jwstewar
Elite Member
Last week when I was mowing I noticed the temperature gauge on my new TC24 starting to creep up a little. It normally runs just above the line separating the 2 green areas. It had started to go up into the middle/upper range of the second green area. I stopped the PTO, put it in neutral, and set the parking brake. Left it idling. Raised the hood, pulled the screen, tapped it a couple of times with my hand to remove "my yard" that had accumulated there, replaced the screen, closed the hood, and was back on my way the temp dropped back down to the range it had been prior to. Made another trip around the section of grass I was cutting (I was almost finished so it was pretty small), all of a sudden the tractor died. Hit the starter again. Puffed a bunch of black smoke, but wouldn't start. I was pretty upset. Got off, raised the hood, checked the screen, fuel cap, air filter nothing seem out of the ordinary. Tried to start again - it did. Thought OK, maybe since it cooled down so fast maybe something vapor locked or something. Closed the hood and finished up. Thought I would mention to the dealer when they picked the tractor up for readjusting the loader/mower. Continued using this past week no problems until yesterday. I was mowing and stopped, went in the house to get me a snack and something to drink. While I was in the house had some relatives stop by - ironically to see the tractor. So we went out and oooohed and ahhhhed for a while and we came back in the house for a couple of hours. When they left I went back out. Closed the hood (had to see the engine of course /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) and started mowing. It died again. I was really upset now. I knew it hadn't cooled down to fast. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif. Tried to start it again. Again nothing but a bunch of black smoke would run a second and die - but this time I had a clue. I heard something that sounded like air escaping out of an air tank. Each time I tried to start (I only tried 3 times) I heard this. I remember reading about the bad fuel tank lid on the Kubota. Nope that wasn't it. Popped the hood. Started right up. I thought strange. Last time I popped the hood it started. Started looked around for "something." All of a sudden I looked up. The guy that put the tractor together hadn't taken the owner's manual out from under the hood (NH put it there). No wonder they couldn't find my manual when I picked the tractor up. The guy said he brought it in to the store, but it was no where to be found. They had to go get the one they kept on the shelves for them. Seems what was happening was the manual was pinching off the air intake hose and then the bag was getting sucked into the inlet to form a vacuum and suffocating the engine. Removed it and haven't had a problem since. I'm no longer up mad at my tractor. Was starting to think there for a couple of minutes I should have gotten that Kubota I was looking at. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif - NOT, I love my 24. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
