I have a Fast Cut Snapper zero turn radius mower with an 18HP Kohler engine. I'm the original owner but its over 10 years old now.
I have a problem with the engine dying after I've been cutting awhile. The engine starts sputtering like the fuel solenoid loses power and then it will die.......unless I pop the PTO switch down shutting off the mower blades in which case the engine recovers and continues to run. If I wait for 30 - 60 seconds I can pull the PTO and go back to mowing.......but it happens again in roughly 5 - 7 minutes.
When this happens, the 20A circuit breaker gets really hot and it cools fairly quick after I shut off the PTO clutch. I thought it might be weak so I replaced it but that seems to have made no difference.
The PTO clutch seems to work fine and is still working when I shut off the PTO. I checked the resistance of the PTO coils while the mower was cold and it is 3.0 Ohms which seems perfect.
I checked the PTO switch for continuity and it seems to work perfectly. I checked resistance on the 3 legs of the relay. Two were at 0.1 ohms while engaged and the third, the one feeding the PTO clutch was 0.3 Ohms. Thinking of going ahead and replacing this switch.
So how do I figure out what is drawing excess amps to make my 20A circuit breaker pop and shut off my engine? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Apparently it's in the PTO circuit somewhere since the mower recovers if I shut off the PTO. The local dealer suggested trying to replace my PTO clutch but can't say it's bad......only because they read this could cause this problem. I hate to spend that money if not needed (but certainly will if I could determine that is the issue).
Thanks!
I have a problem with the engine dying after I've been cutting awhile. The engine starts sputtering like the fuel solenoid loses power and then it will die.......unless I pop the PTO switch down shutting off the mower blades in which case the engine recovers and continues to run. If I wait for 30 - 60 seconds I can pull the PTO and go back to mowing.......but it happens again in roughly 5 - 7 minutes.
When this happens, the 20A circuit breaker gets really hot and it cools fairly quick after I shut off the PTO clutch. I thought it might be weak so I replaced it but that seems to have made no difference.
The PTO clutch seems to work fine and is still working when I shut off the PTO. I checked the resistance of the PTO coils while the mower was cold and it is 3.0 Ohms which seems perfect.
I checked the PTO switch for continuity and it seems to work perfectly. I checked resistance on the 3 legs of the relay. Two were at 0.1 ohms while engaged and the third, the one feeding the PTO clutch was 0.3 Ohms. Thinking of going ahead and replacing this switch.
So how do I figure out what is drawing excess amps to make my 20A circuit breaker pop and shut off my engine? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Apparently it's in the PTO circuit somewhere since the mower recovers if I shut off the PTO. The local dealer suggested trying to replace my PTO clutch but can't say it's bad......only because they read this could cause this problem. I hate to spend that money if not needed (but certainly will if I could determine that is the issue).
Thanks!