Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living If it wasn't for bad luck.....

I should have stayed in bed yesterday.

I had two things I wanted to do.... cut the yard and bush hog around the house and orchard.

Jumped on the mower, made a pass around the yard, and it sputtered a time or two then smoothed out. Huh? On the second pass, it died and wouldn't start. Pushed it to the carport, checked fuel flow, air filter, and finally took off carb., cleaned it good with carb cleaner and found gov. rod loose on carb shaft. Had this happen before, so I soldered it and figured I had it fixed, again. No go. It will backfire, spit, and sputter. Ok, check spark plug. Took needle nose, reached as far as I could in hole, grabbed spark plug wire and pull..... pulled cap off wire. Ordered a new coil, try again when it comes in.

Ok, mower down, I'll get the bush hogging done. Everything going fine for about an hour and beeper goes off for EMS call. Shut down tractor and went on call. Got back, started up tractor and it ran for about 5 seconds and died. I had forgot to disengage the pto and when the bush hog started to turn, it killed the tractor. Disengaged the bush hog, try again. No go. The motor turns over, but will not crank. Called it a day and will check out tractor this morning.

I hope today is better.

"Momma said there'd be days like that."

Hope today is better.

I enjoy cutting my grass and keeping up my little compound, but man I hate having to work on equipment for an hour before I start!!

Hope it gets better podna

Ok, thing are better today. Mower still down, but I got the tractor running for a while..... yep I said, for a while.

Diesel, fuel and air is all it needs to run. New air and fuel filter last spring, so I pulled the line coming out of the fuel filter, no fuel. Pulled the line into the fuel filter, again, no fuel. Pulled the line from the tank to the filter and it was good. Pulled the valve off the tank and it was completely stopped up. Unstopped the valve, put it all back together, and had to bleed injector lines, but I got it started and bush hogged for about an hour. Had to move a water hose, idled tractor down to get off, and it died. Wont start. Checked the fuel line from tank to fuel filter and it just barely flows. Letting it drain overnight and will take the valve off again tomorrow.

I wasn't sure what the stuff was that came out of the valve this morning. Didn't look like rust. I'll take a really good look tomorrow.

Had this old tractor about a year and it's been running fine. Only thing I can think of is dirty diesel. I'm catching the diesel that I put in this morning, and will strain it to see if there is trash, when I pour it back in tomorrow.

That doesn't sound like you having fun more like a PITA. Hope you get them running soon.

Murphy's Law.................if something can go wrong, it will. Had it happen to me more times than I can count.

How much diesel was in it when you started and how long was it sitting?

SS, about 1/2 a tank and it had been setting for a week or 10 days.

Ok, after I got it running the second time, it ran for about 20 minutes and died again. Every time, I've had to bleed the injectors, so this tells me it isn't getting fuel.

This morning I pulled the tank valve again and it was clean, so I took the line off the out side of the filter and noticed that there was very little flow. Dont know why I didn't think of it before, but if there was enough trash to stop up the talk valve, there could be enough small stuff to plug up the filter. Just so happens I had another fuel filter. Changed it, had to bleed the lines again, but after I got it cranked, I ran it for about an hour and it did fine. Not sure, but I think this problem is fixed.

Now if I can just get the mower running. Still waiting for the coil.

What I meant was how old was the diesel in the tank? I have heard that in humid areas, diesel fuel will grow things in it plugging up line and filters and there is additive to stop that.I don't know much about it though.

There is some algae killer that might help?

SS, I'm small time. When I need diesel, I go get 5-10 gallons at a time. The place I buy it sells a lot of off-road diesel. In fact, it's not common for him to be out, better call before you go for some.

Glad you got a handle on it, Randy!

Knock on wood, I've been pretty good this year. Last year was the problem child.

The coil for the lawn mower came in this morning and I put it on. Mower cranked right up and I got the yard cut. Now to be honest, I dont know what fixed the mower. Cleaning the carb? New coil? New spark plug? Heck I dont know???

Doesn't matter you got it running got 2- new parts and a clean carb.