Kawasaki Fx1000v Engine Problem!

[Drew37]

Hello all. I have a Cub Cadet Tank S 7237 with a 37 hp Kawasaki Fx1000V. It has about 210 hours on it. I bought the mower as a repo from a bank when it had less than 50 hours. It looked almost new and had virtually no signs of wear. The engine sounded good and it cut grass great until this year.

A couple of months ago I tuned it up and mowed my lawn twice this year. A few weeks ago the engine started back firing, rattling and bogging down. It would not go over 2000 RPM. Fuel was spurting out of air intake and the spark plugs were black with carbon.
I am fairly mechanically inclined and try to repair mechanical problems myself when time allows. I carried the mower to my local Cub dealer so he could hear it and give me an idea of the problem and where to start trouble shooting. I performed a compression test and both cylinders were within 10%, and had over 100 psi. The dealer said it needed a new carburetor. So I purchased and installed a carb, and it had the same issue. The dealer told me to replace the ignition coils, but no change. I installed a new fuel pump, spark plugs, relay, and fuses, but no change. I checked the valves and all were in spec. I did notice the exhaust valve on cylinder #2 was barely moving when turning the engine. I called the dealer and he said the mower needs a new camshaft. I did a bit of research and found out that my engine had a service bulletin about this very issue (recall?). My engine’s serial number falls within the effect engines.

I called the local dealer back and he said to call Cub Cadet corporate regarding the engine issue. After waiting 30 mins on hold, I was able to speak to a customer service rep at Cub. The rep said Cub would reimburse an approved repair shop if Kawasaki would not. I called the US headquarters of Kawasaki and was told they would not honor the “recall” because of the date the bulletin was issued. The Kawasaki rep said to call Kawasaki engine dealers about preforming the repair.

I called Cub back and waited 45 mins on hold. This time I was told they had no record of my previous call. The Cub rep indicated the engine issue is Kawasaki’s problem and they would not help further. The Cub rep said to call Cub dealerships about preforming the repair. I called every Cub Cadet and Kawasaki dealer within 100 miles and none wanted to touch this model engine. Most dealers mentioned that this model is the biggest POS engine that Kawasaki has ever produced. The majority of dealers wouldn’t accept this engine for repair for ANY amount of money. A few repair shops quoted around $2K-3K for the repair and would take 4-6 weeks for completion.

I called Kawasaki back to plead for assistance. I spoke to a really nice rep that understood my problem. He looked up my previous call from the same day. The regional manager for Kawasaki denied the claim himself. The regional manager cited that the authorization for repair was denied because I am the 2nd owner, and the repair was not technically a government required recall. Therefore Kawasaki is not liable and to take the issue up with Cub Cadet. I am at a loss why the warranty would not transfer with change of ownership and why a required engine repair wouldn’t transfer to whoever owned the engine. The engine problem was due to Kawasaki’s poor engineering, not neglect or misuse by the operator. I have had several recalls on vehicles thru the years. The respective vehicle dealerships were not interested in the original purchaser or change of ownership.

I called Cub corporate back to inquire about any solution. I spoke to a technical rep. He could not help at that time but did provide contact info for service managers to plead my case. I plan to call Cub back to see if I can get assistance of any kind.

So now I have a $15K machine that is totally nonfunctional. I am posting here today to see if anyone can offer advice to what I should do next. I have never replaced a camshaft in any machine. The Kawasaki rep said the repair is not terribly difficult. The service bulletin allows for 3 hours of repair time. The parts will cost around $2K alone!

My grass is chest high and desperately needs to be cut. Any advice regarding this situation is welcomed. Leads on parts for this repair are also appreciated. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading.

 

[mhavanti]

Run down to Harbor Freight and get one of those 22 horsepower Predator motors, throw it on the machine for 699 out the door. Give the Kawi to someone you're ticked at and you'll be back up and running for probably 800 or less with a new motor.

I've seen several people doing this and haven't heard one person gripe about those motors.

Good luck,

Max

 

[Drew37]

I was at Harbor Freight this weekend and checked out the Predator engines. Do you think 24 hp is enough to run a 72 in deck?

 

[bertsmobile1]

Find a mower repair shop and get them to file a warranty claim form against Kawasaki.
Photocopy it and then send it to Kawasaki by registered mail.
Send a copy to who ever is the consumer advocate in you state.
Attitudes change quick smart once there is ink on a page.
Included in your claim to Kawasaki put the line "Please do not phone me. My attorney has advised me that all correspondence must be in writing pending further legal actions"
If they phone you or text you send them the same message back that it must be in writing or vial email.
You will get a very different response.
As for fitting the Preditor just remember it is throw away item.
There is no parts available for them and most shops will not repair them because they do not have the required technical information to service the engine and by doing so they void their public liability cover.
For most shops that is way too big a risk for way too little money.
Thus if it goes wrong you just throw it in the scrap metal bin & buy another one.

