Hope someone can help

[macdoesit]

First thing dealer said was, they have had a lot of customers in the past 2 weeks with same problem and contributed it to bad gas they told the customers to add HEET to the gas and was told by the customers it fixed the problem. (??)

 

[macdoesit]

Bad Gas is the standard when they have no clue . .Put Champion plugs in it .

For warranty I don't want to change anything for now.

 

[Auto Doc's]

Hello macdoesit,

The local JD dealer is who uncrates and performs the make ready for sale on new riders for the big box stores (It's in their JD sales contract to carry the JD products.)

They get minimal fuel put in them for a quick test run and then they set on display for months before being sold.

As for fuels: Consider all fuels to be a refined "blended solvent", as it ages it breaks down and oxidizes if left sitting.

I see many new mowers, push, rider and zero-turn around my area (that don't go to the dealer) at about the 20–30-hour mark for this kind of problem. They are happy to pay me instead of the dealer pick-up and delivery charge it would cost them to have a possible warranty repair done.

 

[macdoesit]

Hello macdoesit,

The local JD dealer is who uncrates and performs the make ready for sale on new riders for the big box stores (It's in their JD sales contract to carry the JD products.)

They get minimal fuel put in them for a quick test run and then they set on display for months before being sold.

As for fuels: Consider all fuels to be a refined "blended solvent", as it ages it breaks down and oxidizes if left sitting.

I see many new mowers, push, rider and zero-turn around my area (that don't go to the dealer) at about the 20–30-hour mark for this kind of problem. They are happy to pay me instead of the dealer pick-up and delivery charge it would cost them to have a possible warranty repair done.

Thank you.
Do you think it would do any good to put a bottle of HEET in the gas. The only mower mechanic around here retired 6 months ago. If I have to take to dealer, I have a trailer, so delivery is no problem.

 

[Auto Doc's]

First thing dealer said was, they have had a lot of customers in the past 2 weeks with same problem and contributed it to bad gas they told the customers to add HEET to the gas and was told by the customers it fixed the problem. (??)

Hi macdoesit,

Using HEET is not a bad suggestion in my opinion. Honestly, I forgot about that.

HEET is basically a bottle of Methanol fuel solvent (petrol) (Not to be confused with Ethanol (corn). It has to be churned in a fuel can, not just poured in the tank to be effective.

 

[slomo]

Taryl debunked the alcohol removes water from gas. So did Chickanic if I recall correctly. Heet is a wallet draining item that does not work. Project Farm I think did a video on this too I think??

Why would you use seafoam, on any engine? Nothing but a solvent with some oil. A new engine doesn't need this. It's not going to protect anything in the engine. If it DID work, Briggs, Kawasaki and the like would recommend it in their engine manuals. Never seen any recommendation other than E-10 or less, 87 octane or higher. Seafoam was actually made for 2 stroke engines. This guy owns a 4 stroke. So after the OP used seafoam, he STILL has an issue.

I agree on the dealer call and them blaming the fuel. That is the first trick in their book. They don't have a clue even most times after looking at the mower in person.

 

[Auto Doc's]

Taryl debunked the alcohol removes water from gas. So did Chickanic if I recall correctly. Heet is a wallet draining item that does not work. Project Farm I think did a video on this too I think??

Why would you use seafoam, on any engine? Nothing but a solvent with some oil. A new engine doesn't need this. It's not going to protect anything in the engine. If it DID work, Briggs, Kawasaki and the like would recommend it in their engine manuals. Never seen any recommendation other than E-10 or less, 87 octane or higher. Seafoam was actually made for 2 stroke engines. This guy owns a 4 stroke. So after the OP used seafoam, he STILL has an issue.

I agree on the dealer call and them blaming the fuel. That is the first trick in their book. They don't have a clue even most times after looking at the mower in person.

Hi slomo,

If I believed everything You Tube shows us, there would not much else in life to do but be a pessimist. Those shows tend to be very biased and flip flop opinions based on conjecture.

Alcohol does not "remove" water; it breaks it down and encapsulates it so it can pass through with the fuel in a microscopic form.

HEET is not cheap, but it has been a proven product for years.

I'm not a big fan of Seafoam, never have been.

Here lately I've been fighting a rash of canned Trufuel victims with 2-stroke engines. That high priced "special" fuel breaks down if on the store shelves too long, and it gets worse once the can is opened and left only partially full. I have come to dislike 2-stroke weed eaters because they turn out to be bigger problems than most other lawn equipment.

 

[macdoesit]

Taryl debunked the alcohol removes water from gas. So did Chickanic if I recall correctly. Heet is a wallet draining item that does not work. Project Farm I think did a video on this too I think??

Why would you use seafoam, on any engine? Nothing but a solvent with some oil. A new engine doesn't need this. It's not going to protect anything in the engine. If it DID work, Briggs, Kawasaki and the like would recommend it in their engine manuals. Never seen any recommendation other than E-10 or less, 87 octane or higher. Seafoam was actually made for 2 stroke engines. This guy owns a 4 stroke. So after the OP used seafoam, he STILL has an issue.

I agree on the dealer call and them blaming the fuel. That is the first trick in their book. They don't have a clue even most times after looking at the mower in person.

It is a new mower 30 hours. I clean the whole mower, frame engine after every mow, 5 acres.

 

[macdoesit]

Hi macdoesit,

Using HEET is not a bad suggestion in my opinion. Honestly, I forgot about that.

HEET is basically a bottle of Methanol fuel solvent (petrol) (Not to be confused with Ethanol (corn). It has to be churned in a fuel can, not just poured in the tank to be effective.

What do you mean, churned in a fuel can? How long does it take for the HEET to work? If it is just for bad gas, I have already taken the gas tank off, drained all gas, I had to jerry rig a shop vac to suck all the gas out because there is an inner sleeve in the neck of the gas fill spout. When you turn the gas tank upside down about a half quart collects into this inner sleeve, you have to turn the tank right side up and fenagle a hose jerry-rigged to the shop vac hose down into the odd shaped gas fill spout to suck the remaining gas, etc out. I don't understand why JD would do this, completely stupid.

 

[macdoesit]

The JD dealer is in Shawnee, OK. they sale and work on large, small JD tractors, skid steers and mowers. I'm getting ready to load it on my trailer and take it to them.