New issue with 124

[R Bedell]

let it sit 3 different times for 30 or more minutes and it would “reset” itself

That sounds like a fuel "delivery" issue. Letting it set for several minutes, allows the carb to refill.

[Merk]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

Seafoam will clean, but it will not lubricate like the Marvel Mystery Oil will.

Cub Cadet 123

seafoam is a cleaner additive that is hard on carbs.

This question and answer came from Kohler engines FAQs:
https://kohlerpower.com/en/engines/faqs

Can I use additives in my engine?
We do not recommend using additives or cleaners in the oil or fuel system. Air-cooled engines operate at higher temperatures than liquid-cooled automotive engines, and additives developed for automotive use may not perform properly at higher temperatures.
In addition, oil additives can prematurely break down, altering the properties of the oil and leading to extensive internal damage or failure. Fuel system cleaning additives have a tendency to separate and turn acidic, causing damage to fuel system components.
We do, however, recommend a fuel stabilizer during periods of non-use (one month or more) to retard fuel deterioration.

[yingpin]

Good info on Seafoam. I will look into the mystery oil.

Next Steps

1) remove and clean fuel lines
2) Clean Carb
3) New air filter (best place to buy?)
4) Check glass bowl for debris, clean.
5) Add some Mystery Oil to the fuel tank
6) Find and order Belts (best source?)

[cheesedawg82]

Does the ol' rag-suck trick work on small engines? Maybe 1 out of 5 times, you can choke out a carburetor with a rag on a bigger engine running higher than idle. When the engine stalls out and dies, the resulting vaccum can be enough to suck a troublesome piece of crud out of the carb jets in cars, not sure if the k301 will make enough vacuum to do it, but it's sure worth a try before tearing the carb apart.

[yingpin]

Ok fellas Long post for an update,

We had some snowfall last Wednesday and I needed to get the tractor running for that incoming weather. Here is what I managed to accomplish

1) Drain and Refill motor oil with Kohler 10W-30.
2) Drain, Clean, Re-gasket the gear oil. 7pts of SAE 30. Could not find Hy-Tran locally and had a jug already
3) Installed the sleeve hitch and new adapter from Jeff!
4) Removed hard gas line, carb bowl and glas bowl and cleaned. There was some crud in all, not as bad as I expected but could have been the source. Noticed the screen was a little rusty and had a hole so ordered a new one.

Now......It ran on Thursday pretty well. I plowed the court, my drive, and was just finishing up my neighbors drive when it died on me. Again I thought it was out of gas but it wasnt empty. Filled it with fuel after setting for 45 minutes and it started up. Started heading home and it stalled on me and would not restart. Other neighbor towed me back to the house...

I was done and so was the tractor for the day. Last night I ran in in the drive way for 30 minutes ad low and mid idle then got on for a ride around the yard. Just about when I got to the top of the driveway it started stuttering and died as I parked it.

I need to get to the bottom of this so today I drained the tank, pulled the gas line and fuel bowl filter assembly. Decided that if I am going this far I should pull the carb and take a look. Mind you I have no idea what I am looking for or at

Question...
Should I look for a rebuild kit for the K301 carb and give this a shot? What is a good video link for a newbie to follow and can you provide me to a link of a kit that you all are familiar with

I have a new Champion plug from Napa (CHA-844), as well as the new bowl assembly from Napa, and a new air filter.

[yingpin]

hmm, not sure why they are sideways

Here is with the carb removed..

[cooperino]

If you run for 30 min with no hickups and it just dies with out you changing the rpm it may not be just a fuel issue. How hot is the engine when it stalls?? is it hard cranking or slow cranking after it stalls? When is the last time you cleaned the grass and garbage out the from under the engine tins?? An engine that is over heating could cause very similar issues you are describing

[yingpin]

It would start to stall out when running at full throttle. I could save it by dropping it to idle but I dont have enough juice to move. Once I throttle up it would shut down. I dont notice a difference in how it cranks when I try to restart. The only other issue was the belt was slipping on the generator so the pulley would just spin unless I put downward pressure on the belt to catch.

I do have a new belt but how does one get the belt off and back on? It looks like the PTO lever/adjustment rod has to go through the belt? The PTO rod has Z bends on both sides so it is rather difficult to pop that off. The manual makes no mention of the PTO rod, just slide it off the crankshaft....

[sawdustdad]

If you haven't rebuilt the carb, that's a good place to go now.

go to partstree.com or cubcadet.com and look up your tractor, and look at the parts diagram to get the part number for the rebuild kit. Rather than just giving you a link, this is an important skill to acquire--finding parts using resources available on line.

I'm sure there is a video on youtube on the rebuild process, but it's pretty simple. A can of carb cleaner, an old toothbrush, a couple tupperware or similar bowls to hold parts, take it apart, clean all the internal passages with the spray can of carb cleaner, replace all the parts that come in the kit. The kohler service manual has very good instructions. Read them.

Sometimes, debris in the carb bowl will float around for a while, then suddenly get sucked into the needle valve seat and block fuel flow. The bowl and everything inside the carb needs to be pristine.

Work methodically on a clean surface and be meticulous on assembly.

Set high speed and low speed jets per the manual. Look those settings up. Another valuable skill!

[darkminion_17]

Good info from all but I see the fuel inlet on the carb is pointing down, was it like that when you were running the engine?