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Hello all-

I have a 2020 XT1 LT50 with the 24HP, Series 7000 Kohler engine. I purchased it new here in the DFW Texas area where it is used.

Beginning a few weeks after purchase and continuing to today, it is hard to start when cold. It takes about 8-10 attempts to start before it catches and thereafter it is fine once it warms up. But there is the smell of gas while trying to cold start when the throttle is all the way forward (the recommended setting I believe).

I have changed the fuel and air filters, swapped the plugs for new ones, and the problem still persists. There is only about 90 hours on it.

It still has the original battery and is kept on a NOCO Genius1 maintainer.

I don't want to put it in the shop unless I have to. My neighbor buddy who is familiar with engines has fiddled with the idle and choke but the issue is still there, and so in the end he put it back the way it was.

Check and adjust the choke to were it closes all the way when the throttle lever is in choke position.

mower king said:

Check and adjust the choke to were it closes all the way when the throttle lever is in choke position.

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I'm not a hands-on person but I could follow the steps to do this. At least the hood is off and I can see the front of the engine and all the linkage

Take the air filter off and poke your fingers down the tube towards the carburettor
You will feel the choke butterflys
Loosen the choke cable clam and pull the cable back till the butterflys comes then tighten the cable clamp
They often come a little loose and slide forward .

bertsmobile1 said:

Take the air filter off and poke your fingers down the tube towards the carburettor
You will feel the choke butterflys
Loosen the choke cable clam and pull the cable back till the butterflys comes then tighten the cable clamp
They often come a little loose and slide for

Click to expand...

I will try that this evening when I get home.

Many thanks for your reply!

I have 2 kohler 7000 and I live north off You by at least 500 miles. There is a lot of times they sit for a few day and they start with no choke on idle. This is with outside temp around 80 degrees and engine cold. If I ever have to choke one it's only for a split second then right back to idle.

I had my friend go to my house and take the hood off, then remove the air filter. He can look down and see the butterfly valve open. He says moving the throttle handle anywhere between the top and bottom stops does not move the butterfly valve- it stays in the open position. He says if he goes to the front of the engine where all the carb linkage is, grabs the long vertical link rod that he presumes is for the choke and moves this link rod upwards, the valve will close, and then opens back up when he releases the link rod.

I can't see that this is normal, but yet I do not know what is the problem is or the cure. Is it possible the valve is stuck and needs some carb cleaner? Adjust the cable?

Two different ways they set these up
1) off the throttle cable, goes past full open to work the choke
2) with it's own cable which is what Cub usually does

In both cases the fix is the same, move the cable back under the clamp then tighten the clamp.

put the throttle in the choke position and loosen the clamp and pull the cable until the choke closes. Them move the throttle to the wide open position and make sure the choke is coming opening back up. I have seen some throttle controls that don't have enough travel to do this then you have to bend the stop on the throttle control to give it more travel and maybe open up the slot the throttle control is bolted in. Have had to do this on a lot of mowers

hlw49 said:

put the throttle in the choke position and loosen the clamp and pull the cable until the choke closes. Them move the throttle to the wide open position and make sure the choke is coming opening back up. I have seen some throttle controls that don't have enough travel to do this then you have to bend the stop on the throttle control to give it more travel and maybe open up the slot the throttle control is bolted in. Have had to do this on a lot of mowers

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Far as I know, the throttle and choke are all in the single handle. I can see the valve open with the sir filter off, but moving the throttle in any position does not open or close the valve. Is this the way ot is supposed to work, or is that the problem? I did loosen the clamp and moved the cable, but the valve still does not move in relation to moving the throttle handle. Only way I can start it is to have someone pull up on the rod to close the valve, and then it starts right up. I am at wits end here!

Perhaps this video may help. It shows how the choke is connected and operates.

By the way, when you push the throttle up to choke position and it stops, you do know that you are supposed to "bump" the throttle and move it forward some more (don't try to start when the throttle hits the stop position, that's the maximum run position and does not yet set the choke). Once the throttle stops, push it forward again, to close the choke.

If it is a single throttle and choke like I think it is. Put the throttle choke in the choke position. Loosen the clamp and grab hold of the cable close to the clamp and pull the whole assembly until it won't pull any farther and holding it in this position tighten the clamp. Return the throttle control to the wide open position and see that the choke is coming off. If it is not you may have to bend the throttle stop to get more travel and readjust and do it all over until you get the choke to come off when throttle is in the wide open position. U may have to open up the slot where the throttle control is bolted in. Have had to do this to a lot of mowers.

enigma-2 said:

By the way, when you push the throttle up to choke position and it stops, you do know that you are supposed to "bump" the throttle and move it forward some more (don't try to start when the throttle hits the stop position, that's the maximum run position and does not yet set the choke). Once the throttle stops, push it forward again, to close the choke.

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totally different setup.

Are you sure you are looking at the choke butterfly ?

bertsmobile1 said:

Are you sure you are looking at the choke butterfly ?

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I honestly do not know. All I have done is take the air filter off and I can see a valve near the top of the carb, on the side of the engine closest to the steering wheel, and assumed this is the choke valve? Moving the throttle in any position does not move this valve. Maybe I am looking at the wrong valve?

Sorry for all the back and forths with everyone. I really have no idea how to work on these things and am a total newb and dweeb. Maybe I am on the right track and maybe I am not, but so far nothing I have done has worked.

In the past, I always hopped on, put the throttle full forward until it stopped, cranked it until it finally caught. So long as it was warm, it always started easily. It is when it is cold is it hard to start and the smell of gas is very pervasive. I saw on the air filter cover the words KT735 725cc. There is no manual choke, which is what I have in the past always had and am used to, but just the single throttle handle with the choke function built in. Per the manual, I coulda sworn it said to put throlle all the way to the stop and crank it, then pull back on the throttle some.

I guess I do not know anything of what I am doing here.

hlw49 said:

totally different setup.

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I had to go back and reread the op thread. Completely missed this was on a 2020 model. Thanks for correcting me.

So he has a smart choke. Would the Kohler SB-337 bulletin on their smart chokes, cover in his case?