Export thread

My Scag quit running after 10.8 hours

#1

T

texasvet

Hello All,

A few months ago, I purchased a Cheetah. I haven't used it much as it only has 10.8 hours on it. I was mowing a few days ago and it started mis-firing and then quit.

I checked for fire: Good.
I checked for fuel: Good.
I checked the air filter: Good.
I put a squirt of fuel in the carb and spun the starter: NO GOOD!!!

So, with nothing else left to do, I pulled the plugs and they looked awful. Dark black everywhere.

I put new plugs in and it took off running great.

So, I visited the local shop that I purchased the Cheetah at and the only idea that they could come up with was that since my back one acre is very bumpy, maybe I was bouncing the carburetor float around and the fuel/air ratio was pooched. I don't know about that one. Also, I typically run it at full throttle.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
John


#2

cpurvis

cpurvis

What engine?

Choke opening all the way?

I'm not buying the 'bouncing' theory unless your property is substantially rougher than normal. Everybody's mowers get bounced, especially zero turns because they go so fast.


#3

T

texasvet

My choke & throttle cables seem fine and the choke opens all the way.

The engine is a 27hp Kawasaki

Thanks


#4

RDA.Lawns

RDA.Lawns

Why are you working on a new mower??? That thing has warranty!!!!


#5

cpurvis

cpurvis

I guess the test is to mow on some smooth ground and then re-check the spark plugs.

I'll bet they will still show an over-rich condition.

Any other Scag dealers in the area you can talk to?


#6

mcdonell

mcdonell

I assume the cylinders, rings, valves, look like your old spark plugs. If the plugs are oil fouled, I assume the motor is smoking and using oil too. I would want to contact Scag and get them involved. Sounds like your dealer is not interested in checking it out for you.

My Cheetah also has the 27 hp Kawasaki. It has about 110 hours and it still has the original spark plugs. It does not smoke or use oil. The motor only holds slightly over two quarts so I keep a close eye on it. Wonder if someone over filled your engine oil? I use 40 wt synthetic oil and change it more often than is required. It is easy and only two quarts.

Best wishes and please keep us posted. Your issue may be mine tomorrow.


#7

mcdonell

mcdonell

Hey Texas Vet, Texas is a big State but are you close to DFW area?

I feel certain my dealer would have investigated the problem under warranty. One reason I choose Scag because I was impressed with the Burleson Outdoor Power Equipment Operations Manager, Wayne Shamblin. He runs the place and has treated me well.

Wayne Shamblin
wayne@burlesonoutdoorpower.com

Address: 625 E Renfro St, Burleson, TX 76028
Phone: (817) 295-5800

http://www.burlesonoutdoorpower.com/


#8

RDA.Lawns

RDA.Lawns

Any Kawasaki dealer would be able to do warranty work on the engine. They have 3 year warranty I'd be taking it somewhere.


#9

T

texasvet

Thanks all,

There were two reasons that I needed to look at it.

The first was because it was about to pour at my house and I couldn't find the levers that need to be turned on the drive motors to tow it into my garage. I'm sure that the Scag is tough, but I didn't want to mix water & metal.

The second was because I don't have a trailer to load it on to take it to the dealer.

I did talk to the dealer today and he said that they would come and get it for no charge if the plugs foul again.

I ran it today for over an hour and it ran great with the new plugs. No smoke and my oil is still looking good with no loss.

Thanks,
Texasvet


#10

mcdonell

mcdonell

texasvet said:
Thanks all,

There were two reasons that I needed to look at it.

The first was because it was about to pour at my house and I couldn't find the levers that need to be turned on the drive motors to tow it into my garage. I'm sure that the Scag is tough, but I didn't want to mix water & metal.

The second was because I don't have a trailer to load it on to take it to the dealer.

I did talk to the dealer today and he said that they would come and get it for no charge if the plugs foul again.

I ran it today for over an hour and it ran great with the new plugs. No smoke and my oil is still looking good with no loss.

Thanks,
Texasvet
Click to expand...

