New member, needing help w/older CC Tank

[MC Taylor]

Good morning, I am new here looking for insight on how best to proceed.

I have a very nice 06' 48" Tank ZTR.

History: Never used commercially[originally purchased by a 4 acre homeowner]. They sold it after 3-4 years and it sat idle for several years. A friend purchased it and used it lightly for a few years. He moved to a HOA area and I bought it last spring.
800+/- hours, KAWA 24 hp engine is failing.
I failed to notice that the choke cable stopped working properly and allowed too much fuel to seep into the oil.

61 & 62 PSI in the cylinders.
For it's age the mower is in excellent condition short of the engine beginning to fail. Garage kept etc

New engine will run me about $2.6K after all is said and done.
I'm not opposed to buying new as I will still be under $4K in the mower.

Are there reputable 'used' engine dealers out there?

Any help is appreciated.

[CubDieselFan]

Where are you looking at for a new engine?

[MC Taylor]

Jacks Small Engines as well a local dealer.
They are within $100 of each other for new[$2200]

[spndncash]

FYI I have a JD Z820 with a similar story. they also told me the engine was shot. I have over 200 hours on this "shot" engine. unless the bearings or cam are gone I would suggest changing the oil and fixing the problem. I bought Mine (for basically scrap prices) from a JD dealer that said it was unfixable- the issue I found was the o ring in the plastic float to carb interface was installed improperly and leaked gas even when the float valve shut (from the factory most likely) I put in a new $0.30 o-ring and have not had a problem since. as a precaution I put a shut off valve in the fuel line and I close it when the engine is not running. I do check the oil every time before starting to make sure it has not filled with gas.
I would tear it down I am betting you could re-ring it and get your compression back - of course check your cam, cylinders, valves and bearings before throwing parts at it. rings are cheap.
I doubt choke is the root cause-it would be difficult to run it long enough and mow on choke to fill the engine with gas and ruin it.
If your problem is like mine then fix the Kawasaki carb- dont buy a chinesium one from scamazon. you can get every single internal part of the kawasakii original carb. (sorry I dont remember the brand Mikuni maybe)
just my 2 cents. it smoked when I got it since everything had been washed down with gas and run that way. I dont have any smoke now. I run 30W non synthetic. everything has sealed up again I have no blue smoke, no oil consumption and no gas filling my oil pan.

[MC Taylor]

Originally Posted by spndncash

FYI I have a JD Z820 with a similar story. they also told me the engine was shot. I have over 200 hours on this "shot" engine. unless the bearings or cam are gone I would suggest changing the oil and fixing the problem. I bought Mine (for basically scrap prices) from a JD dealer that said it was unfixable- the issue I found was the o ring in the plastic float to carb interface was installed improperly and leaked gas even when the float valve shut (from the factory most likely) I put in a new $0.30 o-ring and have not had a problem since. as a precaution I put a shut off valve in the fuel line and I close it when the engine is not running. I do check the oil every time before starting to make sure it has not filled with gas.
I would tear it down I am betting you could re-ring it and get your compression back - of course check your cam, cylinders, valves and bearings before throwing parts at it. rings are cheap.
I doubt choke is the root cause-it would be difficult to run it long enough and mow on choke to fill the engine with gas and ruin it.
If your problem is like mine then fix the Kawasaki carb- dont buy a chinesium one from scamazon. you can get every single internal part of the kawasakii original carb. (sorry I dont remember the brand Mikuni maybe)
just my 2 cents. it smoked when I got it since everything had been washed down with gas and run that way. I dont have any smoke now. I run 30W non synthetic. everything has sealed up again I have no blue smoke, no oil consumption and no gas filling my oil pan.

Thanks, I'm tempted[very] to go this route, but it doesn't address the low compression.

[ol'George]

I'm going to say I am going along with spndning cash:
And have a couple of questions:
Did you do the compression test with a known good compression tester,
and did you do it with the throttle full open?
Also have you ran the engine since fixing the oil/fuel dilution problem and if so how does it operate?
Operating an engine with the choke closed enough to cause damage/oil washdown of the cylinder walls would be obvious to the operartor as it would run rich to the point of belching black smoke, slobbering fuel out the exhaust and fouling spark plugs.

#60 compression is border line not enough to allow operation and very noticable exhaust smoke and a lot of crankcase blowby would be occuring

[MC Taylor]

It started blowing 'white' smoke at the end of my last use[mowing], continued when I started it to load on trailer to take to a shop.
Shop owner fired/road it for a minute or two and same/same.
It IS fouling plugs rapidly!
He did the compression test.
On the last use it wouldn't pull a hill with the blades engaged, would almost die when initially engaging blades or when in thicker/taller grass. It would smoke immediately for a few seconds after any of the above mentioned items.
I'll most likely do the new carb/oil change and see what happens.

The input is greatly appreciated!

[spndncash]

Try checking compression cold, but squirt some oil down the cylinders first. If that raises your compression. I say rings could reasonable fix your compression issue and the smoking issue. tear it down and check the cylinders for out of round, egg shaped, etc. if they are not horrible I would run a hone or dingleball down the cylinders. re ring it and drive it until it comes apart. the inspection will tell you if it is unreasonable. rings and a gasket set will be cheap compared to a new engine

[ol'George]

Originally Posted by MC Taylor

It started blowing 'white' smoke at the end of my last use[mowing], continued when I started it to load on trailer to take to a shop.
Shop owner fired/road it for a minute or two and same/same.
It IS fouling plugs rapidly!
He did the compression test.
On the last use it wouldn't pull a hill with the blades engaged, would almost die when initially engaging blades or when in thicker/taller grass. It would smoke immediately for a few seconds after any of the above mentioned items.
I'll most likely do the new carb/oil change and see what happens.

The input is greatly appreciated!

Ah,
as Paul Harvey used to say "now the rest of rhe story"
White smoke says the indians are restless, not a good sign.
The bore/rings are hurt, hopefully the rest of the rotating mass is not hurt.
I'm not as optomistic as earlier when you only told the shortened version of what happened.
If it were mine, I'd get into the inner gizzards and see what this chicken has been eating and how far they are "digested" if you have the abilities to do such work,
obviously its 'hurt" no mechanic in a bottle is gonna fix this "patient"
The bare minimum is its gonna need a rebore with associated matching pistons/rings.
Now I'm not familar with that engine and what it has for cyliners, but if its aluminum that is chrome plated in the bore, pretty much no fixing it cheep.
if its cast iron its just a regular rebore/hone to oversize.
By pulling the heads you should be able see any scoring of the walls.
The fact that it was being operated while hurt, does not make me warm and fuzzy, or to advise purchasing a lottery ticket.
I'm just trying to be brutally honest.
Like a doctor, symptoms are a important but Cat scans, MRI's and exploratory
surgery will reveal the true condition of the parts inside.
If you really like the mower,and feel the hydro's are going to last a long time, then if it needs a motor it might justify the expense.

[MC Taylor]

Did not leave info out intentionally. I fear its gone. just looking for opinions etc

Thanks All