Fuel Delivery and Starting Problem with John Deere L110

[duramaxredneck5150]

Hey ya'll. So I've had my John Deere L110 lawnmower for a few years now and overall it's been pretty reliable. Now one problem I have been having is that the fuel delivery system seems to be a bit faulty somewhere. Usually she'll start right up no problem but if I let her run for a bit and shut her off for a few minutes she won't start back up. I just recently replaced the fuel pump with a brand new OEM pump because that seemed like the likely cause for it not starting but it still tends to have that problem. Now that isn't too big a deal to me because if I let it sit for like 5-10 minutes it'll start right back up, plus it doesn't happen all that often. Like I said, she's usually pretty reliable for the most part. But just as of yesterday I pulled the hydrostatic relief valve pin to pull it out of my shed, and went to start it up and all it did was crank, it didn't even sound like is was trying to start. So after I discovered it wouldn't start I did the usual troubleshooting such as looking for disconnected wires, fuel level, etc. I didn't see anything that jumped out at me so I pulled the spark plug and turned it over and it had plenty of spark (No Problem Here). I took off the air filter as well to see if it was getting gas to the carb and it was. There also seemed to be a bit of gas on the spark plug as well. Now one thing I have been thinking is that maybe the fuel filter may possibly be causing the problem of it not always wanting to start but I don't know because usually it still starts up but now it wont at all whatsoever. I turned it over multiple times for about 5-10 seconds but it just did not want to start. So at this point I'm pretty confused and even my dad couldn't figure it out so any and all help is greatly appreciated. I have a feeling it might be something so stupid and simple and I just haven't thought of it but I don't know. For now I'm gonna keep trying to brainstorm different ideas for the cause and I'll keep checking this often until it's solved because I kinda have to mow my yard haha :laughing:

 

[Rivets]

You don't give us the engine make and model numbers, so this is only a guess. Check to see if the fuel shutoff solenoid is working properly. It is located on the bottom of the carb and has one or two wires connected to it. With one hand on the solenoid, turn the key to the run (not start) position. You should hear a click and be able to feel if the solenoid kick in. If nothing happens your solenoid may be sticking or bad, causing your problem.

 

[duramaxredneck5150]

You don't give us the engine make and model numbers, so this is only a guess. Check to see if the fuel shutoff solenoid is working properly. It is located on the bottom of the carb and has one or two wires connected to it. With one hand on the solenoid, turn the key to the run (not start) position. You should hear a click and be able to feel if the solenoid kick in. If nothing happens your solenoid may be sticking or bad, causing your problem.

Hi, thanks for responding. But what I did yesterday is I took the carb off to clean it but it wasn't clogged or anything. While I had the carb off I also checked the fuel shutoff before I even saw your reply haha but the solenoid is in proper working condition (That thing kind of shocks you a bit as well:laughing. I also took a can of duster/ air blaster or whatever the heck you call it lol and blew out the hoses to see if that was the problem because it doesn't seem to be getting fuel to the cylinder. Then after I put it all back together I tried to start it but it still didn't want to start. So at that point I just wanted to get my yard mowed so I was hoping I could get her started by just spraying some starting fluid straight into the cylinder and my hope was that if I could get it started it would get some gas circulating through. I then took the spark plug out and sprayed starter fluid into the cylinder and put the plug back in and tried to start it and it started but I couldn't get it to stay running. Oh and also the engine is a "Kohler" engine and the model number is "CV491". Thanks and have a good day.

 

[BlazNT]

Did you remove the fuel solenoid and clean the jets in the bowl?
Dirty carb
Down and dirty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBL-BUj0c6E
More technical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAk_WDt3AD8

 

[Rivets]

If you got a shock from the fuel solenoid, something is not right.

 

[duramaxredneck5150]

Hey y'all so I finally got her working but now the problem I'm having is that now it doesn't start as easy. Whenever I cold start it I have to leave the choke on for at least like 5-10 seconds or else it will idle weird. I don't know if this is just due to the fact that it's getting colder outside or not. Also when I took it apart I know that I put it back together exactly how it came apart and I didn't do anything with the idle or anything. Another problem I'm having now is that if I put the throttle all the way down and then put it back up to high, it will over rev the crap out of the engine but then it will go back to normal. I don't know why it's doing this all of the sudden and it's really bugging me because it never did that before. I know it's probably hard to really know what the problem is just by me explaining it so I'm gonna try to see if I can get a video of it for ya'll. All opinions count and any and all help is really appreciated. Thanks and have a good day.

 

[JD318420]

Well you got down to the carb. It points to crap in the jets (fuel or air jets), because it runs (somewhat) on choke. Looks like you need to go back and try cleaning the carb again including the solenoid valve.

 

[duramaxredneck5150]

Well you got down to the carb. It points to crap in the jets (fuel or air jets), because it runs (somewhat) on choke. Looks like you need to go back and try cleaning the carb again including the solenoid valve.

Hey thanks, I'm probably gonna try that but I forgot to add that if you leave the choke on for like 5-10 seconds and then put the throttle to high it's fine and it will idle like normal. I used to be able to start her up with the choke and then a second after she's started I could bump the throttle down and it'd be fine but I can't do that anymore. I completely took the carb apart and fully cleaned it but maybe there's a chance I missed something. I'll try it again I guess and I'll see if that works. I'll keep ya'll posted.:thumbsup: