Recent content by cpurvis

Agree 100%.

Welcome to the forum. How does this translate to reciprocating engines?

Can you see in the tank to tell if there is any contamination in there? After reading about the problems that person had with the gas powered Kubota Zero Turn, I would make sure the tank doesn't have any debris in it. All the symptoms point to fuel starvation. I don't know how much trouble...

Did that tube have any kind of a screen on it?

Here's the thread: https://www.lawnmowerforum.com/threads/solved-kommander-zt-fuel-problems-sputtering-stalling-etc.47223/#post-359422 Look at the debris in that tube. Yours may have a similar fuel pickup. I won't be around until late afternoon if you have questions but there are plenty of...

cambre, read this. This is from another post that has a 'similar' problem. It's a Kubota gas mower, but the problem is similar to yours: Sharing this public service announcement for what it's worth as my local dealer says they've seen it on a number of the Kommander ZT's. I have a 2013...

I have thought about it. If the fuel cutoff is electric, the engine will die abruptly when that electricity is cut off, not wind down as the OP describes.

If it starts on its own, the injection system does not need bleeding. What is happening is the fuel flow to the injection pump is slightly less that what the engine needs to run. You can test this with a small container of diesel to replace the tank. A gallon or two will be plenty. Run the...

I DON'T think it's getting air in the system. If it was, you'd have to go through the whole bleeding process every time it dies. Let me get this straight--When it dies, you don't have to do anything other than let it sit for awhile before you can start it again? If that's the case, something...

The reason I ask is, if the engine runs--then dies--and can be restarted, something is restricting the flow of fuel prior to it getting to the injection pump. It would not restart if it had gotten air in the system. If it starts, the injection system is primed. Since replacing the fuel pump...

When it dies, does it slowly wind down or does it stop abruptly, as it does when you shut it down?

I assumed the head(s) were still on the engine. They weren't?

Does it do this on a repeated basis? By that I mean it hits once and you try again an hour or a day later and it does the same thing? Get another spark plug and swap it out when it does the 'one and done' thing.

That Walmart oil has no diesel classification approval, if that matters to the user. FWIW, you can buy good, gasoline and diesel rated oil such as the Rotella T-4 that Buddy mentioned for around $3 a quart ($12/gallon).

I've never worked on an OHV Kohler, so keep that in mind. There'll be more than one way to do this. Here's one: Take the spark plug out. Turn the crankshaft to lower the piston in the cylinder. Make sure it's the BDC in which the intake valve has just closed. Insert some small rope through...

One of the jobs of engine oil is to clean the engine by holding the contaminants in suspension so that they will be taken out of the engine when the oil is drained. 'Black' motor oil is not a bad thing. It's evidence that that the oil is doing its job of holding contaminants in suspension.

Ask your question. There have been other chainsaw questions on here.

Talk to your county ag agent or someone who has knowledge of your area, but I'll bet the best time will be in the Fall.

If it has half the power that it used to have, that means it's getting half the fuel it used to get. Fuel flow restriction--or air--in the system will cause this. I would start it and just let it run at about 1500 rpm and see if it shuts off again.

Don't connect a line from the tank to the injection pump without a filter between the two. Injection pumps do not tolerate any dirt in the fuel.

NGK has achieved enough brand recognition that counterfeits may be appearing.

I would, too, but not all two cycle engines have them. I have an old Toro/Suzuki push mower and the shop manual calls for Threebond #1104 or Loctite #515. The OP's engine had a gasket though, and to not use a gasket would decrease crankshaft endplay, One good thing about making gaskets is...

cambre, I'm at a loss. Was it idling for ten minutes or running at full speed? Does it have an electric fuel shut off to kill the engine?

Can't help you on finding a factory gasket. Is it possible to make one or use a silicon compound?

How much do you want to spend, $2500 or $25,000?

I remember the first (and only) time I carried a hidden gun. This was a long time ago, as my telling will make it obvious. I had to meet some men, whom I knew absolutely nothing about, to collect a reward for stolen airplane. Since I thought it would be better to have a gun and not need it...

Is the fuel tank below the fuel filter? If it is, you'll have to have the fuel pump running to get fuel to come out of that bleed screw on the fuel filter. If you can't get fuel to come out of that bleed screw, there is something wrong between that point and the tank. edit: I returned the...

There's a difference between and 'injector' and an 'injection pump.' I'm having a hard time visualizing what you are doing and what you've changed on your mower. First, you've replaced the factory fuel filter arrangement, which was a primary/secondary filter system, with a spin-on filter...

Is the 'bleed bolt' the same as the one on the pictures I sent you? If it is, leave it open a little longer (with the engine running) and see if you can increase engine rpm. Shut the bleed screw gradually and reopen it if the engine starts to die again. I would do this for a minute or two and...

