2012 Bad Boy Extreme

Kmott

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I just did a full service on my mower, oil, hydraulic, plugs, filters, etc. the mower ran fine for 20 hrs or so now when engaged and after mowing for a bit the engine starts derating and if I do not catch it and disengage the mower it dies and is hard to restart. However f I can get it disengaged it will idle really ruff for several minutes and then straighten out. I then can continue mowing for a bit then it happens again? Any ideas?
 

(Account Closed)

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Might want to drain the carb and catch what comes out.

Did you swap out the fuel filter (if equipped)?

Sounds like crap floating around in there eventually making it's way into a jet causing issues...


What kind of engine, size, carb(if known)?
 

Kmott

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yes replaced fuel filter, I read where there could possibly be air sleeping from the carb gaskets and the manifold seems plausible, the problem I have now is I snapped the carb bolt in the block so now a new set of problems. Can't wait to get this bill! Thanks for the reply though!
 

bertsmobile1

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?

Not really sure what you mean by this.

Have a think, did it act like the engine does just before it runs out of fuel & stops ?
When you did your full service did this include cleaning out the fuel tank ?
Dust gets sucked in with the air and along with the odd grass clipping tend to plug the outlet .
If you have duel tanks this is worse because it gets stuck on the tank valve.

Then there is the tank vent itself.
If you power washed the mower before the service then you may have contaminated the fuel tank air vent which is not allowing enough air into the tank thus giving you a vacuum lock when pulling fuel at the maximum rate.

Next you check for air leaks by drenching the gaskets with something like WD 40 or Marvel mystery oil etc applied from a trigger pack, not a pressure can .
Any air leak will suck the oil in and cause tons of white smoke .
You do not use the gorilla approach, not only can you break the bolts, but you also pull the threads in the head up making a little hill around the stud / bolt hole.
This then prevents the gasket sealing making the problem worse.

You said you did a "full service" did this include removing the carb & cleaning it ?
If so how did you clean it ?
If the ( unknown ) carb on the (unknown ) engine had a rubber seal on the float valve some carb cleaners will cause it to soften and restrict fuel flow.

The simple test for fuel flow is to pull the fuel line off each item, one at a time and look at the volume of the flow.
You should get a full flow from the tank, slightly less from the filter, a little less from the pump and again a SMALL amount less from the carb fuel inlet.
However the flow must be strong from each one.
If it breaks down or dribbles from any one then you have an obstruction in the fuel tank.
Modern fuels, which are not petrol any more , contain a lot of solvents that can & do attack the rubber fuel lines.
This is made worse when not quite so honest retailers / distributers decide to increase their profit margin by buying some really cheap scrap solvents and adding it to the fuel tanks.
A little bit of Tolluene is fine, 40% or more will cause neoprene to go to jelly.
Ethanol is the same, < 15% will be fine but when you get to 30% or more it rips into a lot of rubbers.

Not meaning to sound critical but you post tells us nothing other than the fact that the engine is not running right.
For instance did your "full service" include pulling the blower housing & cleaning the fins, if so there is a chance you have pinched a cut off wire, as an example of what might be causing the problem that we do not know about.
Words are cheap and here they are free so the more you give us the more accurate a diagnosis we can offer.

What you have given us so far is equivalent to walking into a doctors room and telling the quack "I feel sick" and expecting him ( sexist me ) to give you a pill to fix it.
 

Kmott

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?

Not really sure what you mean by this.

Have a think, did it act like the engine does just before it runs out of fuel & stops ?
When you did your full service did this include cleaning out the fuel tank ?
Dust gets sucked in with the air and along with the odd grass clipping tend to plug the outlet .
If you have duel tanks this is worse because it gets stuck on the tank valve.

Then there is the tank vent itself.
If you power washed the mower before the service then you may have contaminated the fuel tank air vent which is not allowing enough air into the tank thus giving you a vacuum lock when pulling fuel at the maximum rate.

Next you check for air leaks by drenching the gaskets with something like WD 40 or Marvel mystery oil etc applied from a trigger pack, not a pressure can .
Any air leak will suck the oil in and cause tons of white smoke .
You do not use the gorilla approach, not only can you break the bolts, but you also pull the threads in the head up making a little hill around the stud / bolt hole.
This then prevents the gasket sealing making the problem worse.

You said you did a "full service" did this include removing the carb & cleaning it ?
If so how did you clean it ?
If the ( unknown ) carb on the (unknown ) engine had a rubber seal on the float valve some carb cleaners will cause it to soften and restrict fuel flow.

The simple test for fuel flow is to pull the fuel line off each item, one at a time and look at the volume of the flow.
You should get a full flow from the tank, slightly less from the filter, a little less from the pump and again a SMALL amount less from the carb fuel inlet.
However the flow must be strong from each one.
If it breaks down or dribbles from any one then you have an obstruction in the fuel tank.
Modern fuels, which are not petrol any more , contain a lot of solvents that can & do attack the rubber fuel lines.
This is made worse when not quite so honest retailers / distributers decide to increase their profit margin by buying some really cheap scrap solvents and adding it to the fuel tanks.
A little bit of Tolluene is fine, 40% or more will cause neoprene to go to jelly.
Ethanol is the same, < 15% will be fine but when you get to 30% or more it rips into a lot of rubbers.

Not meaning to sound critical but you post tells us nothing other than the fact that the engine is not running right.
For instance did your "full service" include pulling the blower housing & cleaning the fins, if so there is a chance you have pinched a cut off wire, as an example of what might be causing the problem that we do not know about.
Words are cheap and here they are free so the more you give us the more accurate a diagnosis we can offer.

What you have given us so far is equivalent to walking into a doctors room and telling the quack "I feel sick" and expecting him ( sexist me ) to give you a pill to fix it.

I did filters oil, hydraulic fluids and filters, plugs, fuel filter. Obviously in hindsight taking it to the dealer and paying an arm and a leg would have been better than paying an arm and leg later, hindsight is 20/20! I do not believe that the service was relevant to the current situation I just wanted to have that stated in the facts.

I have been told it’s possibly the coil and was given a test procedure for that, I read a thread that discussed the plastic manifold behind the carb cracking or warping and seeping air?

At this point I believe I will except defeat tuck my tail and have the pro down the street go through it.
 

bertsmobile1

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No need for that .
Servicing mowers is not all that difficult.
Where is the mower right now ?

The important thing is to diagnose the problem before you apply a fix, like tightening up manifold bolts.
have you done the ignition test & if so what did you do.

Remember we are here with nothing but the words that you have typed on the screen.
Thus my query about exactly what you meant .

We are here to help you , not chide you & force you to a dealers workshop.

There is very little that you can not do at home with standard tools if you know what to do & that is what we are here to do.
 

Kmott

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I’m pretty handy and do most of my own work. I haven’t had a chance to do the ignition test yet or really anything else. It will be later today or possibly later this week. I appreciate the support and direction very much. Honestly the coil makes the most sense. But you had a great point about the fuel system as well. When this first started I replaced the fuel pump and that seemed to fix the problem however the symptoms returned after a few mowings. I will let you know what I find as soon as I can perform the tests.
 

(Account Closed)

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Besides the coil sometimes just dying with age, often it will fail once it gets hot-not unusual at all.

When the machine starts acting up, you can either hook up a spark tester (spark should be steady), or if it stalls completely, check for spark IMMEDIATLY at the wire / plug...

As your machine is fairly new, if you have the proper tools, that carb bolt shouldn't be too hard to get out..
 

Kmott

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Thanks again for your great input and support.
 
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