m18s running badley after towing

907 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by ATLANTIC CENTRAL, Jul 3, 2019

addisongravely

Discussion Starter · Jun 21, 2019

I have a Professional G18 that I was towing a cart up a hill with. The cart had at the most 250 ils. of seed in it. The engine started bogging down then quit running and would crank-no start. I left it for a few hours, came back and had to start the engine with carb cleaner. The engine ran rough on the way to the barn but I did not detect any strange noises. Any suggestions of where to start finding the problem? It was warm that day. Does anyone know the weight limit on towing?

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Mikey4

· #2 · Jun 21, 2019

I towed a 5x10 trailer full of a downed tree cut into lengths. The tree was about 40 feet tall. Almost all of it was in the trailer. The load was so much that halfway up the hill it lifted my 16G's front wheels off the ground. Two guys climbed onto the tractor hood and the wheels went down. The weight of the trailer bent the standard Gravely rear hitch.

The load was very heavy. The engine never misbehaved.

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Bodjick L

· #3 · Jun 21, 2019

I guess I'd suspect the gas tank and on a hill to be clues. I doubt the load had much to do with it. Is there gunk or water in your tank that sloshed on the hill and got sucked in? That it did start with carb cleaner tells me it's possibly not getting enough fuel.

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yamato72

· #4 · Jun 21, 2019

Check the fuel line from the tank to the pump, and check the pump. Install an inline filter if you haven't already; Kohler makes a nice filter you can get right at TSC. I have had to rebuild or replace several fuel pumps in the past 8-9 years.

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addisongravely

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 21, 2019

I checked fuel first-no restrictions. Then I checked the spark plugs. Both were fouled and the left one was so loose I could just remove it by hand. I replaced the plugs last summer and I do not use the 18G much. Anyway I replaced both spark plugs and now it is running great again. Thank you all for your responses.

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addisongravely

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 2, 2019

Thought I figured out what was going on but the same thing has happened twice in a row. I believe it is a lack of fuel because the fuel filter was empty when this happened. I put on new hoses, fuel filter, blew out the fuel tank, tried to mow again and after about 20 minutes the engine quit again. Again no fuel in filter. Would I be correct to assume a bad fuel pump? I cannot find a metal replacement pump so are the plastic ones as good? I do not want to do this again next year so does anyone have a suggestion on the brand I should look for. Also the last time this happened the fuel filter plastic was very soft and pliable like it was getting hot. I took off all the engine shields and cleaned out all the dirt. The only place it was packed in was between the top of the flywheel and the shield. Would that be enough to cause my problem?

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yamato72

· #7 · Jul 2, 2019

My next suggestion would be check the air gap on the magneto and check the magneto housing and spark pug wires. Age and heat seem to do them in.

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ATLANTIC CENTRAL

· #8 · Jul 2, 2019

addisongravely said:
Thought I figured out what was going on but the same thing has happened twice in a row. I believe it is a lack of fuel because the fuel filter was empty when this happened. I put on new hoses, fuel filter, blew out the fuel tank, tried to mow again and after about 20 minutes the engine quit again. Again no fuel in filter. Would I be correct to assume a bad fuel pump? I cannot find a metal replacement pump so are the plastic ones as good? I do not want to do this again next year so does anyone have a suggestion on the brand I should look for. Also the last time this happened the fuel filter plastic was very soft and pliable like it was getting hot. I took off all the engine shields and cleaned out all the dirt. The only place it was packed in was between the top of the flywheel and the shield. Would that be enough to cause my problem?

The factory pump was plastic, I would buy an actual Kohler pump, not some generic.

That said, I do have a metal pump on my tractor. I found it on Ebay, but have not seen any since. AC/Delco made metal pumps for Kohler Magnum engines to meet military specs, many years ago, no longer in production.

Sheldon

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addisongravely

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 3, 2019

After I posted earlier today I tried to mow the lawn by my barn. After about 20 minutes engine died and had no fuel in filter. After waiting about an hour I started it up and went back to the barn.When I tried to shut the engine off by turning key to off it would not stop-even after I pulled the key out. I had to full choke it to stop the engine. Could this be an additional clue to my problem? I ordered Kohler fuel pump today and should have it in a day or two. Also when I have the metal panels off to replace the pump how do I check magneto gap and what should it be? Thanks.

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franklin2

· #10 · Jul 3, 2019

I would also make sure air can get into the fuel tank as the engine is using fuel. Maybe the vented cap is clogged.

No fuel in the filter is a sign, don't go down any rabbit trails yet with the ignition system.

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ATLANTIC CENTRAL

· #11 · Jul 3, 2019

addisongravely said:
After I posted earlier today I tried to mow the lawn by my barn. After about 20 minutes engine died and had no fuel in filter. After waiting about an hour I started it up and went back to the barn.When I tried to shut the engine off by turning key to off it would not stop-even after I pulled the key out. I had to full choke it to stop the engine. Could this be an additional clue to my problem? I ordered Kohler fuel pump today and should have it in a day or two. Also when I have the metal panels off to replace the pump how do I check magneto gap and what should it be? Thanks.

This is a Kohler Magnum M18 correct? On an 18-G?

Is it the original engine?

How long have you owned this tractor?

Has anyone to your knowledge changed any wiring?

This is a magneto engine, meaning it makes its own spark, it does not need the battery to run.

When you turn the key off, a relay shorts out the ignition to kill the engine.

This would be rare, but the engine relay could be bad, and could cause both problems. Or, a simple ground wire could be broken, disconnected, etc.

This business about fuel in the fuel filter can be misleading. if you watch most such engines run, the fuel filter is never "full".

Some pictures would help.

Sheldon

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