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Hello, All. I have a 2009 Z4202, owned since new and have been meticulous with servicing. Done about 350-360 hours on the Kohler Courage, which purrs like a kitten. I have observed a noticeable increase in fuel consumption over the last 3-4 months. I have also noticed the exhaust smells a bit rich. I intend to adjust the valves (for the first time) to see if that improves the situation Does anyone have other suggestions? And, as a final, but not unrelated, query - has anyone fitted a fuel gauge to their Z4202?

See page 47 "The Engine Loses Power" in Operators Manual above.

mechanic mark said:

https://www.toro.com/getpub/42854

See page 47 "The Engine Loses Power" in Operators Manual above.

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Thanks, Mark. That is pretty basic still that had been addressed. I fear the issue may be more subtle.

LaurenceC said:

Thanks, Mark. That is pretty basic still that had been addressed. I fear the issue may be more subtle.

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“stuff”

It could be something as simple as the choke plate not fully opening.

Just throwing it out there, how clean is the air filter ?

7394 said:

Just throwing it out there, how clean is the air filter ?

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Air Filter is often overlooked yet most important in keeping your engine running clean, cool, & smooth.

mechanic mark said:

Air Filter is often overlooked yet most important in keeping your engine running clean, cool, & smooth.

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Agreed, plus when was last time the engine housing removed to do a cleaning under it ?

Check idle Rpm, clean around engine, check air filter, Fuel Filter, carb may need adjusted, valve clearance, plugs, check the all cables are adjusted correctly, there several reasons for this issue start with the simplest and move foward.

I would be checking the float height. To do so involves removing the carb and the float bowl. Then flip it upside down and view across the float and the lower edge of the carb body. Generally the float body should be parallel to the edge where the float bowl gasket seals. If the float appears to be sagging in relation to the edge of the gasket surface, it will be a bit too high when the carb is returned to normal orientation. Wear on the seat and/or needle sealing area can allow the effective height of the float when in use to be a bit higher, and that will make it easier for the engine to pull a bit more fuel into the intake.
To change the height, metal tabs can be bent slightly to lower the float working height. If you have plastic float, the heat will need to be applied to the tab. Some use a screwdriver that has been heated by something like a Bernz-O-Matic torch, which is then applied to the tab to make it pliable.
Of course, replacing the needle & seat should restore original float level.
I have a Kohler that decided it wanted to flush the fuel tank one time. The garage smelled like gasoline and made me concerned. I replaced the needle & seat(had to buy a $50 kit...), and two things happened. Fuel consumption went down significantly, and I no longer had fuel smell in the garage.
I also added a manual shutoff valve in the fuel line which I use religiously. I am a fervent believer in not having liquid fuel running around the garage.
tom

From your statement. You said exaust smells rich. That indicates to rich of a air/fuel mixture caused by carburetor misadjusted or need cleaning.The carburetor could just need a good cleaning, if the air ports that control the air fuel mixture is clogged they will cause it to run rich because it will draw more fuel than air. I do not think the valves would cause this though after that long of use they need adjusting.
You stated it ran smooth and I take it to mean no loss of power. You also could have a problem with a mechanical issue that is loading the engine and lowering the rpm that would cause the mowers governor to open throttle more to maintain rpm. This could be as simple as a belt idler bearing making it harder for the engine to maintain rpm. So this problem can be caused by a lot of things.
As DeadmanRoss316 said start with the easiest and work your way through it then if you don't find the problem go back and check everything again. It is easy to miss some simple thing that is causing the problem.

LaurenceC said:

Hello, All. I have a 2009 Z4202, owned since new and have been meticulous with servicing. Done about 350-360 hours on the Kohler Courage, which purrs like a kitten. I have observed a noticeable increase in fuel consumption over the last 3-4 months. I have also noticed the exhaust smells a bit rich. I intend to adjust the valves (for the first time) to see if that improves the situation Does anyone have other suggestions? And, as a final, but not unrelated, query - has anyone fitted a fuel gauge to their Z4202?

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carb needle &seat gone bad

Air filter first, then check bowl as others have mentioned. Sticking needles are common with the s#$* fuel we have today.

SPIKER said:

carb needle &seat gone bad

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I have found that in most cases of the needle and seat gone bad or sticking that it is either not going to get fuel or it is going to flood out. The way he stated his problem is not indictive of a needle seat problem because if it is even slightly seating open it will cause flooding that will make it hard to start after a short period of time and he did not indicate he had this problem.

