Betsey2
New member
I have several acres of land I mow and very little of it is flat. Prior to purchasing this mower in May 2011 I had a 19 yo John Deere which was used when we bought it. With the CC right away I got heavy white smoke. I made the dealer come to me and they claimed the manufacturer had over filed the engine. They drained the oil and refilled it. It still does it occasionally and I have decided it is a design fault. I am not mechanical but it seems to me that the oil in the engine on an incline is no longer bathing whatever the way it would on level ground so it puts out the smoke. As if that wasn't bad enough a week ago I was mowing and using the PTO to kill the blades when I turned on rough ridges on gravel drive. Got it back onto the lawn and ready to roll, pulled the PTO out and the engine stops. Try to start again, nothing. I mean nothing. Key turns but it's like the battery is dead. So here's what I've done. New fuel filter, new fuel, new air filter with oil soaked pre-cleaner, wipe all areas down with cloth that has a bit of oil on it. Recharge the battery which doesn't need it because it has nearly a full charge and this (Kohler) engine isn't even turning over. It looks like it needs an oil change with but 20 hrs on it but I would like to have it moving before I attempt that. Where is the fuse and what size is it. The fuel tank has no shut off so that's a pain especially after having just put in 3 gallons. The PTO has shut down the deck a few times when I moved slightly this year which seems a fit different. I would never disengage it as the terrain here is so up and down and I'm here alone mostly when mowing. I want the GD thing to shut off the deck before it rolls over on me! In three words this mower is "a piece of ****". The Kohler manual sucks. And what's with this design fault with the engine & smoke. Scares the **** out of me. I paid $2000 cash for this? I should be mowing 4.5 acres instead of barely around the house and now nothing. The only other thing I do is put a cheap red cart on it and haul some weeds to the woods. Oh, and someone else commented about the self-cleaning thing they think is so great. Not, it doesn't work at all even with the engine at warp speed for 5 minutes. I use the garden hose and my hands on the top part of the deck where the hose may not push it off. When I took off the deck last fall for storage, it was clean as a whistle using that method. So what am I missing? Get down and look at the deck to see what's up with the belts? What am I looking for other than the obvious. And is there any chance it can be done without a trip to the dealer and a big drain in my pocketbook? Remember it has 20 hrs on it and thank you very much.