Kubota G6200HST no fuel to filter

Ed Fisher · Sep 7, 2016

My little lawn tractor quit running. I didn't think it out of fuel, but it was low. I put some in and when attempting to bleed normally, i.e., turn on key with two bleed screws backed out, there was no joy, nor bubbling, nor burbling.
I loosened the line at the filter and no pumping. I sucked on said line and got a mouth full of diesel, yum, so I don't believe it to be a blockage. Can y'all tell me where the fuel pump is on this little brute? Are there fuses I need to check? I saw one guy that showed chafed wires on this forum, that was a help, but I will start with easiest firstly with a little help on location(s). My guess is there is a pump somewhere that either isn't getting voltage or is getting voltage but won't pump anymore. If anyone here can steer me to that pump, or an alternate filter somewhere, or a 'been there done that' sort of story I'd be appreciative.

Thank you.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx

milkman · Sep 9, 2016

I'm pretty sure there is an electric lift pump, behind the right rear wheel. With the key turned on, you can hear it clicking and on the G5200, there is a fuse for the fuel pump. It's been a long time since I owned the G, but the fuel pump in line fuse is under the dash behind the screen. I sold the G5200 to my son in 2001 when I bought the BX and it's still his baby.

Ed Fisher · Sep 9, 2016

Thank you so much for the reply. I will remove the dash and look for the fuse. I appreciate the help.

Glad your son is still getting good service from his equipment. My guess is you showed him the value of maintenance.

Ed

milkman · Sep 11, 2016

Hope you find the problem, and it would be nice if you post back when you find the problem. Those old Gs are tough machines, will run forever.

Ed Fisher · Sep 12, 2016

Thanks to the help from Milkman I was able to locate the fuse behind the dashboard. It was intact, no help. Pulled right rear wheel and located the fuel pump and pre-filter, again thanks to the lead from milkman. Could not hear clicking when key enabled. Removed fuel pump from the frame rail to gain better access to the hose clamps. Removed fuel hose on output side and enabled key. I wanted to see if there was a dribble at least. The pump started gushing after a moment, operation normal. Reconnected lines, bled the lines on the side of the motor, operation normal.

I have no reason to believe that this will continue to work although I did drive it around the yard to see if I could get it to fail again; it didn't. I didn't have much time to do that since I was also working on front brakes with my son on his car. The pump is probably intermittent and will go out again, or, it just got enough air in it when the fuel was low/out which wouldn't allow it to prime. My guess is the former but hoping for the latter.

So there it is. No smoking gun, no real fix, no understanding of exactly what happened. The kind of 'fix' that makes me the least confident. Here's hoping when she quits again it will be close to the garage...

Thanks milkman.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx

milkman · Sep 12, 2016

Glad to hear that it's running, hope it was a one time glitch. Thanks for the update. You're welcome, there's a lot of knowledge on this site and people willing to help.

Baby Grand · Sep 16, 2016

Our G5200H was doing similar - it would "run out of fuel" when the tank got low, but not empty.
I was able to get it running normally after removing the right rear wheel, draining the tank and running the fuel through a coffee filter before putting it back in the tank. Also replaced the old pre-filter with a new one, which I highly recommend you do if you haven't already. The old one seemed to be pretty gunked up, even though it wasn't completely clogged. Hope your G-beastie keeps running well - we love ours!
-Jim

Ed Fisher · Sep 16, 2016

Baby Grand said:
Our G5200H was doing similar - it would "run out of fuel" when the tank got low, but not empty.
I was able to get it running normally after removing the right rear wheel, draining the tank and running the fuel through a coffee filter before putting it back in the tank. Also replaced the old pre-filter with a new one, which I highly recommend you do if you haven't already. The old one seemed to be pretty gunked up, even though it wasn't completely clogged. Hope your G-beastie keeps running well - we love ours!
-Jim

This posting helps me on a bunch of fronts. I had taken to removing the screen on the gas tank filler due to it slowing the acceptance of fuel into the tank. Holding a 5 gallon can aloft gets heavy. That would now seem a grave mistake as I could have easily introduced contaminants into the fuel tank, though I was careful when filling. Secondarily, the response above would explain why the flow quit with fuel still in the tank; picking up contaminants from the bottom of the tank and clogging up the works. Thirdly, I wonder now if there is a flow sensor on the pump itself that shuts it down when there is an obstruction, preventing it from burning itself up.

I will heed your advice and clean out the tank, put on a fresh pre-filter, and mend my wayward behavior of pulling out the screen catch at the pouring point.

I appreciate you taking the time to apprise me of your experience, Baby Grand, it certainly seems germane.

Many thanks.

Ed in Dallas

moship · Dec 28, 2016

Ed Fisher,

When it came time to replace the fuel pump on my Dad's G5200, we used the following pump. It's been on the mower for 6-7 years now without issue and the price is right.
Mr. Gasket Micro Electronic Fuel Pumps 12S - Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at Summit Racing