Hot 1810

pappy74 · #1 06-25-2014, 02:55 PM

Hi all
I appreciate the opportunity to ask for some help.
I have recently acquired an 1810 and have an issue with the tractor overheating and shutting off. I can run it for up to an hour until it stops. All instances have occurred during full throttle operation. I initially suspected a fuel delivery problem but inadvertently discovered the overheating when I poured a little fuel into the carb and the fuel boiled off. ( you could hear it bubbling) I have inspected all the obvious possibilities . (cooling surfaces are all free of debris, very minor exhaust leak, cooling fans are operational) My next thought is the possibility of a lean condition due to improper carb adjustment. Any thought would be greatly appreciated!
Thx
Pappy

jimbob200521 · #2 06-25-2014, 03:13 PM

Usual overheating causes are lean carb (easily fixed by the turn of a screw), obstructed cooling system (clean ASAP or risk motor damage), and poor timing (not applicable here since you don't have points). You say that the cooling fins are clean, did you pull the engine shrouds off and check to make sure? I know I had one that looked clean from the outside but when I pulled it apart, I pulled out a small mouse city. But that leads me to wonder; when it dies, how is it doing it? Does it sputter then die, does it struggle, or does it just flat out shut off as if you turned the key off? These engines don't have overheating protection so if it's getting too hot, chances are it would run until something goes boom. What happens if you try to restart it right after it dies? Five minutes after?

Edit: And welcome to the forum, you picked a great one to join!!

pappy74 · #3 06-25-2014, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Usual overheating causes are lean carb (easily fixed by the turn of a screw), obstructed cooling system (clean ASAP or risk motor damage), and poor timing (not applicable here since you don't have points). You say that the cooling fins are clean, did you pull the engine shrouds off and check to make sure? I know I had one that looked clean from the outside but when I pulled it apart, I pulled out a small mouse city. But that leads me to wonder; when it dies, how is it doing it? Does it sputter then die, does it struggle, or does it just flat out shut off as if you turned the key off? These engines don't have overheating protection so if it's getting too hot, chances are it would run until something goes boom. What happens if you try to restart it right after it dies? Five minutes after?
Jimbob

I have the shrouds over the muffler off and can see across the heads (all clear) She dies instantly..no missing or sputtering. Restarting immediately is impossible but if it sits for half hour it will fire right up. Also, I have spark both sides so I assume the coils are ok.
Thanks
Pappy

jimbob200521 · #4 06-25-2014, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pappy74

Usual overheating causes are lean carb (easily fixed by the turn of a screw), obstructed cooling system (clean ASAP or risk motor damage), and poor timing (not applicable here since you don't have points). You say that the cooling fins are clean, did you pull the engine shrouds off and check to make sure? I know I had one that looked clean from the outside but when I pulled it apart, I pulled out a small mouse city. But that leads me to wonder; when it dies, how is it doing it? Does it sputter then die, does it struggle, or does it just flat out shut off as if you turned the key off? These engines don't have overheating protection so if it's getting too hot, chances are it would run until something goes boom. What happens if you try to restart it right after it dies? Five minutes after?
Jimbob
I have the shrouds over the muffler off and can see across the heads (all clear) She dies instantly..no missing or sputtering. Restarting immediately is impossible but if it sits for half hour it will fire right up. Also, I have spark both sides so I assume the coils are ok.
Thanks
Pappy

Let a couple other guys chime in but my money would be on something electrical. I'd bet it's a coil or two. It fits the symptoms; runs great for an hour or so then dies immediately and won't restart until it cools off. If it were fuel, it would restart once the carb got more fuel, not once it cooled off.

R Bedell · #5 06-25-2014, 04:16 PM

(A) I would pull ALL the shrouds off and make 100% sure there is no foreign debris obstructing air flow.
(B) Check your "inlet screen" to make sure that is clean.
(C) As an educated guess, you are cooking your Ignition Module. It quits when heated and when cools off, it works.......REPLACE IT.

Timing is a non-issue.

A lean mixture at the carb can do this, but simply adjusting the screw for a richer mixture will solve that issue.

Do all the above and you should be good to go.

PaulS · #6 06-25-2014, 04:36 PM

Absolutely do all that Roland suggests. I have a command 20 that when I took all the shrouds/covers off I had a real mess. I also had an ignition coil that made my engine do much the same as yours. Also if you find a mouse nest inspect all nearby wires for chewed places.

pappy74 · #7 06-25-2014, 05:45 PM

Thanks All
I will go back at this in the next day or so armed w/some good suggestions. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Thanks a lot
Pappy:

Oak · #8 06-25-2014, 06:05 PM

You need to look at the flywheel side of the jugs for trash. The flywheel is the cooling fan. What do the spark plugs look like and make sure your oil doesn't smell like gas. I had an 1811 that the fuel pump leaked gas into the case and it would shut off after it got hot also. If you have an IR thermometer check the oil temp also. Good luck and let us know what you find.

inspectorudy · #9 06-25-2014, 06:39 PM

All good advice but on my M 18 it was a lean fuel mixture caused by very small particles that would build up in the carb after using it for a while. I took the carb off and using carb cleaner cleaned every thing out and then I took the filter out of the tank and replaced it as well as the inline filter and all of the hoses. No overheating problems since. Good luck