke out it's a fuel issue as choke = less air to get a proper mix with the less than 100% gas coming through the fuel line. I spend 1/2 the Summer every year "fixing" widowed ladies boats on the islands around us at Camp. Separating their water from gas in a 60 ounce booze bottle and then pouring the actual gas back into their tanks. The boat cans leak rain water through the lids while sitting in the boats. Nothing a solo cup cut to fit won't fix, but some are worth spending time on their docks! :)
 
Lucas Ethanol Treatment works wonders, never tried the ol' Sta-Bil because this stuff does what it advertises and is specifically intended for ethanol-gasoline blend fuels including E-85. I had a container of regular-grade E-10 that had to be at least 1.5 years old I gave to a friend with a push mower I sold him in February, still smelled fresh and worked fine the few times I had to run my snowblower this past winter and when I had filled it I put in 1-2 ounces of Lucas. Like the Frank's Red Hot commercial, "I put that sh** in everything" lol. My old D200 truck, the Duster, my new-to-me John Deere E130 riding mower, my 2-stroke weed trimmer (when I don't use the overpriced pre-mixed stuff in a can). Only engine that doesn't get it is the 3800 in my Buick as it's my daily driver and it needs premium due to the supercharger.
 
jos51700 said:
That bog on blade engagement isn't uncommon. I've seen some that kick a fast idle solenoid when you engage the blades. It ain't great to have that engine firewalled when you kick the blades in either.
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I have preached that to my wife for years BUT she must be untrainable!???
 
70rrclone said:
I had a cub cadet zero turn with a similar issue. All the intake bolts were loose.
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What I was thinking. If it needs choke to run it has a vacuum leak or it is running lean because of a carb issue.
 
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I use premium doped up with a lot of SeaFoam and a dash of red HEET. I've had that mix sit for a year and still be usable.
 
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6PakBee said:
I use premium doped up with a lot of SeaFoam and a dash of red HEET. I've had that mix sit for a year and still be usable.
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I like Heet, too. It's a really good product.
 
I wish I could buy non ethanol fuel in this area. No can do. and Ill be damned if Im gonna buy it $8/quart at a time as "tru fuel"
 
volaredon said:
I wish I could buy non ethanol fuel in this area. No can do. and Ill be damned if Im gonna buy it $8/quart at a time as "tru fuel"
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There are people on the www who insist you can remove alky by adding water, shaking it, let it sit, and then siphon off the "good stuff". And you can SEE it in the bottom of a clear container.
 
Now of course, the starter gives it up. LMAO
 
67Dart273 said:
There are people on the www who insist you can remove alky by adding water, shaking it, let it sit, and then siphon off the "good stuff". And you can SEE it in the bottom of a clear container.
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That's precisely how it's done if You're motivated, it's how the alcohol content is checked in the field, specially graduated test tube add water to line then fill with sample & shake. Let sit and the increase in separation level over the water's initial level shows the % of alcohol. It always priority bonds to H2O over gasoline, it will come right out of solution.
 
MopaR&D said:
Lucas Ethanol Treatment works wonders, never tried the ol' Sta-Bil because this stuff does what it advertises and is specifically intended for ethanol-gasoline blend fuels including E-85. I had a container of regular-grade E-10 that had to be at least 1.5 years old I gave to a friend with a push mower I sold him in February, still smelled fresh and worked fine the few times I had to run my snowblower this past winter and when I had filled it I put in 1-2 ounces of Lucas. Like the Frank's Red Hot commercial, "I put that sh** in everything" lol. My old D200 truck, the Duster, my new-to-me John Deere E130 riding mower, my 2-stroke weed trimmer (when I don't use the overpriced pre-mixed stuff in a can). Only engine that doesn't get it is the 3800 in my Buick as it's my daily driver and it needs premium due to the supercharger.
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Stabil 360 is the one to use, it is a blue-green in color, regular Stabil is red. Sounds like that Lucas may be another option, good to know.
 
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