Work the mower in the usual way until it stalls, then go ahead and follow these steps: Remove gas cap. Before installing the new plug, be sure to set the gap between its two electrodes using a gapping tool or feller gauge. You are using an out of date browser. While fuel can be a common issue, it might not be your issue. Remove debris around your engine. F725. @deser. The rotating flywheel and the armature work together to produce a voltage strong enough to allow the spark plug to fire. Put up your spec. After cleaning the spark plug, check for visible signs of improvement in your lawnmowers performance. You can learn more about this here. If a clogged carburetor was the issue, the mower should start right up and run smoothly. Occasionally a cracked ceramic insulator can allow the center electrode to ground to the engines frame, also causing the mower to die. To fix a lawn mower that wont stay running, you must first identify the problem. Probably going to replace the carb this weekend. Did you read this thread? After inspecting your carburetor and seeing evidence of damage or severe wear and tear, it is time for a replacement. Runs great for 15-20 minutes then no spark. I have a crafsman 18.5 42" cut riding lawn mower,five years old, same thing, starts great, runs great, cuts great, for about ten minutes, then misses and quits. A faulty gas cap is, as you know, the second most common cause of a mower stalling after thirty minutes. Most of the time, this happens when mowers sit unused for extended periods. Have a carb coming today hopefully. The apparently becomes loose. Filling the tank had an amazing effect. Possibly the fuel tank vent is clogged. If you dont want to tackle the job, bring your mower to a small engine repair shop to be cleaned or rebuilt. Clean accordingly. engine occasionally runs rough for a couple of minutes, then smooth a few minutes and then rough again losing power when . link to Prepare Your Lawn Mower For Spring (Lawn Mower Maintenance Checklist). Hold your filter up to the light. A riding lawn mower may start and then die because of items that can be prevented by performing routine annual maintenance on your mower. It will run on starting fluid, so it has to be a fuel problem. While on the face of it, this seems like a coincidence. Sometimes the check valve will fail and no longer allow air to enter the tank. Carefully inspect the tank and let it sit for ten minutes to establish there is no leakage. The oil enters separately. It could be a failure with the spark plug, lack of gas flow to the engine, a clogged air filter and the most common is a dirty carburetor.Actually, most of the problems that stall the engine while it is just starting come from the carburetor. August 3, 2010. Ensure that nothing is lose and then unclamp the gas line. Menu Ask a Question Share a Post Account Search. As soon as you take it off, it should start flowing, so be careful. Check out the Amazon link below for common lawnmower armatures. It is okay to run through vehicles, but not a good option for the small engines in riding lawn mowers. The ceramic insulator also isolates the center electrode electrically from the spark plugs base. Sid Phillips Using your box knife, cut out the tanks damaged section and smooth out any torn or jagged edges. It wasn't running when I got it (came with the home we bought), but I changed the plugs, put in fresh gas, new starter, and Voila. Daffodils and tulips make their early presence known, and of course, there is your Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you. Too much oil can also cause your riding mower to push oil through the valve train and into the cylinder. My wife, as is her wont, was mowing while I was out of town for the week. The choke is used to allow more fuel into the combustion chamber before the engine heats up by restricting airflow. Remove the carburetor bowl and clean all parts thoroughly. The lower the ethanol content the better. The mower is a 2006 Simplicity Javelin RZT2044 with about 125 hours on it. I have the manuals in hand. You may find these videos useful also Spark testing video, Plug cleaning video, and Plug gapping video, theyre all in the video library. Mower: Toro Zero turn with 19hp Kawasaki motor. However, you can just ask a new question if you have a new one. John Cunningham is an Automotive Technician and writer at Lawnmowerfixed.com. If you find a break, replace the coil. JavaScript is disabled. Vent was fine. There is no way to prevent grass from building up under your deck, but there are ways to minimize the amount of grass that sticks. Thanks muchly. Robert, May 10, 2010 by Using vice grips or a clamp works very well for this. Always use a standard measuring device rather than just eyeballing the size of the piece you will need. Reason 3: Dirty carburetor; a dirty carburetor won't get enough fuel during operation, causing the running engine to shut down. It does start again but does off after about 1 minute after that. Several times over the week I looked up solutions and accepted that my return-home-obligations would circumvent my return-home-festivities. A mower armature is a small component fastened to the exterior of the engine; some may refer to it as a coil. Your mower may run then stop after a few minutes if the spark plug is dirty or damaged, and youll need to replace it. Have a good one. A clogged carburetor on a lawnmower could cause it to stall or act sluggish. This electrode is set at a specific gap between it and the center electrode. Wiring harness incorrect. It will start and run for a few minutes and then shut off. There are a number of possible causes why a lawn mower starts then dies. When I called to let her know that I had arrived, she told me the John Deere rider had stopped after about 15 minutes and she had to get the neighbors to help push it back to the house. Engine cooling fins are necessary to circulate air around your engine block and cylinder head to keep it cool. How to Clean Your Riding Mower Carburetor: Step-By-Step. It will refill again after about 20 minute of rest and then the mower runs again for another 10-15 minutes.I have cleaned out the tank and checked the few line . Check for gas flow into the carb bowl. . 14K views, 58 likes, 7 loves, 0 comments, 6 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Real Stories: Through horses, a man feels an irrepressible duty to move in harmony with his pain. Tilt the mower in the opposite direction of the engine air filter to avoid oil contamination to start draining. The ceramic insulator also isolates the center electrode electrically from the spark plugs base. From her description, we agreed that it was either a fuel or air problem. This gap is where the spark is produced. An important part to mention is main jet. Fuel lines are clear and flows from gas tank well. When this occurs, the lawnmower will start and run normally. With the metal spatula, apply light pressure to set the patch in place and remove bubbles that may surface. Thoroughly scrub the tank until the smell of gasoline is undetectable. Once the plug is in place, hand-tighten, then use a ratchet to secure without over-tightening. