John Deere 1020 Tractor Stalls after two minutes

[lanceb36]

I have a John Deere 1020 that has been running well for a long time. My son borrowed it and put premium gas into the tank (all he had on hand) now the tractor starts great but only seems to run for about two minutes before sputtering as if it is running out of fuel. If I choke it or wait a bit (five to ten minutes) it will start beautifully and run again for about two minutes.

I have cleaned the carburetor, Oil Bath, and added lower octane fuel to no avail. It starts really well and runs great when it runs then it will run about two minutes and sputter and die.

any guidance would be appreciated.
Lance

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN..................

How long was his premium gas sitting before he poured it in.
Perhaps it got condensation (water) in the gas.
Try a bottle of dry gas.

 

[beenthere]

Hopefully it is the gas engine and not the diesel. Which I presume it is.
The premium fuel may not be the problem, just that another cropped up at the same time.
Next time, try removing the fuel cap just when you think it is going to die... see if there is a venting problem.
Be sure there is good fuel flow out of the tank, as some debris may be plugging up the fuel line either in the line or in the tank.

:welcome: to TBN

 

[lanceb36]

Welcome to TBN..................

How long was his premium gas sitting before he poured it in.
Perhaps it got condensation (water) in the gas.
Try a bottle of dry gas.

Thank you, it was new gas (mine too :laughing but I will try that.

 

[lanceb36]

I will try that, thank you.

 

[George2615]

It may be time to replace the fuel filter too.
If it's been in a while it may be partially plugged causing the tractor to run out of fuel.

We are assuming that since you mentioned adding gas you have a gas engine and not the diesel.

 

[lanceb36]

thank you, I can confirm that I have a gas not diesel engine. I cannot find an inline fuel filter of any kind. I could certainly add one.

 

[RalphVa]

Did he put the gas cap back on rightly?

I had this happening to my old JD 14SB walkbehind. I'd gotta the cap gasket backwards. There's a hole in it that allows air into the tank. Backwards, the hole was being plugged up.

Ralph

 

[Partspring]

Remove the fuel line from the inlet side of the transfer pump and direct the flow into a bucket,if the flow slows or stops after 1 or 2 minutes most likely the
shutoff fitting on the bottom of the tank is obstructed . The fitting can be removed from the bottom without removing the tank. Good luck!

 

[jd110]

thank you, I can confirm that I have a gas not diesel engine. I cannot find an inline fuel filter of any kind. I could certainly add one.

There is a filter screen in the carburetor inlet fitting. Disconnect the line and remove the elbow from the carburetor. The screen is attached to the elbow

 

[lanceb36]

Still struggling.
I have rebuilt the carburetor, pulled the gas tank and cleaned it, put in an inline fuel filter, pulled the radiator and flushed it (ordered a new one).
The tractor started yesterday and I ran it up and down a hill for about half an hour, thought it was good. The temp gauge sat at about the middle so it did not appear to be overheating.
Eventually died sounding like it was out of gas. Added gas now it will start strongly run for a few moments and die, will start if I pull the choke but dies within a few minutes.
Gas, Spark and Air - I am at a loss.

 

[George2615]

Is the carburetor float set correctly? Sounds like the needle seat isn't opening enough or the float could have a pinhole in it. That would cause the float to drop and cause it to flood (too much gas). To check that, pull the carb apart again and shake the float. If it has a hole the float will be full of gas and you'll feel it when you shake it.

 

[RalphVa]

Another thing that happened on my old JD 14SB (don't know whether it'll apply in your case) was an overhead valve pushrod had gotten out of its position. It had basically jumped out of a ball at the base of it, making it a tight fit against the valve lifter. So, when it got slightly hot (a couple minutes or so), it made the valve leak, and the engine quit.

Could have the same thing happening if the valves are just too tight, e.g. have no clearances.

Ralph

 

[phlinzy45]

did you ever resolve your problem? i have a similar issue with a JD 301a