Mower just shut off

Homeuser

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Hi, I have a JD 318, I'm not sure of the year (maybe 1985?). I only use it for plowing snow. I started it up and we using it for about an hour. All of a sudden, it just stopped. No warnings, no signs, just stopped. I keep moth balls under the hood to try to keep mice out. They are always building beats in there. I took air filter off and found accorns in there. Cleaned it out, but it won't start now. When I try, it makes a puttering sound, then sits down again. It's almost life is not getting air or fuel. I don't know much about engines. I'm ready to just scrap this machine, but when it's working, it does the job. If anyone has any ideas, I'll gladly try them out. I tried calling a local guy that worked on it for me, but he no longer does it.

There is fuel in the tank..

Thanks for your help!
 

reynoldston

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Hi, I have a JD 318, I'm not sure of the year (maybe 1985?). I only use it for plowing snow. I started it up and we using it for about an hour. All of a sudden, it just stopped. No warnings, no signs, just stopped. I keep moth balls under the hood to try to keep mice out. They are always building beats in there. I took air filter off and found accorns in there. Cleaned it out, but it won't start now. When I try, it makes a puttering sound, then sits down again. It's almost life is not getting air or fuel. I don't know much about engines. I'm ready to just scrap this machine, but when it's working, it does the job. If anyone has any ideas, I'll gladly try them out. I tried calling a local guy that worked on it for me, but he no longer does it.

There is fuel in the tank..

Thanks for your help!

Stop and think. It needs fuel, spark, compression, and timing. If you know how to test these items it will run. Start small like seeing if the plug sparks, check filters, fresh fuel, spray some starter fluid in the carburetor then work up from there. If you think you might of over heated the engine from mice nest check the compression with a compression gauge. hope you the best of luck.
 

Mad Mackie

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Your JD 318 probably has an Onan twin cylinder engine. There are several groups that specialize in Onans and you may try these groups to get specific info about your tractor and engine.
 

RDA.Lawns

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I for one don't like onan . Cummins now owns onan and almost no aftermarket parts aviable . The last onan anything I had was a miller bobcat welding machine . Coil went out . Spent a week looking for 1 . Only available from Cummins. Paid a small fortune for it. I replaced my welding machine with a new 1 don't think I'll ever have another onan . Good luck with your onan. :)
 

Mad Mackie

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Some folks still like Onans and some folks don't!
My first dealings with Onans was in 1970 and continued until 2004.
Onan provided hundreds of OEM spec engines and produced tens of thousands of engines over the years.
Unfortunately Onan lost the battle against ever demanding emissions requirements and their first and only OHV twin was produced too late and too expensive to compete against other manufacturers.
Fortunately for diehard Onan operators, most parts are still available although expensive.
Before I changed to ZTRs in 2008, I put thousands of hours on Onan powered garden tractors doing lawn care and snow removal for many folks.
But for me and many others, the time had come to move on, but I have yet to have an engine run as long as my Onans did between overhauls.
 

Mad Mackie

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John Deere produced many tractors with Onan engines powering them. Some of these tractors are very capable and need a little TLC from the right folks to keep them operating for a long time.
The right folks are unfortunately retiring or passing on, but some of them are still around, you gotta search for them.
 

Homeuser

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Stop and think. It needs fuel, spark, compression, and timing. If you know how to test these items it will run. Start small like seeing if the plug sparks, check filters, fresh fuel, spray some starter fluid in the carburetor then work up from there. If you think you might of over heated the engine from mice nest check the compression with a compression gauge. hope you the best of luck.

Thanks for your help, I changed the fuel filter AND put a little gas in carburetor and it still just cranks & turns over, but won't start. I'm not much of an engine tester, nor do have any tools to do so. In fact, I don't even know how to identify any other parts in the engine. That's how bad at this I am.
I don't think it's bad gas, cause I just filled the jug and used it in my other machines.,
I was hoping (since I don't know anything about engines) that it could be something stupid and easy like, leaves sucked into something that I could figure out how to take apart..
So, if changing the fuel filter and putting a little gas in carburetor didn't work, what else could do this? It also has a new spark plug. I don't want to sink in a ton of money into it. I only use it to plow snow in winters.
 

reynoldston

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If you don't do your own repair work or have the tools or skill to do so it sounds to me like its time to take it to a repair shop. Don't just buy parts and hoping for a repair. If you have a use for this tractor its well worth spending some money on it because what will it cost you for snow removal? You know this answer better then I do. It doesn't take much to spend 2 to 3 hundred dollars on a repair with the high cost of parts and labor and that is just if it doesn't need something major.
 

Mad Mackie

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You need to get your tractor to a qualified servicing facility and have them diagnose the problem.
When the problem(s) have been determined and the cost of repair(s) estimated, then make the decision to have the work done or not.
Mice damage, lack of proper maintenance and insufficient storage preparation will end up being costly to resolve.
 

Homeuser

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You need to get your tractor to a qualified servicing facility and have them diagnose the problem.
When the problem(s) have been determined and the cost of repair(s) estimated, then make the decision to have the work done or not.
Mice damage, lack of proper maintenance and insufficient storage preparation will end up being costly to resolve.

Thanks..That's what I'm going to do..I was hoping it was something easy...I see you live in CT as well.. Who would you recommend? I"m in the Valley area (Seymour/Ansonia)
 
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