"97 lx 173 issues after hitting a little tiny tree stump(hit the deck) need help plz

[spence1234]

"97 lx 173 issues after hitting a little tiny tree stump(hit the deck) need help plz

Hi all, this is my dads john deere lx 173, recently just got a new fuel pump, and it runs again ran fine for a while, now fuel isn't filling the filter for some reason, but the incident was I was mowing in a new area of my lawn, so I hit the little stump by mistake(the bugger was hiding in like 3" tall grass), and it basically shutoff the whole mower, it didn't wanna start again, then when it did start, it moved, and when I went to engage the blades, it would either act as a kill switch and cut ignition to the motor, or it would engage and disengage, keep in mind it was nearly fine before this happened, aswell doing things like pulling the clutch in when it was starting to stall or shaking my weight around on the mower when it did this seemed to prevent the shenanigans, what do you guys think happened here? My dad isn't mad, I am just confused, I am the sorta guy that is pretty mechanically inclined but some stuff just stumps me.... ugg my dad really isn't mad its just the guilt... I am just stumped here

-Spence

 

[bertsmobile1]

Re: "97 lx 173 issues after hitting a little tiny tree stump(hit the deck) need help

From the start.
The outlet of a fuel filter is not at the far end, it is almost at the inlet end of the element.
If the filter is installed, inlet on the bottom then you get a pocket of air trapped between the dead end of the filter and the opening in the outlet tube.
If it worries you hang it the other way round and the air will go away..

Now for the mower,
you will have to pull the deck off and have a good look.
If it is fitted with the yellow "edge" deck then there is a good chance that you have bent the front of the deck in far enough to foul the blades which have a better than average chance of being bent also.
Slamming hard into something can also cause the transmission belt to pop off one of the pulleys or just twist & get it's knickers in a real knot.

I like to undo the deck then shoist the mower up by the front axels till it is standing on its butt ( empty the fuel tank & remove the battery first ).
Then everything is right there in front of your face and the deck is easy to pick up and move away .
If you are going to pull the deck off and try to side it out from under the mower then pop a couple of 2x4's under the deck first as it will slide a lot easier on them than on the ground . It will also be easier to uncouple like that.

If you can not see anything wrong post some pretty pickies, the boys are really good at picking problems from photos.

 

[spence1234]

Re: "97 lx 173 issues after hitting a little tiny tree stump(hit the deck) need help

I didn't hear any grinding, so I didn't actually hit anything with the blades, like the sound when you hit a rock :laughing: the deck doesn't appear to be bent, the mower just shut off as is plowed into the little stump about 3" in diameter barely poking up from the grass... So I will take the deck off and look for any loose connections or points where any of the wires are grounding against the frame... I already did check the ignition block area for any loose wires, seemed to checkout ok, checked under the fan shroud, I think the issue lies under the deck somewhere where I cannot see, like my guess is a wire that is grounding somewhere..... I mean even before occasionally the blades would turn off while I was mowing aswell..... If I have any issues after I look under the deck, I will post photos, my dad will go help me later, I just wanted to see what you guys would say so I could get started, and the fact I was pretty clueless, and it seems like electrical since the problem sorta went away when it was taken out of gear etc... Also the motor is kinda noisy, doesn't really sound like rod knock, but maybe noisy tappets? I mean the thing runs like a champ to and upon startup will smoke a little sometimes... It could be the seat safety switch, as it would do all of these things, but I am not sure, I am going to dig a little deeper later...

 

[spence1234]

Re: "97 lx 173 issues after hitting a little tiny tree stump(hit the deck) need help

it was the seat safety swtich, boy do I feel like a dingus:laughing: