Grasshopper 616 Engine Bog

[cf10]

I have a grasshopper 616 with a 48inch, when I engage my blades the engine bogs down then revs back up just below full throttle. While the blades are running and I start to drive the engine keep running lower into till it dies, take about 5-15 seconds of driving.

I rebuilt the carb no change, checked the belt tension and rotated the blades by hand and they do not have much resistance to spin.

 

[1mk2]

Hi, I bought a used grasshopper 612 and it ran great then I ran into the same issue as you. I put all new gas lines on, new gas filter, fuel pump, cleaned the carb, with very little change. I finally took it to a repair shop and they said it had water in the fuel lines which I found hard to believe but it keeps running now but not as strong as it did before I had this problem. Now when I mow if the grass is a little high or wet it wants to stall out. It still is not putting out the power it should and I have no idea what I need to do to correct it and was watching your post to see if anyone would offer you advise that would also help me or point me in the right direction. I may take it to a shop near where I live that sells grasshoppers and see if they can figure out my problem but at the time I have a lot on me with my dad( of whom I am caregiver for) who just broke his hip and on top of that my brother is now going through cancer treatments so I don't know when I will get the time to do so but when I do and if I find out what the problem is I will let you know. Good luck, hope someone with more knowledge replies to your post.
I'm not good at forums but I think you can somehow follow my past posts and I was given a lot of advise back about a year ago that may be helpful to you.
Mike

 

[bertsmobile1]

One at a time remove the spark plug wires
IF the engine stops dead when you pull one off then the other cylinder is not working.
It would be helpful if we were told what engine you have so we can avoid giving you ( both ) incorrect informatio, or rather the right information for the wrong engine.

 

[1mk2]

One at a time remove the spark plug wires
IF the engine stops dead when you pull one off then the other cylinder is not working.
It would be helpful if we were told what engine you have so we can avoid giving you ( both ) incorrect informatio, or rather the right information for the wrong engine.

I have a Vanguard 16 HP in my 612. The story goes that an elderly man put a new engine in and couldn't get it to run and it sit in a barn for a time and he gave it to a lawn mower service to pay for mowing done. The mower service had enough mowers and sold it to the person I bought it from and he found a wire not connected and the engine started and ran. He had bought a new house and his father in law bought him a new John Deere tractor as a house warming gift and he didn't need two mowers and that's why he was sold the grasshopper to me. It ran super for a little more then a year before I started to have the problem with the stalling out and I can remember when it first started feeling like the engine wasn't running as strong as It had. I tried everything people suggested such as replacing all fuel lines. cleaning carb, new fuel pump and it runs and sounds great but doesn't have the power it had. I will try the removing of the spark plug as you suggest.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

You can remove the spark plugs and compare them. If one is very black and gunked up and the other is not you have a non firing cylinder. The plugs should look very similar.

 

[1mk2]

You can remove the spark plugs and compare them. If one is very black and gunked up and the other is not you have a non firing cylinder. The plugs should look very similar.

Thanks, I didn't get a chance to do anything yet, my dad (91) fell and broke hip but may get a chance to look at it today. Thanks again.
Mike

 

[1mk2]

You can remove the spark plugs and compare them. If one is very black and gunked up and the other is not you have a non firing cylinder. The plugs should look very similar.

OK, I took off the right spark plug and started the mower. Before putting it back in I checked the gap which was right, then I pulled the left spark plug and started the mower, checked the gap which was correct and put it back in. Both plugs look the same, both in good condition. My mower starts ok and sounds ok but is not putting out the power it did. I mowed with it today and it mowed great until I got into some thick grass that I could normally run through easily and it started to die down in power. When I say the grass was thick it was just a spot where the grass gets more moisture not anything any of my other mowers wouldn't easily go through. I have no idea what to try next, any ideas?

 

[gsim]

Hi, I bought a used grasshopper 612 and it ran great then I ran into the same issue as you. I put all new gas lines on, new gas filter, fuel pump, cleaned the carb, with very little change. I finally took it to a repair shop and they said it had water in the fuel lines which I found hard to believe but it keeps running now but not as strong as it did before I had this problem. Now when I mow if the grass is a little high or wet it wants to stall out. It still is not putting out the power it should and I have no idea what I need to do to correct it and was watching your post to see if anyone would offer you advise that would also help me or point me in the right direction. I may take it to a shop near where I live that sells grasshoppers and see if they can figure out my problem but at the time I have a lot on me with my dad( of whom I am caregiver for) who just broke his hip and on top of that my brother is now going through cancer treatments so I don't know when I will get the time to do so but when I do and if I find out what the problem is I will let you know. Good luck, hope someone with more knowledge replies to your post.
I'm not good at forums but I think you can somehow follow my past posts and I was given a lot of advise back about a year ago that may be helpful to you.
Mike

My condolences for ailments your loved ones are suffering. May God bless and comfort you and them. Trouble might be dirty air filter, OR might be malfunctuiong accelator pump in carburetor. That is the gizmo that squirts a bit of gas into carb thoat when governor kicks throttle open. If not enough fuel, or none squirting into throat, engine will bog down or die. Sometimes an acetylene torch tip cleaning file can be used to reopen the passage to where it passes enough fuel when governor calls for it. Loose belt or malfunctioning governor can cause engine bog-down too. Have had that with my old Toro Groundsmaster.

 

[1mk2]

My condolences for ailments your loved ones are suffering. May God bless and comfort you and them. Trouble might be dirty air filter, OR might be malfunctuiong accelator pump in carburetor. That is the gizmo that squirts a bit of gas into carb thoat when governor kicks throttle open. If not enough fuel, or none squirting into throat, engine will bog down or die. Sometimes an acetylene torch tip cleaning file can be used to reopen the passage to where it passes enough fuel when governor calls for it. Loose belt or malfunctioning governor can cause engine bog-down too. Have had that with my old Toro Groundsmaster.

Thank you so much for the reply, I found out believe it or not (and I hope I can explain this clearly enough to be understood) the shield that covers the linkage to the throttle had loosened from age and moved back but bunched up enough to keep it from moving back further so as to just decrease my power enough to cause the lack of power and of course make me think I had problems with the engine. I would not have know this if it weren't for the fact that it finally got bad enough that it completely slipped out of the holding bracket which of course caused me not to be able to increase or decrease my speed and when I looked the linkage laying loose.

 

[gsim]

Quite often it is something very simple. You proved that.