Stumped. Club cadet dies after 20 min

[SHOZ]

Change the fuel filter!

That fixed my issue.

And use a good one too. The rubber hoses sometimes deteriorate and gum up the works.

 

[Brian123]

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?

You have an Issue with the Gas Cap, either replace it or blow it out on the inside, meaning the Gas Cap. You have a Kohler Engine and the only way this engine will give you no problems is if you do certain things.

After you are done mowing, you need to blow every square inch of this mower to get all of the grass away.

I had the same issue with a Kawasaki Motor on my Walk Behind Mower, it would run for 20 minutes and then cut off and not restart. It was the fuel cap, I had to blow it out, and then it was fine. I have a different engine on my Dad's Mower, meaning the Kohler 7000 Series Engine on his Cub Cadet XT1 LT 46, this mower is so bad that I have to have a mask on with all the grass blowing around me.

 

[chemman]

Except for the engine not cranking, it sounds like what my Craftsman riding mower used to do.

The engine would die due to no fuel being delivered into the bowl of the carburetor. I pulled off the fuel line and the fuel was freely flowing to the carburetor. The needle was getting stuck in the seat and not allowing any fuel to enter the carburetor.

I would smack the side of the fuel bowl with the handle of a long screwdriver and the needle would dislodge from the seat and fuel once again would enter the bowl and the engine would start and run fine until the next time the needle would get stuck in the seat.

Removing the fuel tank cap did nothing.

 

[TomYoung]

Change the fuel filter!

That fixed my issue.

Note that if it happens again, you may need to flush and clean tank.

 

[JimPghPA]

The above suggestions are good.

I'll add that it's possible on some engines (maybe not yours, maybe yours) that if crankcase fumes contact the ignition systems, only when the oil gets Hot enough to boil off water, that water from condensation from sitting can boil off from the oil and short out the ignition system.

 

[hemitom]

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?

For the surging issue have a look at the governor .
just fixed a mower that had me stumped ! torn the carb down twice ,flushed gas tank , changed gas line ( you know the drill ) went through everything . So finally started it up and watched it run and it ran back and forth on the governor so when it was surging i grabbed the governor arm and held it in a spot where it ran smooth , turned out the spring was to tight .

 

[350Rocket]

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.

That's awesome that you were able to fix that. Most would just do a compression test and then scrap it. Never knowing that the actual problem was.
I guess in this case it would have no compression if you tested it hot right after it died?

 

[Gary stumpted]

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.

Thank you. A new solenoid came with carburetor but I’ll still check.

 

[SHOZ]

Thank you. A new solenoid came with carburetor but I’ll still check.

Make sure you have a good ground to the solenoid.

 

[Tman220]

Most likely the surging with no load is a lean condition. Hopefully the carb has a fuel mixture screw for adjustment otherwise the pilot jets will need to be swapped.