My mother did not properly snap in place the plastic air filter housing that holds the air filter in place on her Cub Cadet. Thus, when cutting the yard the air filter fell out of the housing and the tractor was running for probably an hour or less with no air filter in place. I'm assuming the carburetor must have sucked in gobs of grass and grime.
My question is do I need to change the engine oil due to it picking up all the debris, or do I need to clean the carburetor or do I need to do both? The tractor was running fine when she last turned the engine off.
What engine do you have? Unless your property is very dusty and dirty, you probably didn't do much damage. If you have not changed the oil this year, do it now. I would run about three times the suggested amount recommended of SeaFoam (a fuel additive) through the fuel system. I don't know the size of your fuel tank. With the amount Of time it ran you should be ok. A big piece of apple pie should make the job easier.
The engine is a Kawasaki FH 430V. Is SeaFoam commonly available say perhaps at Walmart or Lowes? If SeaFoam is not readily available what else do you suggest?
Any good brand of injector cleaner would probably work. I just swear by SeaFoam because it has worked so well for me. Ask your auto mechanic what he uses.
