JD LA110 Resurection

[Astro_Guy]

Yesterday I had a look at the MIL's John Deere LA110 lawn tractor. I don't believe that it had been started in three years, possibly four. It had gas in the tank and caburetor the entire time.

Step one in the process was to connect my Gooloo 4000 jumper battery. There wasn't even a click on the first go. After pressing the boost button on the GooLoo it started turning over. After seven or eight cranking sessions it actually fired. Suffice it to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Step two: checked the fuel level and found it to be pretty low which is a good thing. I had brought along a battery powered transfer pump but hadn't bothered to check the battery status. You all know how that ended up.

Step three: dumped in a healthy dose of sea foam. Initially the engine wouldn't run without full choke. Later it would run at full throttle but was surging or seeking.

Step Four: spiked the old fuel with new 90 octane E0 at an estimated 3:1 ratio. After a few minutes of this mix it would run at mid throttle, still surging. Took it for a few laps around the lawn at this point.

Step five: went over the next day and fired it up again. It is starting much easier now. It can go down very close to the lowest throttle position without stalling and seems to run very smoothely at low to mid throttle. It still surges at full throttle, be that stationary or when driving. Seems like we have a fuel delivery problem.

Step Six: spiked the fuel with even more Seafoam. Having this soaking in the system is probably a good thing. Tomorrow I plan to fire it up again and move more fuel through the system. Any other suggestions at this point? Note that someone was under the hood in 2020; it's had no attention since then.

 

[walterjay]

OK

 

[wavinwayne]

We're listening...

I also have an LA110 resurrection project that is currently on hold due to me paying a guy to cut my grass. Not sure if I will actually finish my project because of the $$$ it would take to get things sorted.

 

[cptbarkey]

I would say its not a lost cause.
What is the plan?

 

[Owen Lucas]

I would say its not a lost cause.
What is the plan?

I would start it up, maybe top it off with some fresh gas, and mow her lawn!

 

[Astro_Guy]

OK

Sorry - posted before completion. Please revisit.

 

[Astro_Guy]

We're listening...

I also have an LA110 resurrection project that is currently on hold due to me paying a guy to cut my grass. Not sure if I will actually finish my project because of the $$$ it would take to get things sorted.

If you revisit the original post I've added all the details. The MIL has a lawn mowing service but I want to use this machine to tow my sprayer to hit the weeds in her lawn.

 

[Astro_Guy]

I would start it up, maybe top it off with some fresh gas, and mow her lawn!

I've run it maybe 10-15 minutes now with and without load. The blades were engaged briefly on day one just to see if they were working.

 

[cptbarkey]

Hmm, it sounds like you tried all the liquid cure-alls, but its probably time to take the carb off and clean it.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Hmm, it sounds like you tried all the liquid cure-alls, but its probably time to take the carb off and clean it.

Yes, unfortunately you are probably correct. Nevertheless I will give it more time. Maybe the fuel filter needs attention? I have plenty of Redline SI-1 on hand for more aggressive cleaning.

The oil and filter are probably five years old now. I think I may have some 10w-30 M1 HM in my stash. Someone was kind enough to put the date on the last oil filter.

 

[cptbarkey]

Check the air intake for any leaks too, it doesnt look like a Kawasaki but surging is a common issue with them and its basically can be a tear in one of several intake gaskets.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Check the air intake for any leaks too, it doesnt look like a Kawasaki but surging is a common issue with them and its basically can be a tear in one of several intake gaskets.

Thanks! I haven't checked the obvious things - probably because I was so shocked that it started!

 

[joegreen]

Berrymans b12

 

[wavinwayne]

Check to see if the main fuel supply hose from the tank to the carb is collapsed or plugged. Also check the gas cap, as they start to disintegrate over time and pieces of it fall into the gas tank and can get sucked into the fuel supply hose.

 

[chemman]

I second @joegreen with his recommendation for Berryman's B-12. It is many times more powerful than Seafoam for cleaning carburetors!

 

[fantastic]

Fuel pump, Fuel Filter, Clean the carb out with rebuild kit. Doesn't sound like it's getting full fuel. Take a flashlight to look into the tank for the rubber pieces. I've had to clean out some neglected mowers fuel tanks & they were nasty! Always use Berryman carb cleaner (the stuff designed to go inside the fuel tank) & fuel stabilizer every time right before fueling up. Obviously, try the canned stuff first but when all else fails just look at the fuel components.

I second @joegreen with his recommendation for Berryman's B-12. It is many times more powerful than Seafoam for cleaning carburetors!

Most likely why I've never had a carb issue in almost 200 hours on the Craftsman.

 

[Opelman]

First and foremost, charge the battery. Second, change the oil and filter. Air filter too. Third, pull the blower housing to check for debris blocking airflow. Fourth, run your mixed fuel out and try it with unadulterated fresh fuel. If it still surges, try and smooth it out with a bit of choke. If that works, pull the fuel bowl and clean it and the main jet. Happy mowing.

 

[mk378]

Surging usually means the slow jet is clogged. It's not going to come back by itself since no fuel is going toward it at all. It will take a physical cleaning and/or blasting it with spray cleaner. To check the slow jet, with no load on the engine pull back the governor lever which moves the rod to the throttle plate (not the operator speed control) and hold it at idle. It should run reasonably slow and smooth. There is a stop screw on the throttle plate which can be adjusted to get a slow run without stalling. If it just stalls regardless, the jet is clogged.

That particular carburetor is a very lousy design with a plastic separator plate and intricate rubber gasket which tend to just fall apart if you touch them. It may be better to slap on a whole new carb rather than try to disassemble.

Lack of flow from the tank, pump and / or filter causes it to run OK at high speed for several seconds then starve out. This doesn't sound like your problem. The supply system can be checked by disconnecting the line at the input of the carb and directing it into a container, then crank or start to check for a good flow. Anything more than a dribble is OK.

If you're going to run a spray pump the alternator probably can't keep up. The models with a mechanical blade clutch only trickle-charge the battery when running. The headlights run on AC from a separate coil, so the only purpose of the alternator is to recharge the battery after starting. You should charge the battery after spray use.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I was planning to adress many of these this morning but then some popcorn sstorms popped up. According to my weather gauge we now have 0.36 inches of the rain that wasn't in the forecast It's supposed to stop within an hour according to the same forecast sites.

Stopped in at the local Wallyworld this morning to get some B12 per multiple recommendations. They no longer have it = ***?

I did start to charge the battery yesterday per another recommendation. The machine actaully started on its own after an hour on my HF 4 Amp digital maintainer. That's pretty amazing for a five year old battery.

Thanks for the advice on the sprayer with a weak battery. Mt own JD D140 would not engage the PTO when the original battery called it a day. I am somewhat surprised to learn that the charging system on this LA110 won't support the sprayer, but I get it. A new U1 230 CCA battery will set me back about $32 inclusing taxes.

Film at eleven for any of you old enough to appreciate the reference.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Project Update 1 July

I revisited this and gave it a brief run and drive with the fuel heavily spiked with Seafoam. It starts easily and will now run smothely at the lowest throttle setting. That is definitely progress. Unfortunately the hunting / surging continues at higher throttle levels. A quick Google search indicates that B12 and Seafoam are compatible so I am off to the auto parts store to purchase a can of B12. Should that fail it appears that a carburetor can be had on Amazon for about $25.