I ran into similar non-starting problems after my Z930M sat over the winter - with the fuel gauge indicating 1/2 full... but when I looked down into the gas-tank filler hole, I could see dry plastic at the bottom so it must have evaporated-till-dry over the winter. I added a gallon of fresh gas but the gauge never moved off 1/2 tank. I disconnected the fuel pump outlet line at the carburetor and ran it into a jar. When I cranked the motor, gas spurted out so the fuel pump was working.
I disassembled the carb & ordered all the carb gaskets from the dealer. Soaked all the metal parts in carb cleaner to remove the varnish (built up from leaving old gas in it over the winter) and reassembled it when the gaskets came in. I also added a fuel shutoff valve so I can let it run dry every time I want to shut it off.
NOTE: Don't use too much compressed air on the passages when cleaning out carbs - you never know what hidden plugs or other pieces may go flying off never to be found. Go gentle on the compressed air.
Another trick is to massage Vaseline into the paper gaskets so they will come off easily should you ever need to rebuild it.
That did the trick. It started and ran great. I added several more gallons of fresh gas at which point the fuel gauge finally moved up to 3/4 full and I was able to mow several acres without further problems.
NOTE: Rather than sucking on a fuel line to check for flow, a neat trick is to pressurize the gas tank to push fuel out of it for the same effect without the fumes-induced headache. You can just put your mouth over the gas tank filler neck and blow. Use an old Covid19 mask or paper towel to keep the gas off your moustache... or make an adapter by jamming a compressed air nozzle into a plastic funnel and sticking the funnel into the gas tank filler hole so you can pressurize it with compressed air. It doesn't have to seal perfectly to achieve the desired effect... In fact you don't want to put too much pressure on the plastic tank or it might blow apart as it wasn't designed to be pressurized more than a few psi. This works on old carbureted cars too when the engine-mounted fuel pump fails (ask me how I know) - but likely won't work on modern fuel injected cars as they require much higher pressure.
I disassembled the carb & ordered all the carb gaskets from the dealer. Soaked all the metal parts in carb cleaner to remove the varnish (built up from leaving old gas in it over the winter) and reassembled it when the gaskets came in. I also added a fuel shutoff valve so I can let it run dry every time I want to shut it off.
NOTE: Don't use too much compressed air on the passages when cleaning out carbs - you never know what hidden plugs or other pieces may go flying off never to be found. Go gentle on the compressed air.
Another trick is to massage Vaseline into the paper gaskets so they will come off easily should you ever need to rebuild it.
That did the trick. It started and ran great. I added several more gallons of fresh gas at which point the fuel gauge finally moved up to 3/4 full and I was able to mow several acres without further problems.
NOTE: Rather than sucking on a fuel line to check for flow, a neat trick is to pressurize the gas tank to push fuel out of it for the same effect without the fumes-induced headache. You can just put your mouth over the gas tank filler neck and blow. Use an old Covid19 mask or paper towel to keep the gas off your moustache... or make an adapter by jamming a compressed air nozzle into a plastic funnel and sticking the funnel into the gas tank filler hole so you can pressurize it with compressed air. It doesn't have to seal perfectly to achieve the desired effect... In fact you don't want to put too much pressure on the plastic tank or it might blow apart as it wasn't designed to be pressurized more than a few psi. This works on old carbureted cars too when the engine-mounted fuel pump fails (ask me how I know) - but likely won't work on modern fuel injected cars as they require much higher pressure.