Stupidity fixed, hopefully...

[gstrom99]

Last summer, I (stupidly) mowed for an hour before I smelled gasoline and noticed I had left the (big) gas cap off the ZT. Sure enough, there was all sorts of debris in the fuel and it developed the "runs for 20 minutes, then dies out" problem. New fuel filter didn't do it. JD sold me a new (little) one, saying this is all they offer now. I went to NAPA and got the real (full size) one.

Yesterday, I took the gas tank out and flushed it the best I could. I used my portable filter, to catch/see what was all in there, then dumped it into a coffee filter. Got this out, dried it out and blew the tank out more. Not mowing weather here yet, to test for the 20 minutes, but it DOES run.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I've forgotten the cap under my seat on riding mower. Seat must have protected the tank. I was lucky. I'd check the in tank filter, if it has one, in addition to inline fuel filter.

 

[gstrom99]

I really wanted to open up the tank, but I could not get the sending unit/pickup off without destroying it (plastic), so I left it on and went the "remove the whole tank" route first. Pretty easy job, surprisingly.

 

[oldnslo]

That big stuff certainly could block fuel flow.

hopefully you got-r-don

 

[Windblown]

I did this on my diesel tractor once. I replaced the fuel filter twice but fuel flow kept getting stopped up in the tank itself. I reverse blew the line from the filter to the tank a couple of times which would work for a week or two and the plug again. I finally broke down and used a shop vac which I adapted a small hose to and ran it down inside the tank. I pulled out a couple of very well diesel fuel preserved tree leaves that had fallen into the tank.

Stupidity fixed? Not sure on that count but the tractor was fine afterwards... LOL.

 

[stevem5215]

Yep, wife did that a couple of times. Once we lost the cap even. Out in the yard somewhere. 2nd time the cap was attached and didn't go anywhere but the junk got in. Changing the fuel filter in the fall I was like look at that junk! Siphoned out the tank and got even more. Good now. REMEMBER THE CAP I say to her.

 

[masseyrider]

I knew a guy who bought a new tractor years ago, 40+.
Big by our local orchard machines at the time, 100hp.
Started and ran great but put it under load and power dropped off. It sounded like it was starved for fuel. The more throttle you gave it the worse it got.
He took it to the dealer.
They changed the fuel filters and blew out the lines...
He got it back and same thing.
They checked the injector pump and injectors.
All OK.
They just couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Finally they found what was going on. A metal spiral swarf like a slinky from some drilling process in the plant had gotten into the fitting where the fuel line attaches to the fuel tank.
You couldn't see it when you emptied the tank and it was wedged in so it wouldn't fall out if you turned it upside down to clean it.
At idle enough fuel got through for the engine to run OK.
But as the tractor tried to draw more fuel the spiral swarf would compress like a spring and plug the fuel line.
Sh-t happens.

 

[gstrom99]

Mowed again yesterday and ran it hard for two hours. Ran great. It now, however, has the dreaded/known Kawasaki idle surge (lean). I don't idle much, so that problem will be addressed later.