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Running good fresh fuel through your riding mower is best. Let us know what you find. Then you could restart for another 2-3 min then it would stop. Make sure that the fuel cap is in good condition and has a vent that works properly. Remove solenoid, clip plunger, install fuel shut off valve. Now turn the flywheel until both valves are closed. Starter/Solenoid malfunctioning. Solution: Regularly scrape your mower deck and sharpen your blades. Now, well need all our tools to hand; allowing the engine cool will, as you know, mean the fault disappears again. The air filter gets dirty quickly, so clean it every eight hours of operation. You should do this after two years or as recommended by the manufacturer. and start washing it down with soap and water. Full bag shuts off mower. Consult a professional if you dont have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely. Mostly around 2. I have a John Deere LX178 with a 15HP Kohler-John Deere engine. Spark plugs are easy to find as a wire or cable connects them to the motor. The fuel tank vent is most likely plugged up. It's FREE to check! With our Fix app, you always have a personalized repair guide on-hand. Hey, I'm John, and I'm a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience. To check, simply start the lawn mower as you normally would and observe. When the engine can't vent the heated gasses from the internal combustion or take cool air in for the next stage of combustion, stalling can occur. Wiring harness wired wrong. My wife, as is her wont, was mowing while I was out of town for the week. When this occurs, the lawnmower will start and run normally. Loose bolts mean the carburetor is prone to pulling in too much air through the seams. JavaScript is disabled. I am not good on the computer.. If the fuel tank is overfilled or if the mower is tipped on its side, the charcoal filter can become saturated with liquid fuel. Riding Mower Carburetor is Dirty. Bobby, I did get your thanks. People by & large do not understand engines or combustion theory. If the lawn mower is sputtering, surging, or hesitating before stalling, the problem could be caused by a bad spark plug or impure fuel. Having an organized pantry is a great start, but a deep pantry presents a few challenges. An easy way to see if excessive oil is the root of the problem is to lean the mower on its back for two hours. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be submitted to our "DoItYourself.com Community Forums". However, when fitting the armature, an air gap between the armature and the flywheel must be maintained in order to generate a sufficient spark. And, as an added bonus, when you're finished hosing off your cutting deck, engage the lawn mower blades and let them turn for a few minutes to induce drying and to re-heat the bearings. Most problems that will cause a John Deere lawn mower to stall after 20 minutes occur due to the distribution and rate of flow in the fuel and air systems. It's been 3-4 years now since it happened last. You must log in or register to reply here. Cleaning the deck will also help keep your cutting blades sharper for longer. It cant get the air or fuel needed to continue to run. only 5000 miles. Taking a look past the carb this line is badly decayed. 1.2 Step 2: Check and clean the carburetor. Took it for a test run and it did great for 10 mins then shut down again. Testing coil today. Appreciate any and all input in advance! When I called to let her know that I had arrived, she told me the John Deere rider had stopped after about 15 minutes and she had to get the neighbors to help push it back to the house. Starting cable connectors loose. Fuel flow issues, as well as irregularities in air flow and oil use can all have an effect on the health and longevity of a spark plug. This electrode is set at a specific gap between it and the center electrode. Dont reuse the baster for cooking purposes. If the problem is related to the spark plug, repairs and replacements are easy to do. Once you find a section that is clogged, remove the line and spray carburetor cleaner in the line to loosen the clog. My mower would quit after 10-15 minutes of running. Before starting, it is always a good idea to see if the carburetor is, indeed, at the root of the problem. The spark plug on your lawnmower should be replaced at least yearly to ensure trouble-free operation. This typically happens after a short period between ten and thirty minutes and also depends on factors like weather and gas tank fuel level. Examine the spark plug of the lawnmower. 1.3 Step 3: Clean the air filter. Clean the muffler after every 60 hours . Dirty or defective spark plugs. Because dirt and grass clipping are stirred up when mowing, your air filter element has a lot of dirt and debris to filter. If the mower is allowed to sit for a time, usually a few hours, air will seep back into the tank and the mower will start again. Riding Mower Keeps Shutting Off . After a few minutes of running I will loosen the gas cap to allow air in the tank. But even if you havent, gas cap vents do fail, but well eliminate it as a possible with this simple, fast test. How did I know? My 21 HP Briggs & Stratton would run for 5 minutes and then cut off as if you turned the switch off. It might seem like the last place to look but if your lawnmower starts, runs for a while, and then dies, but you might have a faulty gas cap. That is why you should carefully clean it. If the carburetor is at the root of the problem, it will have to be taken apart and cleaned. A bad ignition coil can cause your riding mower to die once it gets hot. If these systems are dirty or restricted, the mower will stall out and be difficult to restart. Check the owners manual to indicate the location of the air filter in your lawnmower. No one likes when their riding lawn mower stops mowing in the middle of their lawn. The fuel gauge never worked, but I pulled out the sending unit today to see if I could fix it. Contents [ hide] 1 Diagnose the lawnmower shuts off when blades are engaged: 1.1 Step 1: Check the blades of the lawnmower. Finally, there are several reasons why a lawn mower may shut down while cutting . Startup the lawnmower to warm up the oil allowing for easier drainage. Using a thin wire to clean the metering holes works well. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The fuel cap creates a seal in the fuel system and when it fails to provide a functional seal, a fuel flow issue ensues. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Simply drain out the old fuel and replace with new, clean gasoline. I bought a used simplicity Sunstar 1692135 year 1995. 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