Stumped. Club cadet dies after 20 min

G

Gary stumpted

Joined
Aug 21, 2024
Messages
5
Hello all. I have a 42 inch club cadet with a 22 hp 7000 series Kohler engine. There are two problems. The first problem is the engine surges, especially when there’s no load on the motor at lower RPMs. I have replaced the carburetor, spark plugs Fuel filter pump gas lines after the fuel filter and it’s still surges. The second issue is after 20 minutes of cutting the lawn the lawnmower dies. Just recently after it died, the engine would not turn over. I replaced both coils it still dies. There may be an issue with the charging system as I’ve already replaced the battery once in the last 12 months , I read an earlier thread that may be related to low-voltage as this model has a cut off switch for the seat. Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
It is pretty common for grass/debris to build up around the cooling fins of the cylinders and cause overheating issues. If those overheating issues get bad enough they typically drop an exhaust valve seat.
This happened to my in-laws mower (but with a Kawasaki engine). It was tricky to troubleshoot as the exhaust valve seat didn't come all the way out of the head, it was just loose in the head, but not when the engine was cold, only once the engine got up to temp and the cylinder head expanded would the seat not seal the compression. No way to fix it either short of buying a new head, which is what we did for that mower.
 
thastinger said:
It is pretty common for grass/debris to build up around the cooling fins of the cylinders and cause overheating issues. If those overheating issues get bad enough they typically drop an exhaust valve seat.
This happened to my in-laws mower (but with a Kawasaki engine). It was tricky to troubleshoot as the exhaust valve seat didn't come all the way out of the head, it was just loose in the head, but not when the engine was cold, only once the engine got up to temp and the cylinder head expanded would the seat not seal the compression. No way to fix it either short of buying a new head, which is what we did for that mower.
Click to expand...
Ty
 
Gary stumpted said:
Thanks but I’ve replaced a lot. Give me one suggestion I haven’t covered. One suggestion was to check the gas cap. I’ll do that shortly.
Click to expand...
Wrenchturner44 said:
Please check to see that the gas tank cap is properly vented. If the cap has a diaphram under the circumference seal / gasket, try removing it. Sounds like it could be a fuel starvation issue.
Click to expand...
Thanks bro
 
Gary stumpted said:
Hello all. I have a 42 inch club cadet with a 22 hp 7000 series Kohler engine. There are two problems. The first problem is the engine surges, especially when there’s no load on the motor at lower RPMs. I have replaced the carburetor, spark plugs Fuel filter pump gas lines after the fuel filter and it’s still surges. The second issue is after 20 minutes of cutting the lawn the lawnmower dies. Just recently after it died, the engine would not turn over. I replaced both coils it still dies. There may be an issue with the charging system as I’ve already replaced the battery once in the last 12 months , I read an earlier thread that may be related to low-voltage as this model has a cut off switch for the seat. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
This engine has a carburetor with a fuel shut off solenoid on the bottom of the bowl. I am guessing the solenoid is working when cold, but fails has it gets hot. If you turn the key to the run position ( do not crank), you should hear the solenoid click as it opens to permit fuel in the bowl. You will likely have to lift the hood and listen closely to hear this click. If the engine is cold, you can also put your finger on the solenoid and feel the click as you turn the key. Next time the engine dies after 20 minutes, listen for the click. No click, no fuel. Could be a failing solenoid, a dirty solenoid, or a wiring issue that diminishes or cuts off voltage when the engine is hot.
 
Gary stumpted said:
Thanks but I’ve replaced a lot. Give me one suggestion I haven’t covered. One suggestion was to check the gas cap. I’ll do that shortly.
Click to expand...
Have you replaced the fuel / air filter. I've always added a fuel filter to my mower. Second have you tried cleaning out the carb jets? Sometimes stuff gets in them and clogs them up.
 
Make sure that fuel shutoff solenoid has a good ground. Use a ohm meter and it should read less that .02 ohms to the engine block.
 
I've mowed with my fuel cap off a few times by accident and there is now enough crap in my tank that sometimes the pickup will get clogged and I'll have to blow back into the tank to get it going again.. Also good points from others on gas cap and the solenoid.
 
I have seen this before and it was the little vent hole on the fuel cap clogged with dirt. But the one I fixed starved itself for fuel after 3-4 minutes of run time. I cleaned it out with a small drill bit after temporarily moving the rubber piece under the cap.
 
Gary stumpted said:
Hello all. I have a 42 inch club cadet with a 22 hp 7000 series Kohler engine. There are two problems. The first problem is the engine surges, especially when there’s no load on the motor at lower RPMs. I have replaced the carburetor, spark plugs Fuel filter pump gas lines after the fuel filter and it’s still surges. The second issue is after 20 minutes of cutting the lawn the lawnmower dies. Just recently after it died, the engine would not turn over. I replaced both coils it still dies. There may be an issue with the charging system as I’ve already replaced the battery once in the last 12 months , I read an earlier thread that may be related to low-voltage as this model has a cut off switch for the seat. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Did the starter attempt to crank or did it roll up against the compression and not make it past it? If it's that, it might be unrelated to what made it stall.....I had to have valves adjusted, starter replaced and a new bigger battery to fix the hard crank on my Kohler courage twin, and it usually acted up when hot.

If nothing happens when you try to crank it then it must be something electrical killing ignition.
 
What does “turn over” mean to you?

To me, it means that the engine rotates via the starter.

So, are you saying that it will not crank? The starter will not rotate the engine at all?

If that’s the case, then your problem is clearly electrical and has nothing to do with the coils.

If by “turn over” you mean something different, then, please explain what that is.
 
I had a generator that did that. The problem was that the exhaust valve had stretched and only when it warmed up the motor would sputter and die and would not restart till it cooled off. I ground off some of the to of the valve and all was good again. I did the carb and charging and all that first.
 
Like mentioned above, surging at idle is a carburetor or fuel quality problem. Was this a cheap import replacement carb? They can be hit/miss. I've had carburetors act up once the engine warms and materials expand.
 
vwmaniaman said:
I had a generator that did that. The problem was that the exhaust valve had stretched and only when it warmed up the motor would sputter and die and would not restart till it cooled off. I ground off some of the to of the valve and all was good again. I did the carb and charging and all that first.
Click to expand...
Yeah.... It's not that....
 
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