I recently got a cub cadet mower from a friend, it's a cub cadet ltx 1045. It was sitting for about a year or more before I got it. I bought a new battery for it, fuel filter, spark plug, just the regular stuff for something that has been sitting to get it going again.
He said the reason it was parked was because it wouldn't start, it would just "click" so I bought a new solenoid, it started up for just a second then would die, it did that about 3-4 times. Then it appeared to be flooded, (smelled gas & seen gas coming out of the carb). So I let it set for a couple hours but still the same, just turning over but won't start.
I pulled the spark plug back out to clean it if/since it was flooded then put it back in, still the same. So I started testing the usual things like is it getting spark. It's sparking and I believe it's getting gas to the spark plug since it appeared wet when I looked at it.
The point/question of this whole thing is, what do you think is the problem, since it's getting gas to the spark plug, and its firing?
I think maybe something got stuck in the carb or something after the first couple cranks, or maybe one of the safety switches went out, but I just don't know.
The gas tank was completely empty when I got the mower so if something got lodged somewhere along the gas flow it would have to be in the gas line or the carb I'd think.
Get a can of starter fliud and an inline spark tester.
This will save you a lot of stuffing around
A little shot of starter fluid down the carb throat, throttle in run position, mower starts , then give it some more very short shots.
If you can keep it running for 30 sec or more then you have a fuel problem.
If the tester is flashing but the engine is not starting you have a valve timing or ignition timing problem.
No flashes and you have an ignition problem
If it starts on the starter fluid and then runs all by itself, the low speed circuit on the carb is dirty / blocked or the choke is not working
And first thing is to put a fresh plug in.
Modern fuels are conductive at compression pressures so once a plug is wet, it can go short and the only way to "clean" the plug is to burn off the deposits.
I have had plugs that a customer claimed were new & clean, burn for better than 10 minutes once heated up with the oxy.
He relented & paid the $14 for the plugs & $ 10.00 for the oxy used to "clean" the old plugs which he took home ( cleaning labour was free )
Ok I found the problem, it's the carb. It looks like it's been sitting at the bottom of a lake for a while so it's time to replace it. Just wondering if there is the same carb under a different "title" for cheaper? The one for the cub cadet (my mower) is like $130 but one I saw for a husqvarna is only $50. They are the exact same carbs, correct? It's the same Kohler Courage 20 engine anyway let me know please and thanks...
Clean the carb and check it for numbers & Brand.
Swapping carbs between different brands of mowers rarely works
Swapping carbs from gravity , impulse pump & mechanical pump rarely works.