Yes, it's down on the corner of 9th and Broadway, called Booga-Booga Meadows. I find cutting out paper dolls to be quite relaxing. Looking forward to a new friend. I'm not acquainted with a 'canister assembly.' What is it? Diesel engines only need two things to run--Hot air and fuel...

The bad news is, even using the proper process, not all aluminum alloys are weldable. Two that come to mind are 7075 and 2024. The good news is, the aluminum alloys used in lawnmower engines are. Tig and Mig welding both work for welding aluminum.

I'm a slow learner but people have trained me to not loan out tools. They've come back spattered with paint, bent, broken or in some cases, like the 3" belt sander that nobody remembers borrowing, not at all.

That will depend on how hot the engine has gotten. Have you kept the cylinder fins clean? If the engine overheats, the valve guides tend to loosen and work their way out of the head. Eventually they move so far that the rocker arm hits them resulting in a bent or broken push rod and the valve...

Have you done this before? Have the seats been replaced? It's been a long time since I did any valve seats, but it wasn't a simple process back then. The process I followed included a mandrel to guide the stones, three different angle stones and a power tool to spin the stones. There was...

All you need is a calculator to do what I suggested; it's from Econ 101---fixed costs divided by per unit profit. This is something someone needs to do BEFORE starting a business to get an idea of whether the business is even feasible at all.

I haven't read all six pages, so if someone else has said this, I apologize. Before you do anything, add up all the FIXED annual expenses you will have--rent, utilities, taxes, insurance, etc.. Then divide this number by the average amount of gross profit you will have on each unit you repair...

Maybe. Do you have a voltmeter? Check the voltage at the battery with the engine running at full speed and auger engaged. Should be higher than 12.7 but less than 14.5 or so. If it's in the range, the regulator is working.

I've used everything from kerosene (#1 diesel; same thing) to brake cleaner.

Take the spark plug out and turn it over a few times. I think you've got oil or gas in the cylinder and it's hydro locked.

I don't know if this is still the case, but at one time Fram spin-ons were the #1 counterfeited filter. Genuine Fram filters were probably nowhere near as bad but you couldn't tell if you bought a real Fram unless you cut it open. I use Baldwin a lot. They are very good filters and many times...

That's called 'backward compatibility' and it used to be true. Recently, it became un-true and the API rating, if more recent that the manufacturer's recommended API rating may NOT meet the requirements. This is driven by oil companies having to meet ever more stringent emissions requirements...

Mine got compromised in a restaurant that I'd never been in and I had possession of the card when it happened. That suggests to me that the restaurant workers were in on the scam. How they got my credit card number is a mystery to me unless it was via one of those gas pump skimmers or...

Someone managed to charge $100+ worth of food to my credit card, without having the card--I had it the entire time. But all it took was one phone call to the CC company and they took it off, told me to shred the card, and they sent a new one. FedEx delivered it and just threw it on the floor...

Priming methods for diesel engines vary all over the place. I'm not familiar with the Kubota engine in your Grasshopper but I can share with you the instructions in the manual for my Kubota L3000. The only difference I'm aware of is that yours has two fuel filters whereas mine has only one...

There is nothing to stop that from happening. That is not your problem. The problem is your injection pump is not getting fuel or the system isn't bled correctly OR your injection pump is faulty.

The Pela 6000 will do every mower and vehicle I have except two (Dodge Cummins and Ford Ranger V6) and it would do the Cummins if I chose to fill it twice. It leaves about a quart in the Ranger due to dipstick placement but that isn't the Pela's fault; Ford had a better idea.

Most of all, it saves wear and tear on your PTO clutch. But, do be safe! Be aware of what is around you at all times!

When is the last time this engine ran?

I consider a Kennedy tool box and cabinet the most useful "tools" I ever bought. I once drew an unpleasant assignment of overhauling fairly complex pieces of machinery. Lots of them. I was assigned the "mechanics" I was to use, of which none were mechanics or had much mechanical aptitude at...

The air in that clear tube is a symptom, not a cause. It's the return line to the tank, returning fuel the injection pump does not need. When the injection pump isn't getting the fuel it needs, there is nothing to return to the tank. Are you sure your tank isn't loaded with contaminants that...

I like the extraction pump method if the drain plug, if it even has one, isn't conveniently located. Best if the oil is warm and you can tip the mower ever so slightly in the direction that makes the oil drain toward the place where the suction hose is. There is no mess made this way. I think...

The clearance is so that the valves can seat completely. If the tappets never touch the valves, the valves will remain shut ALL the time, no matter where you turn the crankshaft. Is this the situation you're describing?

Chainsaws with automatic oilers use crankcase pressure to pressurize the oil tank and force oil to the chain. I have found that when I'm finished with the saw, if I loosen the oil fill plug to allow pressure to escape, then tighten it, it reduces--does not eliminate--the amount of oil that...

Bite the bullet.

Usually when a diesel dies from fuel exhaustion, there is no restarting it until you re-prime the system. Did you re-prime after changing the fuel filter?