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I have a Bobcat Fastcat Pro with a Kawasaki 22hp motor (only 80 hours on motor) and the engine cut out in the middle of a lawn job yesterday and won't restart. I replaced fuel filter, air cleaner and plugs, but the machine still will not start. I have fuel in both tanks from two different gas stations and selecting either one doesn't make a difference. I understand I am looking for a coordinated effort of fuel, compression, air and spark in order to get things rolling, but I need understand what the next steps should be in testing. The in-line fuel filter is transparent and I can see a small amount of fuel in the canister when i attempt to start the motor- Is this the expected behavior or should I see this canister fill up? Maybe indicating a clogged line or fuel pump issue. I mentioned I changed the air filter and I didn't really see any issues there. My next step was to check for spark on the plugs. Any additional help, advice, troubleshooting guidelines or even a link to a shop service manual would be helpful. Thanks.

First step is to remove the air filter and pour a dribble of fuel down the carb throat, and try to start. Or a squirt of carb spray.

This will tell us a lot on what happens.. Let us know.

Fish said:

First step is to remove the air filter and pour a dribble of fuel down the carb throat, and try to start. Or a squirt of carb spray.

This will tell us a lot on what happens.. Let us know.

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Engine almost starts, significantly different than when not adding fuel through top of carb. Prior to this I ran a positive spark test, so it looks like something is not delivering fuel to carb. How do I determine of fuel pump is bad or if it is a clogged fuel line?

Thanks.

Try a little bigger dribble. If all was well with the rest of the engine, it should start and run for a second or two. If it doesn't,
then it has other problems.

Fish said:

Try a little bigger dribble. If all was well with the rest of the engine, it should start and run for a second or two. If it doesn't,
then it has other problems.

Click to expand...

ok, the engine starts when enough fuel is poured into the top of carb. How do i tell if its a clogged fuel line or fuel pump. or is there something else that could disengage fuel delivery? Someone mentioned the seat switch or low oil cutoff, but i believe both of those issues would not allow the starter to engage. I did disconnect the fuel pump line that runs into the carb and didn't see any fuel being pumped when engaging the engine, but i guess that doesn't mean that a line isn't clogged somewhere.

Well, if you disconnected the fuel line at the carb and cranked the engine, and no gas came pulsing out, then you are well on your way to finding the froblem.

Just follow the line, and disconnect, and see if you can get some fuel flowing until you isolate the clog or what.

Fish said:

Well, if you disconnected the fuel line at the carb and cranked the engine, and no gas came pulsing out, then you are well on your way to finding the froblem.

Just follow the line, and disconnect, and see if you can get some fuel flowing until you isolate the clog or what.

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OK, don't see any issues with fuel lines or fuel pump (replaced pump-same issue), but all these lines are bone dry. This BobCat has the Kawasaki FX651V 22 HP motor, does anyone know if there is a fuel shutoff valve that might be malfunctioning? This model is also fitted with dual gas tanks and switching them does not influence the problem, so i'm inclined to believe that a tank problem is not it either.

Thanks again.

quade said:

OK, don't see any issues with fuel lines or fuel pump (replaced pump-same issue), but all these lines are bone dry. This BobCat has the Kawasaki FX651V 22 HP motor, does anyone know if there is a fuel shutoff valve that might be malfunctioning? This model is also fitted with dual gas tanks and switching them does not influence the problem, so i'm inclined to believe that a tank problem is not it either.

Thanks again.

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I have diagnosed the problem back to the fuel tanks. I used a test tank with a supply feed and successfully moved fuel into the carb. I even took supply feed and dropped into both fuel tanks and that worked as well. It just doesn't work when the supply line is attached to the tank. I did a visual inspection of the tank and they appear very clean and supply lines are submerged. My next step was to siphon gas and remove and clean the fuel tanks, but wanted to make sure I am not missing something before I went down that path. Thanks.

quade said:

I have diagnosed the problem back to the fuel tanks. I used a test tank with a supply feed and successfully moved fuel into the carb. I even took supply feed and dropped into both fuel tanks and that worked as well. It just doesn't work when the supply line is attached to the tank. I did a visual inspection of the tank and they appear very clean and supply lines are submerged. My next step was to siphon gas and remove and clean the fuel tanks, but wanted to make sure I am not missing something before I went down that path. Thanks.

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Resurrecting an old thread.. I'm having exact same problem as described on this thread. Were you able to solve the issue of gas not being picked up by the supply line on either tanks? Thanks.

Blow low pressure air through fuel line from carb. Fuel tank switch is most likely clogged. So switch back and forth till it blows easy. 10 psi max. Then empty gas tanks into paint strainer from auto parts store. You can reuse gas after you strain it.

Also, check for water in fuel.

Another member just had the same problem. Turns out all he needed to do was drain both tanks, let the fuel separate, poor off the gasoline and can then use the fuel. Empty the water out, clean out the tanks, lines and carb.

If this is your problem, you'll be up and running immediately.

Good luck,

Max