Kubota T1760 Lawn Tractor

JDMATT

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Hi Folks.......I have a Fd501V_-Aso1 Kawasaki engine in this mower. It has a brand new 300dollar Carb on it. It will mow 30 min or so and dies. It will crank again and then die over and over. In 30 minutes or so it will crank and run. Any suggestions out there. It also has new plugs....air filter and gas filter as well. I am puzzled what to look for . Please help! Thanks in advance! Judy
 

Lawnranger

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Sometimes the seat safety switch will intermittently cut out if you go over a big enough bump and kill the engine but it could be lots of things. Next time it dies try loosening the fuel tank cap and see if that helps.
 

JDMATT

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Sometimes the seat safety switch will intermittently cut out if you go over a big enough bump and kill the engine but it could be lots of things. Next time it dies try loosening the fuel tank cap and see if that helps.

I thank you very much for getting back so promptly....Lawnranger....I have tried the gas cap loosening.....that doesnt work. Can you or someone else think of anything else for me to check?
 

Lawnranger

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An engine needs three things to operate properly: correct air/fuel ratio, sufficient spark at the right time and compression. It sounds like one of the above is intermittently missing from the picture and intermittent problems are the most difficult to find.

If I am understanding your original post correctly, it sounds like the mower will work just fine for 30 minutes and then die. When you attempt to restart the engine it will run for a moment and die again with this process repeating itself until you let it cool down for 30 minutes and then it will run just fine for another 30 minutes. Is this correct? If so, I would check for spark while the problem is evident. It is possible that the ignition coil is heating up and going open while hot and when it cools down it will work again. A bad coil is not the most common problem but it does happen from time to time.

Since the engine runs well for a period of 30 minutes and then dies, it leads me to believe that it is spark or fuel related. However, a sticking valve could cause a loss of compression and then free up after it cools down causing the symptom you describe. As I already stated, one of the three factors is missing and you are the eyes & hands of the situation which means you will have to do the work to find out what is missing.

Make the problem happen and check for spark first as it's the simplest system to check. If the spark is good then spray a shot of carburetor cleaner directly into the carburetor (air filter removed) and try to start it using carburetor cleaner as the fuel.
 

JDMATT

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Thank You......You described the situation perfectly.....it is also trying to surge on me before dies.....but when it runs ..it runs good!! i have some carb cleaner ...will try that.:smile:
 

JDMATT

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Ok....when it got cool enough outside to look at it ....heres what I did ....removed air filter and screen guard on top of radiator ( i ran it til it died then removed filter)....shot it with carb cleaner....it cranked right up but surging 2 times every 3 or 4 seconds. It died after about 5 minutes or so with deck engaged. Put everything back together...cranked it and it ran somewhat normal for about 6 or 7 mins. I mowed maybe 50 sq feet.....then it dies. I guess I will remove the outer covers tomorrow and check the carb bowl for debris......With a new carb on this puppy......I just cant believe it!!!!! Anything else I need to check while I have the covers off? Thanks ....Judy
 

Lawnranger

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Ok....when it got cool enough outside to look at it ....heres what I did ....removed air filter and screen guard on top of radiator ( i ran it til it died then removed filter)....shot it with carb cleaner....it cranked right up but surging 2 times every 3 or 4 seconds. It died after about 5 minutes or so with deck engaged. Put everything back together...cranked it and it ran somewhat normal for about 6 or 7 mins. I mowed maybe 50 sq feet.....then it dies. I guess I will remove the outer covers tomorrow and check the carb bowl for debris......With a new carb on this puppy......I just cant believe it!!!!! Anything else I need to check while I have the covers off? Thanks ....Judy

Are these symptoms the same as before you replaced the carburetor or has something new surfaced?
 

JDMATT

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After I replaced the carb it ran like a champ.....I mowed 1/2 acre 2 or 3 times with no problem......then back to the same thing before I replaced the carb. Yes the symtoms were the same before the new carb.
 

Lawnranger

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I went back and reread all the posts and the fact that the engine is surging raised a red flag.

I have a few questions I'd like you to answer.

What is the age of the mower?

When it does run, how well does it run?

Does it surge just before it starts to act like it is going to die?

Did any new symptoms appear after you replaced the carburetor?

Did you alter anything on the mower?

Any chance the fuel you are using has gone bad? How fresh is the fuel you are using?

Anything more you can tell me?
 

JDMATT

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It is a 1998 model.....when it runs good ..yes it runs good.....Yes it may surge for 3 or 4 moments before dying...and sometime no surge ..it just dies.........no new symtoms.. doing the same thing I have not altered anything on the mower at all.......I drained the gas tank and checked for debris with the first set of probs before I replaced the carb. The first carb began to leak so that why I bought a new one.....It has Fresh Gas..... When fuel pump goes out....doesnt it just go OUT? It doesnt go out gradually does it? I have checked the fuel pump it is feeding the carb. Got me buffaloed.......:smile:
 
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