lt 2180 fuel issues
 

Good day. I have been having intermittent issues with the fuel system on my LT 2180 (BS Vanguard). Started last year, it would stall a little under load (while mowing) but I was able to feather the choke to smooth it out. Sometimes it wanted to run choke open, sometimes it would run choke closed. Often I would go back and forth while mowing(I have three rough acres so 2-3 hour mowing times are not unusual) At one point last year I ended up taking the air filter out to finish the job. I had attributed this performance at that time to a missing seal on my gas cap, the corn gas deteriorated the gasket to the point of destruction. Had fun cleaning all of that stuff out of the gas tank. Anyway, this spring, new gas cap (off brand) and airfilter. Seemed OK for the most part. Yesterday I was mowing in pretty hot weather, the wife calls on my cell, had to shut down to hear. The mower would not start back up. After about 3-4 tries I pulled the air filter, started right up again. Now it runs , not badly but it has run better, but wants the choke full out. I should mention, once I started it without the air filter, I placed it back on the carb and it started dying again. I have to say, this mower has a LOT of suction on the air filter , it took what I thought was a surprising amount of effort to remove the filter, as in I couldn't just lift it off, I had to pull it off. Regardless, I Mowed for about an hour after that, running less than optimal with the choke full out and no air filter. Other symptoms I've noticed: the fuel pump used to spit a little gas out of the vent, mostly when started cold, after it warmed that went away. Doesn't seem to do that at all now.And I've never changed the fuel filter. Could these things be the issue? I've had issues all year with this mower, tracing and replacing bad switches and so on. I haven't had a full mow yet this season. Kind of frustrating. And costly. I am getting good at testing switches though.
:angry:

Sounds like a carb issue for sure. A gas cap gasket missing would do no harm unless water was allowed to get in gas tank for some reason. I would start by draining all fuel. Cleaning tank, all lines and any fuel shut offs, screens, elbows, and changing filter. Then I would pull off the carb and give it a good cleaning as well. Its running better with choke because when choked it helps pull fuel into engine. When you remove air filter it allows a little more air while choked. You have a clog somewhere or carb is gummed up.

Pretty much standard 2000 series problems.
1: Remove the fuel tank and clean it out
2: Replace ALL of the fuel lines from the tank to the carb
3: New fuel pump time (you said it was leaking)
4: Do not run it without the air cleaner.
5: Probably time to pull the engine, remove the tins and clean the cooling fins.

You ran the engine mowing without an air filter?? Are you that ignorant? You understand that an air filter keeps dirt from entering the engine right? With it off, you let the motor suck dirty air. While that is fine to do as a test, it is completely stupid to do while trying to use it. Whatever issue you had, could now be magnified by the fact you let dirt into the engine. :bash2:

Yeah, you have a fuel issue. Take the carb off and clean it. Clean the whole fuel system. It obviously is plugged up. While you are at it, change the spark plug too. Running it without an air filter could have caused excessive carbon on the plug from the grass and dirt it sucked in while running. Hopefully you didn't run it long enough that way to cause any major lasting damage. But you did shorten the life of the engine by doing that. :bash2:


Coop, a choke restricts air flow into the engine, thus making the fuel mixture more rich. Since the carb was plugged up and running lean, cutting the air entering the engine down, made the air to fuel mixture more accurate. It does not "suck" more gas into the engine with the choke on. Besides, if the jet is plugged, it couldn't get any more out of it anyway.

While I agree with that during cranking an engine Vs engining running at above idle. There are scientists smarter than you or I that will tell you while the engine is running a choked or partially choked carb will create enough vac to increase flow of fuel. If the jet is "plugged" your right. this may not be effective. However if there is a slight clog somewhere in a line the choke and vac could help pull fuel through into carb bowl.

I will look for the one theory I have read that says this can work as a venturi but the one I read most recently does describe it as "sucking" It also says it does this more easily when gas is introduced as a vapor.

The vacuum principles alluded to by Mr. Robin Parsons are, in greater detail, as follows: Bernoulli's principle states the faster a fluid is moving the more its internal pressure decreases. The faster a fluid is moving the less it is pushing back out on anything that might be exerting pressure on it. Choking may, incidently, cut down on the amount of air that gets into the cylinder, but restricting the amount of air is not the point of choking. What it does is to require the same amount of air to try to get into the cylinder through a smaller opening, because to do this the air must increase its speed. The now faster air has a great deal less internal pressure and, like all low pressure systems, it sucks vapor in from the higher pressure systems it is in contact with. It entrains things into its flow. In the situation under discussion gas vapor is entrained in an amount proportionatly higher to the increase in velocity of the "choked" airflow. Same amount of air, more or less, but a higher proportion of gas vapor, which, as Megashawn said, is more combustable, more prone to igniting, thereby boosting the engine up to smooth operating temperature.


Jon, In now way is this an argument.. I agree. Normal operation of a choke is to do just what you said. Cause rich condition to aid starting.

Good, because I have no intention of debating it with you.

You guys are a riot. Now play nice and have a cold one. :beerchug::beerchug::biggrin2:

Lol.. just cracked the first one of the day.. in a few min I'll toast Jon with one:beerchug:

I had to go to work. None for me until later. :beerchug: