riding mower

[ray hampton]

it starting acting up many months ago but now it will quit too often , if I wait until it cool down then it will start up , I pull the gas tank and clean it , the gasket in the gas cap went bad and some of it fell into the tank, last month or two the mower hit a piece of wood and broke the blade, the blade tore a hole in the deck, the blade also mess the controls cables up but they were fix, will someone take a guess on the proper way to fix the old mower

[Bert Kemp]

Junk it buy a new one :D

[Duane Meadows]

Change the fuel filter, and perhaps the carb. Other than that I agree with Bert!

[Joe Pelonio]

How old is it? Mine is a 1992 and still going strong after I fixed a sticky intake valve. There are many things that can cause your problem. Here's what I would try:

1. Check the oil level, many of them will shut off if it gets too low
2. Check the spark plug and gap
3. Make sure your air filter is clean
4. Make sure the choke is opening fully

[Myk Rian]

Ray. If you hit something that broke the blade, then you need to pull the flywheel off and check the key. When they get torqued, it messes the timing up.

[Bill Huber]

I am not sure what size mower you are talking about but I had a 1978 John Deere 316 and in 2004 it started doing just was you are saying. It would run fine for a while and then just bog down and stop, let is set for a while and it would start and run then bog down and stop.

Checked the point, timing, rebuilt the carb with no help. I was about ready to pull the engine and rebuild it and notice that there was some oil around the top of the coil, got a new coil, installed it and that was the problem, it is still running fine for the new owner, I sold it in 2006 when I down sized.

[Tom Stenzel]

Ray. If you hit something that broke the blade, then you need to pull the flywheel off and check the key. When they get torqued, it messes the timing up.

^^ This. That happened to me.

Also the engine might be overheating. Over time the cooling fins under the fan shroud can get blocked with dirt, bits of leaves and grass. A friend of mine once had a mouse build a nest under the fan cover. Blocking the air flow will overheat the engine. Keeping them clean will extend engine life.

Besides, the fan shroud has to come off when you check the flywheel woodruff key

If the engine has a lot of years on it it could be the valve lash needs to checked and adjusted. That's one maintenance item that's routinely ignored.

-Tom

[Kevin Bourque]

You said pieces of the gas cap gasket are missing. I'd install a new cap. A bad gas cap affects performance.

[Jerome Stanek]

If you installed a new gas cap does it vent correctly. When it dies open the cap and see if it is sucking in air.

[ray hampton]

Ray. If you hit something that broke the blade, then you need to pull the flywheel off and check the key. When they get torqued, it messes the timing up.

the mower deck are belt driven , belt transmit the force from the engine to the deck pulleys

[ray hampton]

You said pieces of the gas cap gasket are missing. I'd install a new cap. A bad gas cap affects performance.

a new gas cap cost close to $40 BUT a roll of gasket only cost $ 5.00 , more than enough gasket for ten gas caps, pieces of the old gasket was missing until the tank got clean out

[ray hampton]

I am not sure what size mower you are talking about but I had a 1978 John Deere 316 and in 2004 it started doing just was you are saying. It would run fine for a while and then just bog down and stop, let is set for a while and it would start and run then bog down and stop.

Checked the point, timing, rebuilt the carb with no help. I was about ready to pull the engine and rebuild it and notice that there was some oil around the top of the coil, got a new coil, installed it and that was the problem, it is still running fine for the new owner, I sold it in 2006 when I down sized.

how can oil get on the coil if the coil are on top of the engine ? I presume that all small engines use a magneto ignition

[Bill Huber]

how can oil get on the coil if the coil are on top of the engine ? I presume that all small engines use a magneto ignition

The coil on this engine was just like a small coil that was on cars, the coil has oil in it and it was leaking out.

I don't know what engine you have in your mower so I don't know if it has a coil or not.

[Pat Barry]

The coil on this engine was just like a small coil that was on cars, the coil has oil in it and it was leaking out.

I don't know what engine you have in your mower so I don't know if it has a coil or not.