 

[mhavanti]

Bert's information on the contact with the factory is good advice.

With all due respect to Bert on the Predator and you being an individual and it sounded to me you were thinking of repairing or replacing the engine yourself, I see predators on large mowers all the time these days. There are all kinds of parts available for those things now such as performance camshafts, fuel injection kits or you can your HF to order the engine with the FI installed by the factory. There is a fella racing one with only a camshaft change, intake and carb change, exhaust and ignition all store bought. After he won several races and repaid his investment on the motor and parts, he then purchased the I-Beam rods, lighter pistons with the ring lands higher on the pistons as well as lightened the rotating assembly and really got it out front. Now he is running the US Modified class.

At any rate, if you run it for four years, five years and wear it plumb to a nub, as Bert suggests, throw it away and grab another. You can also play with pulleys until you get it to exceed what you require from the machine if you have the patience.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Bit different down here.
They get sold through a popular tool shop franchise that has no service what so ever.
If you blow one up they demmand to see the reciept from the authorised installer who fitted it.
As there are no authorised installers, it is a moot point to put off the uneducated consumer.
There are no parts at all for them from any of the 3 wholesalers I deal with.
We do get a limited amount of Loncin & Ducar parts so they are not all that bad.
Had a customer in here a while back because the shop told him a "Honda recoil starter will fit it".
I have 16 different Honda recoils and not a single one even came close.
Eventually we took the guts out of one and fitted the into the only cover that would bolt onto his engine, and it sort of works.
HE was pissed when I charged him a full hour plus retail for both of the starters as that came to 1/2 what he paid for the engine.

I decided on the spot that his engine was the last one I will touch.
In fact I no longer fix anything where the brand does not have a representative in Australia after a chat with my insurance broker explained how easy it would be to bring a public liability case against me.
Had a chat with all the techs I deal with and found this was fairly well universal.
Down here most won't even work on stuff that was bought from a big box store, it just sits in the "to be done " pile, till the workshop runs out of stuff to do or the owner gets pissed and takes it back.

 

[mhavanti]

Bert,

As a machine shop and repair shop owner, I completely know what you're talking about. Most of the time things come in that parts are difficult at best to find and more often than not, not available at all. As a machine shop, customers expected us to make a casting, machine it for hours on end and charge them less than the money I paid one of my machinists or mechanics. If it was something very interesting, I would at times do just that if it was putting a classic car or truck into a museum or even on a race track.

It isn't going to pay the bills though.

The latter part of your comment is also very understandable for the distance product has to travel with zero support, the right person would delight in trying to own your home, shop and maybe even the air you breath.

Nothing is different here in that regard.

Always cover your .................

Regards,

Max

 

[bertsmobile1]

$2000 in parts for a camshaft ? Are they made out of gold.
Parts prices to replace 1 cam shaft should be closer to $100 or $200

A quick search for fx1000v camshaft
https://www.partstree.com/parts/kawasaki/parts/49118-0815/
May not fit your exact model but it gives you an idea on prices.

that was not the parts price it was the repair quote.
At the beginning of the season the last thing you want in the shop is a major engine rebuild when you are flat out doing pre season services and preping new sales.
So you make a silly quote.
And remember it will not just be a camshaft, there will be a full rebuild gasket & seal kit , cam followers , break in oil, oil filter , running oil and a second valve lash adjustment after you run it for an hour or so.
Then there is 4 to 6 hours labour.

If I was doing the job it would be marginally cheaper to replace the cam , but I would push the customer to replace the entire engine supplied at cost , thus they would now have a 3 year warranty on the engine and a 3 day turn around as it takes 2 days to get the engine and 1/2 day to fit it and test it.
The old engine gets tossed on the winter rebuild pile or broken down for spares.

 

[mhavanti]

Here is an example of a Predator in a Zero Turn.

https://fortsmith.craigslist.org/grd/d/zero-turn-cut-hp-cub-cadet/6215325187.html

 

[Drew37]

The mower is still sitting in my garage as I weigh the options. I have found 2 dealers out of 20+ that will even attempt to touch this KAW engine. Estimates for repair are more than new engines. I have a nameless services rep for Cub Cadet emailing me about the engine issue. Nothing has become of it yet. I don’t expect much and will post if CC offers any help whatsoever. Wages?

I’m looking at just replacing the engine completely. Any ideas of which make and model 30+ hp engines will fit on this mower without a lot of modification? I could care less about make. Reliability is my need. Kawasaki is the last make on my list.

Thanks!