25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas

sukey

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
I have Kolher Command 25hp in a Cub Cadet LT1050. I have an unusual problem and I'll add as much detail as I can here.

- When I bought the mower it had about 185 hours on it. I noticed the air/oil separator was cracked, didn稚 seem to impact function of the unit. Did have some occasional backfiring when shutting down, other than that Worked good all year.
- Next year (stored inside for a winter) changed oil, spark plugs, air filter, after a while about ス through the mowing season, the mower would act like it was running out of gas, looping and surging, after mowing for about an hour. I thought this was a fuel filter issue because the fuel filter was mostly empty when it happened. To troubleshoot the issue I致e done the following:
o Replaced Fuel/Oil separator, (valve cover breather) and gasket all air tight now
o Cleaned Carburetor, used Kolher carb rebuild kit, new gaskets and float etc. (Seemed to help overall running, but issue recurred)
o Replaced Pulse Fuel Pump, Air filter, Spark plugs
o Checked Fuel Solenoid Shut off Operation (seems to work good)
o Re-routed and replaced some of the fuel lines (seemed to help a little, no clue why)
o Relocated Fuel filter to under gas tank so it stays full. Replaced Fuel filter 3x, no real change.
o Ran with gas cap off, gas cap vent clear
o Ran multiple tanks of gas- not a fuel age issue

- So with all of this the only things I致e learned are, if I disconnect the fuel lines (like to change a filter, pump, or replace line) the situation seems to get better for at least an hour or 2 of cutting. I have no idea why though. Sometime when it starts to Surge and act like its out of gas, a little choke will keep it going for a few extra minutes, but it will eventually just die. I致e checked the bowl on the carb after it dies and it seems like there isn稚 enough fuel in it, but there is still enough in there that would make me think it should run (about 10-20 ml?). The carb is NOT hot when this issue happens, and it doesn稚 seem like the engine is over-heating. The engine usually starts and runs good prior to the 妬ssue although it does seem lately like it痴 lacking power for a 25 HP engine. I致e tried to look for intake or exhaust leaks, but don稚 have the proper tools to perform a leak down test. Any suggestions would be helpful. What is causing me a headache is that the issue will go away for a little while and then randomly return.
 

Briana

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
Hey there - WELCOME to LMF! :smile:

I moved your thread to the Small Engine & Mower Repair Forum. You'll get a better response there. :thumbsup:
 

Wm.Harold

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
Had a similar problem with my 25 HP, have you checked at the gas tank if there is a filter screen and if so us it OK, on my Walker it was collapsed.
 

sukey

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
Had a similar problem with my 25 HP, have you checked at the gas tank if there is a filter screen and if so us it OK, on my Walker it was collapsed.

Yeah i've focused mainly on a fuel obstruction to this point. There isn't a fuel screen i can see in the tank, but i know that fuel will freely and easily flow from the fuel line, and the fuel pump will flows good when disconnected from the carb to a bucket.
 

bbourdon

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
It sure sounds like you are close to the problem.

I'd guess that the fuel is being consumed just a tad faster than it is being delivered to the carb, resulting in it getting leaner and eventually stalling.

It could be one thing, or there could be several contributing factors - all adding up to restrict fuel flow just enough to cause this.

I'm interested to hear what you find, good luck!
Bruce.
 

taxidermist

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
Make sure your fuel filter is made for a tractor with a fuel pump. If the microns are to fine you will starve the tractor of fuel. I had this happen on one I had to watch the fuel filter for some time before it ran out of gas. You could replace the fuel line and dont put a filter on it and run it first to see if your problem goes away.

Rob
 

Deadlock76

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
My 1050 is doing the exact same thing. Did you find a solution?
 

originalswampfox

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
You mentioned the backfire at some point. The fuel solenoid on the bottom of the carb. were put on these engines to keep it from backfiring when shutting down. They are supposed to shut off and then retract shortly after to allow fuel back in the jets. These are known for problems, mainly that gum builds up on the plunger and doesn't allow it to retract fully. This can cause the starving for fuel. The fact that it runs for a while means it is almost surely a fuel problem. The only other thing I can think of is if the coil malfunctioned when it heated up. This is really rare. Be sure to let us know what happens
 

taxidermist

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
Try a new set of plugs. I had some NGK act up when the mower gets hot.

Rob
 

sukey

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  • / 25 HP Kolher Comman (Cub Cadet LT1050) Surging acting like out of gas
Thanks for the advice guys-

Here's the update

I decided to rule out carb and solenoid problems by tossing some money into this pos tractor. I bought a brand new carb and solenoid (got a good deal on Ebay) threw it on with some new spark plugs replaced the fuel filter and all the fuel lines. The mower ran real good for a while. It still has the same issue though however but it's not nearly as bad (I get about 45 min between stalls with a 5-10 min recovery).

The fact that this helped the issue, but didn't resolve it has got me even more stumped about this-

I thought about over-heating, but that doesn't seem to be an issue- it doesn't seem to be overly hot and the plugs didn't look burnt (if anything they looked a little rich running with black build up most likely from my use of choke to keep it running while dying???)

Do you think a clogged crankcase breather could cause this? Is there any electrical issues?
 
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