Bill has a good idea about the coil. It could be the coil is defective when it gets hot. This reminds me of a problem I had with an old Buick that had 3 coil packs, each one serving 2 cyclinders. The coil would lose voltage when it got hot. I ended up replacing the coil packs.

[Dan Hunkele]

Some of the older caps had a screw open vent in the middle of the cap. No matter how you look at it the gas tank needs to be vented or the gas will not flow to the carb properly. Sometimes the hose will deteriorate and a piece of rubber will clog the needle valve at the carb. Crack the cap loose and go for a ride, but gas will splash out if the tank is too full. If your mower has the tank under the seat it is highly likely there is a fuel pump that can go bad. Ride the mower until it quits and give it a quick shot of starting fluid is the quick way to check for lack of fuel. Something in the ignition electronics can be breaking down under heat too. A lot of things can be wrong. Since it does start and run I would first check fuel situation.

[Harry Hagan]

My first thought, as others have said; is the gas cap. I had a rental engine that kept stalling until I realized the gas cap wasn't venting properly. Try loosening the cap when it stalls—hopefully it will start right up.

[ray hampton]

Some of the older caps had a screw open vent in the middle of the cap. No matter how you look at it the gas tank needs to be vented or the gas will not flow to the carb properly. Sometimes the hose will deteriorate and a piece of rubber will clog the needle valve at the carb. Crack the cap loose and go for a ride, but gas will splash out if the tank is too full. If your mower has the tank under the seat it is highly likely there is a fuel pump that can go bad. Ride the mower until it quits and give it a quick shot of starting fluid is the quick way to check for lack of fuel. Something in the ignition electronics can be breaking down under heat too. A lot of things can be wrong. Since it does start and run I would first check fuel situation.

I replace the plug today ,better but no cure, tomorrow maybe I can replace the hoses and if this do not fix it then the car. rebuild will be next or maybe I will buy a new one

[ray hampton]

replacing the fuel hoses did not cure the problem BUT the hoses are transparent so I could watch the air bubbles and the fuel flow thru. the hose, how can I fix a vapor lock ? the car. got a can -looking thing on the car . bottom , is this called a fuel shut-off sol. ? how do this thing work ?

[Jerome Stanek]

I still think it is the gas cap that is causing this you said you cut a new gasket did you vent it. That would be you vapor lock problem

[ray hampton]

I still think it is the gas cap that is causing this you said you cut a new gasket did you vent it. That would be you vapor lock problem

NO, I cut a small hole in the center of the gasket and I can see thru. the hole in the cap BUT maybe it is admitting too much air

[Dan Hunkele]

The gas leaves hose and goes into the carb. Once inside the carb the holes become very small. The gas goes through the needle/float valve into the float bowl (can looking thing?) on the bottom of the carb. The float rises and shuts the fuel off from the hose via the needle valve once the float bowl is full enough. When the engine is turned to start the vacuum created pulls the gas up into the intake manifold via more small holes. If these small holes get blocked and they can, the engine usually will not run at all or try to run but shut right back down. As the gas is used the float comes down with the gas level in the bowl and opens the needle valve to let more fuel in. I believe your blockage is before or at the the needle valve orifice since you say it runs for a while before it shuts down. Enough gas is not entering the float bowl to keep it running.

[ray hampton]

I got the gas cap on order, so will bump this post after the cap are installed
in the mean time , I found a forum that were dealing with this mower [ LT2000 ]
the problems range from the switch under the seat to the muffler heat travel thru. the frame to heat the car. and the gasoline tube , finding the forum answer one question , my mower problems are not alone but are very wide spread

[ray hampton]

I still think it is the gas cap that is causing this you said you cut a new gasket did you vent it. That would be you vapor lock problem

My new gas cap came in the mail today and I install it , the mower run all of the time except when the tank got low on fuel, so , the posters that mention the gas cap were right , thank everybody for the hints and help, the line from the tank to the filter are install in the center of the tank , a tubing outlet on each end of the tank will be a big improving

[Harry Hagan]

Good deal!

[ray hampton]

I mention to the store [sear ] clerks about this problem that other people was having with this mower and the clerks wonder why the Sear's Head Quarters never heard of the problem and and and