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LX280 dying when engine gets hot.

#1

R

robisc

I have an LX280 with a 18HP Kawasaki 585cc engine, this mower has about 500 hours on it, I keep it serviced regularly but started having issues last year. The mower starts fine every time and runs fine but after about 45 minutes into mowing or sooner when it is very hot outside the mower will just shutdown like it is out of gas, I can usually stop the mower and turn off the blades quickly and it will keep running, also when it goes dead I can immediately start it back up without issue. Does anyone have an ideas on what this could be, it seems like a heat issue, because I mowed about three weeks ago and it was cool and had no issues, I mowed yesterday when it was around 70 degrees outside and it did this a couple times. Thanks in advance.


#2

R

Rivets

With the problem you describe, the first thing I would be checking is fuel flow to the carb. Your problem could be caused by a couple of different things, bad fuel filter, bad fuel pump, bad fuel cap, partially plugged fuel line, etc. If you have a fuel filter that is clear, quickly check to see if you have fuel in the filter when the engine starts to die. If the vent on the fuel cap is partially plugged, you can try quickly opening the cap once it starts to die and see if it will continue to run. If you have a vacuum fuel pump, the pulse line could have a crack which opens when the line gets warm. You could also have a vapor locking situation, but that would be very rare. This type of problem will drive a service tech to pull their hair out, as it is an intermittent problem, which may not show you while he is trying to replicate the problem and he has to figure out how to show it without charging you hours of labor without a solution. It will help us and the service techs if you can narrow down the problem by trying a few simple checks first. You may get lucky and find it quickly or drive yourself crazy during testing. Good luck and let us know if you can narrow the problem down.


#3

D

Darryl G

@Rivets: So coil isn't suspect because it starts right back up? Just trying to learn a bit myself here.


#4

R

Rivets

Yes, because he can keep it running at times by taking the load off the engine. It could be the cause, but that is way down on my list. I want him to start with things which he can do and at low cost besides time. This is not going to be easy, and could be very tough for a novice. I hope he gets lucky, but not betting on it. I had one of these last summer, had about 20 hrs time in it and 5 gallons of fuel, never found the problem, but the unit never did it again. Just did a spring check over on the tractor last week and we talked about it. He appreciated the effort and not getting billed for all the time, he’s a customer for life and has a big mouth, if you know what I mean.


#5

Boobala

Boobala

Rivets said:
Yes, because he can keep it running at times by taking the load off the engine. It could be the cause, but that is way down on my list. I want him to start with things which he can do and at low cost besides time. This is not going to be easy, and could be very tough for a novice. I hope he gets lucky, but not betting on it. I had one of these last summer, had about 20 hrs time in it and 5 gallons of fuel, never found the problem, but the unit never did it again. Just did a spring check over on the tractor last week and we talked about it. He appreciated the effort and not getting billed for all the time, he’s a customer for life and has a big mouth, if you know what I mean.
Click to expand...

Hopefully from "word of mouth" , youll have so much work, you can retire in luxury !! .. :laughing:..:thumbsup:


#6

R

robisc

Rivets said:
With the problem you describe, the first thing I would be checking is fuel flow to the carb. Your problem could be caused by a couple of different things, bad fuel filter, bad fuel pump, bad fuel cap, partially plugged fuel line, etc. If you have a fuel filter that is clear, quickly check to see if you have fuel in the filter when the engine starts to die. If the vent on the fuel cap is partially plugged, you can try quickly opening the cap once it starts to die and see if it will continue to run. If you have a vacuum fuel pump, the pulse line could have a crack which opens when the line gets warm. You could also have a vapor locking situation, but that would be very rare. This type of problem will drive a service tech to pull their hair out, as it is an intermittent problem, which may not show you while he is trying to replicate the problem and he has to figure out how to show it without charging you hours of labor without a solution. It will help us and the service techs if you can narrow down the problem by trying a few simple checks first. You may get lucky and find it quickly or drive yourself crazy during testing. Good luck and let us know if you can narrow the problem down.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the detailed reply, I have ruled out the fuel filter being bad because I have replaced it twice but will try the other steps ASAP, again thank you and I will report back.


#7

TJR345

TJR345

Bad coil will cause the same problem.My dad's x300 did the same and would start after it cooled.All fuel problems were checked and found good.


#8

B

bertsmobile1

TJR345 said:
Bad coil will cause the same problem.My dad's x300 did the same and would start after it cooled.All fuel problems were checked and found good.
Click to expand...

Yes that is the usual thing with bad coils.
The engine start back up and runs fine AFTER IT HAS COOLED DOWN

However in ROBS Case , the engine restarts instantly while still hot so coils get ruled out, or at least go way down the suspect list

Throttleing down restores the engine so that elevates a fuel supply problem to the top of the list

Mower runs for a reasonable period then dies suggests a blocked or partially blocked fuel line.
Most likely in the fuel outlet in the fuel tank with debris getting sucked into the outlet like hairs going down a drain building up till it plugs the outlet.
When the mower sits in the garage overnight or longer the debris floats away and the next time the mower gets used it all starts again.

Thus the suggestion in the 2nd pot by Rivets to check the fuel supply.

There is a big difference between PROPER servicing and REGULAR servicing.
And there are a lot of things on the mower that need regular attention apart from replacing the oil ,plugs & filters


#9

L

Luffydog

Try to loosen the fuel
cap when it starts to die.


#10

B

bertsmobile1

Again, a partial vacuum in the fuel tank takes a good 10 minutes or so to equalise pressure so does not respond instantly when you restart.
Partial vacuums rarely respond to lowering the throttle setting.


#11

R

robisc

Thanks all for the replies, I have checked all of the fuel lines and replaced the fuel pump and filter but it has not been hot enough outside for me to determine if that solves the issue, the other items mentioned here will be my next steps if that isn't fixed and I will report back.


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