Cub cadet wont start

[daugen]

I had to chuckle at this post because this is exactly what just happened to my Cub Cadet, and mine had a brand new carb last year.
gas flooding, smell of gas, yeah, float likely stuck ,and this is with OCD dosing with Sea Foam and using non ethanol gas.
So now my 1968 CC with the 12hp Kohler thumper won't start, again.
The mechanical rites of Spring...
This old girl is a full renovation and barn queen, soon to be pulling my water cart. New carb, Sea Foam and non ethanol gas, you would think this wouldn't happen, again. I have over 30 small engines here, a constant challenge.

So Dylan, don't feel alone, and welcome aboard!
with a carb that nasty, if you can replace it for less than fifty bucks, which I did, then maybe a new one is easier. Otherwise
jets and float need a good cleaning likely.
Good luck, please tell us what works to get it going. Drew

 

[daugen]

Looks like a lot of fine red dirt and for sure a lot of rust. Though the CC info suggested this was as new as a 2012.
How did the air filter look when you first got it?
Your comment about the bottom of a lake is interesting.
Might be fine dirt that's been rained on.

Hard not to wonder about the rest of the shape it's in,
you could get it running again and find out it "smokes" perhaps
from ingesting too much fine dirt. The Courage line is a
homeowners line and sometimes the air filtration they give you
is just not up to the task. But it will last until the warranty is out.

I'd check your mower deck spindles too, and your steering free play.
I've bought and restored a lot of beat up machinery and you have to be
careful how much of a bottomless pit you want to deal with, because
free is rarely free for sure. Lots of fun redoing it though, keep at it.
Just watch your dollar investment. Like when the transmission fails.

 

[Gravett1]

The air filter looked fine just some normal dirt from use. Here is a pic from when I got it to now.

 

[SandburRanch]

If it were mine I'd do a thorough cleaning of all passages, be certain the float will float, replace the needle valve, feel and listen for electric solenoid operation and check the oil level for gasoline contamination.

After I got it running I would put an aluminum heat shield between the carburetor and muffler.

 

[RandyT]

Hey guys and thanks for the replies, it's a Kohler courage 20 motor. I took the carb off and it's pretty rough, looks like it was sitting at the bottom of a lake for a while. I'll upload pics of it to show what it looked like before I took it apart, View attachment 499912View attachment 499913View attachment 499914View attachment 499915View attachment 499916View attachment 499917and then some of it after I took it apart.


The pics of the carb after disassembly is to ask if you guys think the carb is worth rebuilding or to just replace it?

The carb is repairable, but be aware that white grey powder on the sides of the emulsion tube is aluminum corrosion, and even if you get it all removed, will reappear because of the water, interaction with the air in the carb, and will fall off and reclog the jets in time.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Is that the same as this? Just both wires on one connector? View attachment 499987

Dunno, I just did the search I posted.

 

[JRobyn]

It's rebuildable, but be aware - I've got lots of experience rebuilding small engine carbs of all sorts, including at least 3 or 4 of that or a similar design - they are one of the more tricky and finicky carbs to rebuild well. The main jet often falls out of the internal passage in the plastic "metering plate" between the bowl and the body and gets lost when you jet it out with carb cleaner and compressed air. Does your carb have this plastic plate and is your jet still there? The "serpentine" o-ring for the bowl is VERY easy to get misaligned and kinked. The rebuild kits for those are among the most expensive around. Last time I priced things, they ran about $25-$30. I found a complete (identical) replacement carb for only about $50. Take a close look at the throttle and choke linkages if you go with a replacement to be sure they're the same. The solenoid only needs one "hot" wire and usually just grounds through the housing, but sometimes has the second (ground) wire, so don't be too concerned about 1 or 2 wires.