Oil & Fuel TC-24D fuel leak

[SacandagaBrad]

Went through about 2 gallons of fuel running 1800 rpms for half an hour of snow plowing yesterday! Noticed the platform was wet with fuel and feared the worst that the tank had cracked. Pulled it into the garage and grabbed the siphon, with a bunch of paper towels on the floor. Noticed it quit leaking once I shut it down. Hmmm....

Started pulling the covers off under the dash, found a return line (there are two, one off the filter/fuel valve and another off the injection system) that had been chewed in half by a mouse. It was the one off the filter/fuel valve. New piece of tubing and back in business.

Nothing against my dealer, but I'm glad I tore into it a little rather than just loading it up and taking it in for an expensive (relatively, tubing was 90 cents) repair. Just another lesson from the field.....

Brad

 

[RickB]

Actually, that is not all that uncommon. It is surprising just how much return fuel flow there is in these little tractors. If the tank were full, it probably would drain off the top half or more by gravity.

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Yeah, so I fired it up this morning feeling confident in my fix, but watched just to make sure. Another drip! Started steady drip, figured out it was hydraulic this time. Had to tighten up a clamp on one of the rubber to metal fittings under the machine, NOW I think I'm all set.

I'm surprised it took this long for a mouse to chew through something. The neighbor's cat likes to sit on the seat all night while its in the shed with the doors open, but they're snowbirds and left for Florida a couple months, so nobody mouse-watching for me.

 

[jstrasser]

D-con mouse "food" poison. Use it, spread it around. They eat it then disappear looking for water

Mice are non-stop. They nested in our secure truck camper, tried to make a home in the hood insulation of Cathy's Passat (she uses it every day) and appear in our second bathroom all the time.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! Hate 'em.

John

 

[Doc_Bob]

They nested in our secure truck camper, tried to make a home in the hood insulation of Cathy's Passat (she uses it every day) and appear in our second bathroom all the time.

Met a guy with a Caddy that he had let sit for a few weeks. Mice ate the wiring harness. Thousands of dollars later, he was back on the road.

I don't know if it helps, but in my cold storage (barn), I leave the hood up on all my equipment so the little mice never feel safe. No mice yet.
Bob

 

[Solo]

Started pulling the covers off under the dash, found a return line (there are two, one off the filter/fuel valve and another off the injection system) that had been chewed in half by a mouse. It was the one off the filter/fuel valve. New piece of tubing and back in business.


Brad

I had the same thing happen a few years ago. After they chewed through the hose they built a nest under the dash and the urine ate through the top of the fuel sending unit. Luckily the parts were only $50.

I have tried moth balls and Decon. Every time I would check my air filter I would always find Decon in there. The answer to that problem was to put a piece of wire mesh in the air intake hose. No problems since then.

Solo