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Thread: riding mower

  1. #1
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    riding mower

    it starting acting up many months ago but now it will quit too often , if I wait until it cool down then it will start up , I pull the gas tank and clean it , the gasket in the gas cap went bad and some of it fell into the tank, last month or two the mower hit a piece of wood and broke the blade, the blade tore a hole in the deck, the blade also mess the controls cables up but they were fix, will someone take a guess on the proper way to fix the old mower

  2. #2
    Junk it buy a new one
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  3. #3
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    Change the fuel filter, and perhaps the carb. Other than that I agree with Bert!

  4. #4
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    Jul 2005
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    How old is it? Mine is a 1992 and still going strong after I fixed a sticky intake valve. There are many things that can cause your problem. Here's what I would try:

    1. Check the oil level, many of them will shut off if it gets too low
    2. Check the spark plug and gap
    3. Make sure your air filter is clean
    4. Make sure the choke is opening fully



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  5. #5
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    Ray. If you hit something that broke the blade, then you need to pull the flywheel off and check the key. When they get torqued, it messes the timing up.
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  6. #6
    I am not sure what size mower you are talking about but I had a 1978 John Deere 316 and in 2004 it started doing just was you are saying. It would run fine for a while and then just bog down and stop, let is set for a while and it would start and run then bog down and stop.

    Checked the point, timing, rebuilt the carb with no help. I was about ready to pull the engine and rebuild it and notice that there was some oil around the top of the coil, got a new coil, installed it and that was the problem, it is still running fine for the new owner, I sold it in 2006 when I down sized.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Myk Rian View Post
    Ray. If you hit something that broke the blade, then you need to pull the flywheel off and check the key. When they get torqued, it messes the timing up.
    ^^ This. That happened to me.

    Also the engine might be overheating. Over time the cooling fins under the fan shroud can get blocked with dirt, bits of leaves and grass. A friend of mine once had a mouse build a nest under the fan cover. Blocking the air flow will overheat the engine. Keeping them clean will extend engine life.

    Besides, the fan shroud has to come off when you check the flywheel woodruff key

    If the engine has a lot of years on it it could be the valve lash needs to checked and adjusted. That's one maintenance item that's routinely ignored.

    -Tom

  8. #8
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    You said pieces of the gas cap gasket are missing. I'd install a new cap. A bad gas cap affects performance.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    Medina Ohio
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    If you installed a new gas cap does it vent correctly. When it dies open the cap and see if it is sucking in air.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Myk Rian View Post
    Ray. If you hit something that broke the blade, then you need to pull the flywheel off and check the key. When they get torqued, it messes the timing up.
    the mower deck are belt driven , belt transmit the force from the engine to the deck pulleys

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Bourque View Post
    You said pieces of the gas cap gasket are missing. I'd install a new cap. A bad gas cap affects performance.
    a new gas cap cost close to $40 BUT a roll of gasket only cost $ 5.00 , more than enough gasket for ten gas caps, pieces of the old gasket was missing until the tank got clean out

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Huber View Post
    I am not sure what size mower you are talking about but I had a 1978 John Deere 316 and in 2004 it started doing just was you are saying. It would run fine for a while and then just bog down and stop, let is set for a while and it would start and run then bog down and stop.

    Checked the point, timing, rebuilt the carb with no help. I was about ready to pull the engine and rebuild it and notice that there was some oil around the top of the coil, got a new coil, installed it and that was the problem, it is still running fine for the new owner, I sold it in 2006 when I down sized.
    how can oil get on the coil if the coil are on top of the engine ? I presume that all small engines use a magneto ignition

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by ray hampton View Post
    how can oil get on the coil if the coil are on top of the engine ? I presume that all small engines use a magneto ignition
    The coil on this engine was just like a small coil that was on cars, the coil has oil in it and it was leaking out.

    I don't know what engine you have in your mower so I don't know if it has a coil or not.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Huber View Post
    The coil on this engine was just like a small coil that was on cars, the coil has oil in it and it was leaking out.

    I don't know what engine you have in your mower so I don't know if it has a coil or not.
    Bill has a good idea about the coil. It could be the coil is defective when it gets hot. This reminds me of a problem I had with an old Buick that had 3 coil packs, each one serving 2 cyclinders. The coil would lose voltage when it got hot. I ended up replacing the coil packs.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
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    Youngstown, Oh
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    Some of the older caps had a screw open vent in the middle of the cap. No matter how you look at it the gas tank needs to be vented or the gas will not flow to the carb properly. Sometimes the hose will deteriorate and a piece of rubber will clog the needle valve at the carb. Crack the cap loose and go for a ride, but gas will splash out if the tank is too full. If your mower has the tank under the seat it is highly likely there is a fuel pump that can go bad. Ride the mower until it quits and give it a quick shot of starting fluid is the quick way to check for lack of fuel. Something in the ignition electronics can be breaking down under heat too. A lot of things can be wrong. Since it does start and run I would first check fuel situation.

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