engine dies when engaging the mower deck

urdrwho

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Jun 26, 2011
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This is a 310-8 Wheel Horse (Kohler engine) with a 42 inch deck.

New center bearing on mower deck and no other bearing problems.

A month ago the engine started to die when engaging the mower.

Yesterday I pulled the carb. Took the jets out and cleaned them; took the float bowel apart and cleaned the float and bowel; put a new fuel line from the fuel pump to carb; shined up the points and adjusted them and put everything back together.

Set the carb started the engine, engaged the mower deck and it ran very strong. Did all the mowing in the front, the side and then went to the back. The back acre was most all weeds, two/three feet high and it cut well. I have 2.5 acres to mow and twice I had to put gas in the tank (started with a half full tank). On the first re-fill I only had a small bit remaining in the 5 gallon can. Mowed a bit and decided I better go fill the gas can. Went and filled the gas can and then filled the tractor tank.

After about 3.5 hours of mowing I decided to quit for the day. Coming in to the house I noticed the engine wasn't running as strong so I went to a hill that had already been mowed. It couldn't make it up the hill, the engine started dying. Same thing as before I working on the carb, etc.

Maybe I should have bought a new gas can while I was at it. My can is open to the air (plastic nozzle end has a hole in it) and if I am correct ethanol doesn't play well with air. So maybe the gas can has again added some water into the mix. I was so happy that I had my tractor back and running strong.

Ethanol doesn't help the situation. For this tractor to get the HP it did with non-ethanol gas, the jets should be drilled larger.

Any ideas?
 

reynoldston

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May 23, 2011
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just worked on a 312-8 and was cuting out when pto lever was engaged. The seat switch was bypassed and had a bad PTO cut out switch. Don't know if 310-8 is the same or not?
 

urdrwho

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Jun 26, 2011
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Thanks for the idea.....I've never liked that seat switch and maybe I can bypass it.

It doesn't always die right away. I can engage the mower deck, sit there and it will run but within maybe 15 seconds you can see the governor start pulling and it starts to die. Sometimes it will go a bit longer, sometimes less.

As we speak I've got the jets soaking in cleaner. I've also wondered about the fuel line from the tank to the fuel pump. It is a twenty four year old line and ethanol is hard on some of the older components.

I'm not a fan of ethanol. :mad:
 
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