Dang cracked fuel bowl

[Highbeam]

Well, I was warned. I knew that the clear OEM fuel bowl was failure prone and that Kioti has issued an upgraded bowl. Don't fix it if it isn't broke, right?

Well I was about an hour from being done brushhogging my field in 85 degree weather and I started smelling fuel. Since the CK has a dinky half day fuel tank I had already filled up once during the day and thought that perhaps I slopped some fuel. Kept mowing. Then I smelled it again and leaned forward to check out the front axle. It was all wet and fuel was dripping from the engine. Idle down, and get off to open the hood.

The bowl was cracked real well. A nice long vertical crack thw whole way down. This made a nice fan shaped spray of fuel straight forward into the engine fan which sprayed the fuel all over the engine compartment.

Whoa! Back on the machine and hurry up to the trailer. Got to get it loaded ASAP since I am not prepared to load a dead machine and I am not about to leave the tractor at the remote property. Phew. Got it loaded. Shut the engine off and spun the petcock to off.

The good news is that the fuel pump was strong enough to keep up with the leak. Bad news is the tractor is out of comission.

So I may need to temp fix this thing and I recall the JBweld fix. Any opinions on that? I am tipping up poles tomorrow for my new pole barn and 20' 6x8 poles are heavy. I'll get a new bowl on the way but often parts take a while to get here.

 

[mguitas]

Highbeam, let me know when you get your tractor going again. Let me know if you have to bleed the line or not. Or maybe it will start rightup. I like to change my filter, myself!

 

[Highbeam]

I've changed the filter a few times before and to do that requires removal of the bowl which is now cracked. No bleeding process is necessary, the petcock has an "air" setting and the manual describes how to do the job. It is easy to change the filter and easy to replace the bowl.

It's on order. I'll be busting out the JBweld tonight.

 

[jonyyuma]

Isn't it amazing that some items can break at all the wrong times? IE: murphy's law..Fuel bowls..

 

[Highbeam]

So the new one is ordered and in the mail. I'll be taking the bowl off tonight to try a jb-weld fix. Carb cleaner to prep and then paint the inside with JB. It should be the dirty side of the filter so no big deal if a chunk falls off and the pressure of the fuel should push the JB weld against the cracks.

Mostly looking to unload the machine and take off the mower. Then if I feel lucky I'll use it until the new part arrives but nothing crazy.

 

[DirtHauler]

Yeah........mine cracked in several places last year when I was out in the middle of a customers 7 acre field and fuel was going every where! The only way to get it back to the trailer was to by pass the fuel filter bowl. Next day started calling what few dealers are left to try and find replacement. Found one and had it over nighted. FYI: was told that the Kubota B21 uses the same fuel bowl.

 

[Highbeam]

FYI: was told that the Kubota B21 uses the same fuel bowl.

Really. Now that would have been nice to know on Saturday. I would have taken the old one to the local Kubota dealer and compared then bought.

Our closest Kioti dealer is now a long ways away too. Apparently selling Kiotis is made very difficult by companies like Kioti.

 

[MotorSeven]

HB the JB weld will work like a charm. I used it for almost a week with zero leaks. I saved that JB bowl just in case the new "cloudy" one ever cracks.

 

[Alien]

ha ha Highbeam... Join the club !! My new cloudy bowl seems OK so far and is obviously a different material. I hope they got it right this time.

 

[1wheeler1]

Had the same issue. I used 5 min. epoxy and it got me through a few days until I got a new one. I roughed up the outside with sandpaper and skim coated the whole thing.

Bummer Jennings equipment is no longer a dealer. Wonder if the Bobcat bowl is the same.