I have a ten year old craftsman lt1000 that I bought new. It has had pretty regular maintenance but had been giving me trouble since the end of last year in terms of reliability in mowing. It would run for about 20-30 minutes and the sputter, rev and die. So before storing it for winter I drained the gas and took out the battery. Before this season, I put new gas in the tank with some stabilizer and bought a new battery. All was good the first time I mowed the lawn. The second time, it ran for a half hour and would sputter, rev and die. If I let it sit, I could restart it but the whole process would start over again. I took it to the local small engine repair shop and $175 later he rebuilt the carb, replaced the oil and filter, changed the spark plug, put on new blades, leveled the deck and a couple other minor things. I got it back and it did it again the first mow. So I did some research, talked to some friends and family and troubleshot. All signs pointed to a failing ignition coil so I ordered a new one and replaced it. Same thing happened. Replaced all fuel lines and filter, adjusted the valves to .004, sea foamed the engine.........it still happens. I get about halfway done with my back yard and it sputters, revs and stalls - acts as if it is flooded. If I let it sit for 10 minutes or so it starts right back up and I can get another 10 or 15 minutes before it happens again. I am at a loss as to what the problem could be. It seems to be vapor lock so I wrapped the exhaust pipes in insulation to see if the heat was causing the gas to evaporate too quickly. It is a gravity fed system so no fuel pump. The gas cap vent is clear but I have ordered a new one just to see if that's the culprit. I also don't want to continue sinking money into it, but in poker terms I feel as though I am pot committed at this point.
So I guess I am just asking if any of you have experience with this stuff and what else could I look for? One of the things I haven't checked yet is the safety switches - could this be an issue with the way it is acting? And I have heard that the 87 octane gas can be the culprit.....is this possible even though I have used it for ten years???? The engine fins have been cleaned.
In short, I am at a loss. Is there anything any of you good people could recommend to me to troubleshoot at this time?
Thanks in advance,
Shawn
So I guess I am just asking if any of you have experience with this stuff and what else could I look for? One of the things I haven't checked yet is the safety switches - could this be an issue with the way it is acting? And I have heard that the 87 octane gas can be the culprit.....is this possible even though I have used it for ten years???? The engine fins have been cleaned.
In short, I am at a loss. Is there anything any of you good people could recommend to me to troubleshoot at this time?
Thanks in advance,
Shawn