Where are the levers to tow the Scag Cheetah?
My dealer will pickup and deliver for $25 each way. I ended up buying a 6x10 ramped trailer so I could haul it myself. The bad thing is I have no excuse for not mowing for people in serious need. :smile:


#11

jekjr

jekjr

texasvet said:
Hello All,

A few months ago, I purchased a Cheetah. I haven't used it much as it only has 10.8 hours on it. I was mowing a few days ago and it started mis-firing and then quit.

I checked for fire: Good.
I checked for fuel: Good.
I checked the air filter: Good.
I put a squirt of fuel in the carb and spun the starter: NO GOOD!!!

So, with nothing else left to do, I pulled the plugs and they looked awful. Dark black everywhere.

I put new plugs in and it took off running great.

So, I visited the local shop that I purchased the Cheetah at and the only idea that they could come up with was that since my back one acre is very bumpy, maybe I was bouncing the carburetor float around and the fuel/air ratio was pooched. I don't know about that one. Also, I typically run it at full throttle.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
John
Click to expand...

Did you over fill it with fuel? That might possibly be your problem if you did. You only fill it to the bottom of the white inserts in the tanks NOT TO THE TOP. If you do it will cause you problems and that might quite possibly be the cause of your problem.


#12

T

texasvet

Oh yeah!!! The first thing I did was put more fuel in it because my gas gauge was near E and I thought that maybe it was not reading right.

I wish that I had first looked at my spark plugs instead of checking for fuel. But then, adding some fuel is easy and who would've ever thought that after 10.8 hours the plugs would be gummed up.

I'll post again in a month after I put five or 10 hours on those new plugs and let ya'll know how things are going.

Tv


#13

55TBird

55TBird

My new Turf Tiger II was running great and then at 14 hours it died as if it ran out of fuel. Took it to the Scag dealer and it turned out that I had bought some badly contaminated gas. (I started a thread on this subject)
The fuel filter was almost solid with this whitish/pinkish stuff and the gas tank was loaded with it. I discovered the contaminate in my fuel cans and so far seems to have come originally from the gas station tanks.
The dealer has had to remove the gas tank and it has been in the shop 4 days now.

Anyway, I tend to think fresh gas is good gas but turns out I'm very wrong about that. And the fuel filter is one of the easiest things to check when there is a fuel issue. When a new mower won't run, fuel should be a prime suspect.

By the way, I asked the dealer about the over-filling issue that jekjr mentioned....and they said you'd need to really fill it to the top. There apparently is a valve that keeps fuel from running back into that canister when the mower is on an angle like a hill and that it isn't likely to cause a problem unless you really fill it up to the gas cap.


#14

jekjr

jekjr

55TBird said:
My new Turf Tiger II was running great and then at 14 hours it died as if it ran out of fuel. Took it to the Scag dealer and it turned out that I had bought some badly contaminated gas. (I started a thread on this subject)
The fuel filter was almost solid with this whitish/pinkish stuff and the gas tank was loaded with it. I discovered the contaminate in my fuel cans and so far seems to have come originally from the gas station tanks.
The dealer has had to remove the gas tank and it has been in the shop 4 days now.

Anyway, I tend to think fresh gas is good gas but turns out I'm very wrong about that. And the fuel filter is one of the easiest things to check when there is a fuel issue. When a new mower won't run, fuel should be a prime suspect.

By the way, I asked the dealer about the over-filling issue that jekjr mentioned....and they said you'd need to really fill it to the top. There apparently is a valve that keeps fuel from running back into that canister when the mower is on an angle like a hill and that it isn't likely to cause a problem unless you really fill it up to the gas cap.
Click to expand...

From everything I read the white inserts that are in the tanks are there as indicators of how much fuel to put in them.


#15

55TBird

55TBird

jekjr said:
From everything I read the white inserts that are in the tanks are there as indicators of how much fuel to put in them.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is what they told me when I bought it, so naturally I worried that I had filled it up just beyond the bottom of the plastic. And then I saw your post which made me think that may indeed be what happened.
I asked the dealer if that was what could be the problem and that's when they told me about the valve that stops the gas from running back up into the hose from just the angle of the mower. They said I would have to fill it all the way up to the top for it to actually cause a problem. If that happened easily — that would be a major design flaw, but they assured me that was unlikely to be the issue. Once they took a good look at it they found it was full of that stuff.


Footer Links 1

Top