engine wont keep goin

[boatman]

HI GUYS ive got a poor penshioner neighbour an he has just been round to my door asking if i know whats up with his small tractor lawn mower as its a john derre so good make but it will START ok but not keep running an its about 20 yrs old can any body help him as i told him i think its this E10 petroll what do you think guys
chris

[Mark1]

I think you can buy an additive for e10 petrol, for older engines,could be worth a try. Failing that it could be a fuel supply issue or maybe just time for a good service.

[Tim Marlow]

If you think it’s the E10, which it could well be, drain it out and try super unleaded. He should be able to check fuel suitability with John Deere. I believe E10 can damage the engine for the few engines that are not compatible, so best not to use it without checking. Super unleaded is still E5 compatible though. Sue has to use it in her old Volkswagen Polo, which won’t use E10..

[peterairfix]

Fuel starvation?
If its 20 years old the fuel system could do with going through if there is a filter could need changing also if there is a air filter check that to.

[boatman]

OK CHEERS guys i'll nip next door an tell him your answers
cheers chris

[Tim Marlow]

How old is the fuel in the mower Chris? Unleaded fuel is only good for about six months. After that the ethanol in the fuel absorbs too much moisture from the air to work properly.

[Tim Marlow]

Just had a read on the John Deere website and they say any engine of theirs made since the 1980s will be E10 compatible. It could well be the age of the fuel, or simply needing a service of the plugs, fuel system, and air filter, just like a car!

[boatman]

HI Tim thanks for the info just been round talking to the gent an his fuel in the mower he just got this afternoon but i stil think its that petroll but he's got a chap comin to see him tomorrow morn to sort it out but many thanks for your help
chris

[Tim Marlow]

No probs Chris. Hope he gets it sorted out.

[Mini Me]

Had this happen on my old walk behind TORO Commercial (35 years old)..........Dirty Carb. caused by storing with fuel in it with out adding stabilizer to the fuel then running it to get it into the carb. Once carb was cleaned and fresh fuel added it purred like a kitten. Rick H.

[Ian M]

My Ride on was very unstable at start up and would always 'pulse'. popped into the car parts shop and got a fuel filter for a small engine. (motor bike one I think it was). Changed the fuel filter and it worked like a charm Starts fine and is much more stable running.
Winter will see the carb getting a clean out.
Also for the winter I tend to run things dry and if needed pour some "synthetic fuel" in the tank as that does not degrade over the winter. Lets face it, a chain saw is quite handy to have ready to run in winter. (well in our place it is. Heavy rain and high winds are not kind to trees some times.

[boatman]

My Ride on was very unstable at start up and would always 'pulse'. popped into the car parts shop and got a fuel filter for a small engine. (motor bike one I think it was). Changed the fuel filter and it worked like a charm Starts fine and is much more stable running.
Winter will see the carb getting a clean out.
Also for the winter I tend to run things dry and if needed pour some "synthetic fuel" in the tank as that does not degrade over the winter. Lets face it, a chain saw is quite handy to have ready to run in winter. (well in our place it is. Heavy rain and high winds are not kind to trees some times.

HI Ian well my nighbour has a chap comin this morn to have a look at this ride on tractor mower but i think its that petroll an like the guys are sayin it needs a servcie but he got the age wrong its not 20 yrs old but he shew me the bill as he bought it new an it was dated 2009 so its about 12 to 13 yrs old but in all that time he's only had it servcied once but he's gonna let me know what the trouble is when he gets it fixed
but thanks for your info
chris

[Tim Marlow]

Interesting…..I would say the need for a service is the issue if he’s only had it done once since purchase. After all, you wouldn’t expect a car to run reliably without one. I change the oil, clean and regap the plug, sharpen the blades, and sort the filters on my Mountfield at the start of every season….it’s about fifteen years old and always starts first pull. Anything to stop me having to actually use it to cut the grass LOL.
This thread has alerted me to the availability of fuel stabilisers for unleaded petrol as well, so from next year I’ll use them. I sometimes find it hard to go through a gallon of fuel in six months, and E10 will probably degrade even quicker than E5.

[Mini Me]

I use Ethanol free 91 octane fuel.....I know it is hard to get but it doesn't break down as quickly in storage as I need it all winter for my snow plow. I keep 20 gal. on hand and stabilize it at a rate of 1 oz. per 2.5 gal. lasts all winter with no operational problems for the past 15 years. Rick H.

[spanner570]

Chris.
Nothing to do with your neighbour's problem (seems like it's sorted anyway) and I hope you don't mind the high-jack, but if you or members on here fancy watching a superb film about an old man travelling 260 miles on a sit-on lawn mower, take some time out and watch 'The Straight Story' Directed by David Lynch and based on a true story, it is sheer magic.......

Once again, sorry for going off on a tangent....

Ron