Engine lopes and backfires

   / Engine lopes and backfires #1  

daleheideman

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
1
Tractor
Mahindra 4530
I have a Cub Cadet LTX 1045 Tractor mower. It has a Kohler Courage 22 engine which lopes and backfires very frequently. The engine runs and will mow, but this bad behavior should not be occurring.

Where should I start?
 
   / Engine lopes and backfires #2  
Sounds like you need to clean the carburetor.
It might have water in it and/or the solenoid is dirty or sticking.
Catch the gas in the bowl in a clear container (I use a cut off 2 ltr bottle) and inspect it for trash/water.
 
   / Engine lopes and backfires #4  
'Wast spark' ignitions (ie: GM V6s w/3 coils, many small engines timed on crankshaft vs on camshaft) fire under compression and at 'valve overlap' (both events at ~TDC), .. are more prone to backfire than older, familiar (auto) ignition types. Check valve lash and make sure the choke stays fully off when running. My point: anything can happen & various situations may offer similar symptoms. (see above suggestions, check all) :2cents:
 
   / Engine lopes and backfires #5  
Check color of spark plugs, black plug indicate too rich, white or light grey indicate too lean mixture. My guess is too lean. Other things to check would be for good fuel flow from the tank to carb. fIf that is good check for good gas flow out of the float valve. Cleaning fixed jet carbs is so much harder than the old adjustable jets models.
 
   / Engine lopes and backfires #6  
1) drain and dry gas tank.
2) rebuild carberetor
3) replace fuel filter
4) use "stabil" or similar gas preservation products in EVERY TANK.
5) buy new inner and outer air filter
6) replace spark plugs
7) run at night IN THE DARK, and look for stray sparks. You could have a pin hole or mouse bite in a spark plug wire.

Added "7" for completeness, but your symptoms are 99.999% frequently caused by leaving fuel in the mower over winter and it goes "horrible". Gas used to just get stale, or go bad. Not any more!! With the ethanol in there and what ever other witches brew of additives, it goes HORRIBLE to EVILLY HORRIBLE! At the end of season,run the machine until it dies for lack of fuel. Take out the battery, Push it away, pump up the tires, set it on blocks. that will keep most issues from happening. Change oil either before putting up, or after taking out but before mowing.
 
   / Engine lopes and backfires #7  
4) use "stabil" or similar gas preservation products in EVERY TANK.

Added "7" for completeness, but your symptoms are 99.999% frequently caused by leaving fuel in the mower over winter and it goes "horrible". Gas used to just get stale, or go bad. Not any more!! With the ethanol in there and what ever other witches brew of additives, it goes HORRIBLE to EVILLY HORRIBLE! At the end of season,run the machine until it dies for lack of fuel. Take out the battery, Push it away, pump up the tires, set it on blocks. that will keep most issues from happening. Change oil either before putting up, or after taking out but before mowing.

I learned of Sea Foam on a boating site back in '04. Have been using it in everything every sense. It is a fuel stabilizer as is Stabil which I use also. I use Stabil at the recommended rate of 1 oz to 2.5 gallons of gas and Sea Foam at about the same ratio. It has oil in it and I like that as an upper cylinder lube.

Lots of boo birds out there and all I can say is that their stupidity, stubbornness or whatever you want to call the resistance to using proven additives, is their problem. I'm retired and don't like working on things like I used to. These two additives have kept me out of the repair business on my truck, tractors, lawn mowers, chain saws, weed eaters, and outboards......Oh and using synthetic oil. Syn oil in an air cooled engine is like icing on a cake......sweet! But don't take my word for it, I'm already convinced.

HTH,
Mark
 

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