LX176;; blades stop rotating

[tywood]

Greetings from down under. First time on the forum.
My problem. I start the engine, increase the revs. pull the switch and the blades rotate. Mow 100feet or so and the blades stop. No sign of smoke or screaming from belts running on jammed pulleys.
Closing and opening the switch has no effect. Leave the machine for 2-3 hours, (Like let it cool down)
Restart it and mow another 100feet and the problem reappears.
Any suggestions on what is causing the problem the problem would be much appreciated.
PS it's a 1998 model and had seen a fair bit of work before I purchased it 3 years ago.

 

[KennyV]

WELCOME to LMF...

There could be a couple things... BUT the first two to check are the Wires at the clutch... Check the Ground first & insure that it has a good Clean attachment to the frame...
Then check for 12 volts at the positive wire AT the clutch, with the switch On and the key in the on (run) position... check this before and then immediately after it fails.... :smile:KennyV

 

[ILENGINE]

I agree with KennyV on testing. If the voltage test works out ok then you may need to adjust the clutch. The should be three bolts with springs on them at each corner of the clutch. right next to it should be a slot that you can slide a feeler gauge into. Adjust the clearance to .012 inch at all three corners and then see what happens.

Have seen more than one clutch kick out after a few minutes of use do to improper clearances. The clutch operating causes heat. Heat causes resistance in the wire. With the added resistance the voltage drops causing the clutch to disengage because of the excessive clearance between the coil pack and the drive disc.

 

[mac]

One other thing you should check is the battery itself. I have an LX178 that did the same thing, and it was the battery.