Dreaded, the time I had the problem with the Kohler, after the leak was cured, the fuel consumption went from over 1 tank to do the front yard only, to about 1 tank to do front and back yards. Significant reduction in fuel consumption doing the same amount of mowing. The only thing changed was the needle and seat.
Others' experience may differ, and likely will.
If using a manual shutoff, a leaky float valve or worn needle/seat could just allow a functionally higher level of fuel in the bowl, without causing external leakage. I thnk that's what I had back when.
tom

tomw0 said:

Dreaded, the time I had the problem with the Kohler, after the leak was cured, the fuel consumption went from over 1 tank to do the front yard only, to about 1 tank to do front and back yards. Significant reduction in fuel consumption doing the same amount of mowing. The only thing changed was the needle and seat.
Others' experience may differ, and likely will.
If using a manual shutoff, a leaky float valve or worn needle/seat could just allow a functionally higher level of fuel in the bowl, without causing external leakage. I thnk that's what I had back when.
to

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Tom I work on a lot of mowers during the summer. I have not had an instance of the needle and seat causing this but I have had a float that caused the carb to be overfilled by being set to high. This caused a higher fuel consumption.On this occasion no one had been in the carb so all I can assume is that it became set higher by use. I test carbs float level by using a clear tube off of the drain. With clear tube raised beside the carb so you can see the fuel level. It should be level with the bowl gasket. In your case the new needle and seat may have correct the float hight setting.

I've seen this countless times as well, Dreaded.

Well,

Generally, gas can go two places. Fire or into the oil. how does the oil smell? I do like the idea of a poorly adjusted choke as well. How does the plug look? rich or lean?

Smithsonite said:

I've seen this countless times as well, Dreaded.

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Everytime I have seen a needle/seat problem has been that either it flooded the engine causing it to smoke white exuast or go into the oil and not run smooth or you get no fuel. I have found most of the time the needle/seat will not cut off the fuel flow if the needle/seat is bad and there by flooding the engine oil.
I am not saying the the needle/seat was not a problem for you. If it has to high a level in the carb then it is the float not adjusted correctly. The wear on the needle/seat can cause the float to raise higher (the rubber end of the needle will wear a grove that allows the float to come up higher, it does not take much wear to raise the float high enough to cause this symptom) or the seat can come unseated and cause the float to be lower. This is what you might be seeing and it might not be that the needle/seat needs replacing it may just need the float adjusted. I do not usually replace the needle/seats in a carb. The reason is our fuel is so bad now that it will build up residue in the fuel tubes that run through the carb. I have soaked many overnight in carb cleaner and still not got the tubes cleaned out. So if I have a problem that require a rebuild of the carb and cleaning does not fix it I just replace it.

Next time you see this try checking the fuel level by using a clear tube to see exactly where the level is then try adjusting the float to get the proper level. I have wasted many hours trying to fix carbs and decided to do some testing of my own such as measuring the needle height in the seat then replacing the needle/seat and re measuring. From this I found in the one I tested that the needle was higher with the new seat/needle causing the float to be lower. The float level cam back to factory setting and fuel level came down to the correct point. This was on a carb that the customer used StayBill in all his fuel so the carb was very clean. This carb did not show any build up but it flooded into the oil. In this case I did replace the needle/seat but because the carb was not dirty and I used it as a test.

I have seen every single combination thereof. I would say 95% of the time they're either filling the crankcase with gas, or starving the bowl dry, but I've also seen everything in between as well. MA fuel SUCKS.

Smithsonite said:

I have seen every single combination thereof. I would say 95% of the time they're either filling the crankcase with gas, or starving the bowl dry, but I've also seen everything in between as well. MA fuel SUCKS.

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MS fuel also sucks.

TN 100% NON-ethanol fuel is ok here.

The powers that be here in MA won't let us serfs save the money on road taxes with off-road fuel. They need every nickel they can get their slimy hands on to continue their quest for world domination ... or destruction, more likely.

Only places you can find ethanol free fuel at any pump in MA is at an airport (100LL - $$$$), or a marina on the coast (also, $$$$). Most people just go to Home Depot, a hardware store, or an outdoor power equipment or powersports dealer, and buy canned fuel at $20 - $60 a gallon.

Cheaper to drive to NY, VT, or NH with a barrel.

Bummer, I hear ya. I'm in AG country in TN (farms most places), so it is available.