Sounds more like the Float is stuck almost shut and not letting the gas flow into the Carb!IMO
If you need easy Picture help
Be sure to Register for Your State!

 

Welcome to the forum! Sounds to me like the vent on your gas cap is not venting (vapor lock). You should be able to give your gas fill tube a push down and hear a little air escaping from it. If not you may need to clean the hole in the cap.

 

Don't be a parts replacer. Are you losing spark when this happens? If you put fuel in te carb will it start? Etc. Let's narrow this down some.

 

Thanks for all the quick post. It's like someone just turned the switch off, no spit or sputter like it's starving for fuel. Also, I have know spark, but if I wait for about 20 minutes it will start right up. My local tractor place said it was the coil so I replaced it and the same thing is still happening.

 

There are several things that can cause this. Next time it happens, loosen the fuel cap and see if it will start. If not, then you'll know the problem lies elsewhere. It could be the circuit breaker that's mounted inside the pedestal on I believe it's the right side of the tractor. There is a check for that in the tech manual. That's what went bad on mine when I had a 318. As soon as it cooled down, and reset, it would start up and run for a few minutes and die. Fifteen minutes later, it would start up, run a few minutes and die. But I agree, don't just replace parts until you narrow it down.

 

Sounds very much like your pickup (under the flywheel) is malfunctioning.

But, let's be more systematic as Engine Tech mentions.

When the tractror fails, let's take a meter to the positive side of the coil and see if it is getting 12 volts. Lack of 12 volts to the coil would indicate a problem with the time delay control module.

If you have 12 volts at the coil, but still no spark, the pickup is likely bad.

 

I'll check the coil today. Where is the time delay control module located at? Thanks again.

 

Update, once it dies I have no spark at the plugs but my coil has 12V on the positive side. Also, I have a clear filter on the gas line and there is always gas in it, plus I just took the gas cap off. So I'm guessing it's the TDCM or the pickup on the fly wheel. How do you determine which one is bad? Thanks again

 

If the TDCM were completely bad, you would not have 12 volts to the coil.

I know of 4 pickups/sensors going bad over the last year and a half, and ZERO bad TDCMs.

 

Where are the pickups located? Are they part of the stator?
Thanks for the post D-Dogg

 

Here's the Onan manual.
http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=91297&highlight=onan

 

thanks for the link. I'm assuming the the pickups and the stator are the same thing. I had the stator checked out and they said it was fine, but I questioned them about how they checked it out. I go through the manual tonight and see what I can figure out.

 

No, the pickup and stator are two different things. The stator the shop checked out makes AC voltage for the charging system. The pickup is an inductive device which senses when a point on the crankshft passes under it (it may also correctly be called a stator).

 

d-dogg
i just spent ten minutes going through the manual that you listed.
it is good for REPLACING parts.
please tell me how to TEST the coil, stator, regulator, ign. module, etc.
i can not find it.
i wanted to tell hamby how to test his parts.
my REAL onan manuals do list these in section #8
these are very easy test to do.
thank you. boomer (the used onan parts guy)

 

i wanted to tell hamby how to test his parts.
my REAL onan manuals do list these in section #8
these are very easy test to do.
thank you. boomer (the used onan parts guy)

Well then by all means, boomer, do tell!

 

d-dogg and club
you can join the yahoo case site (free)
i have the necc. pages downloaded there.
they have since added the complete service manual.

you can also go to the yahoo Onan site, (free) then go to the T 260
manual.
this manual covers both the points, and electronic ign.
and both cover the charging system test.
you, never did answer my question, did you find
the necc. tests in the manual that you listed?
as a rule,i usually only check this site once a day.
Sorry, that i did NOT get back SOON enough.
thank you. boomer

 

d-dogg and club
you can join the yahoo case site (free)
i have the necc. pages downloaded there.
they have since added the complete service manual.

you can also go to the yahoo Onan site, (free) then go to the T 260
manual.
this manual covers both the points, and electronic ign.
and both cover the charging system test.
you, never did answer my question, did you find
the necc. tests in the manual that you listed?
as a rule,i usually only check this site once a day.
Sorry, that i did NOT get back SOON enough.
thank you. boomer

I never said there was a test procedure in the CTM. I provided the CTM in reponse to the question "where is it". You assumed I meant there was one there and took the opportunity to be confrontational. I'd suggest in the future you try being helpful if you have something of value to add.

Helpful would be telling a person he or she can get the Onan manuals legally and at no cost directly from Onan! Helpful would have been you simply articulating the test procedure. Now that would have given you a lot more credibility than being confrontational.

 

Hambyl88
I went through this last year....Scratching my head a little....If you have a circuit tester, run the eng until it dies, then immedietly ground the circuit tester and put the probe on the negative side of the coil-crank engine-light should flash-no flash/bad ign module. You can check this by trying when eng is cold & will start. To verify flashing. then try it again when it dies......Mine was the module(remove eng). See if this helps!

 

d -dogg
i would have thought that you would have told him where to get the proper answer, about testing his parts.
thank you. boomer