:( #@$%! Jay is dying on me! #@$%! :(

[allenlook]

Well, I was out mowing tonight - needed a little therapy after a really bad day, and I bottomed out the belly mower on a hump/stump. Stopped Jay up short.

Went to restart him and he was "pulsing", the governor was going in and out, so I pulled full choke and he ran fine for a minute and then died out.

Now he'll start up just fine and idle, but if I advance the throttle his governor will pump a few times and he'll die...

I looked up the recent "Sputterin'..." thread and got the following, which I intend to follow up on tomorrow,

====================
... inline filter? [Nope]

... Is the valve all the way on at the sediment bowl? [Yep]

... Is the screen blocked in the sediment bowl? [Will check tomorrow]

... Do you have a filter in the tank that is plugged? [Nope]

... Is the screen on the inlet of the carb plugged? [Will check tomorrow]

... Is the float correctly adjusted? [Dunno]

... Is the needle on the fuel inlet that the float uses to let fuel in sticking? [Dunno]

... Is the float binding? [Dunno]

... bent carb bowl? [Dunno]

... excessive sediment in the carb bowl? [Dunno]

... Are the jets clogged in the carb? [Dunno]

... weak coil? [Probl'y not?]
=====================

Anybody else got something really obvious and stupid that I should check on?

[Donny M]

Those are good places to start. Sorry bout Jay.

[allenlook]

Donny M,

Thanks for the sediments. Er, I mean sentiments.

[Bigdog]

If you came to a screeching halt it is possible that you may have done some damage to the governor or governor linkage.

[beaconlight]

Disconnect the linkage from the Governor to the carb. It is a clevis with a pinand cotter pin. The try to give it more gas and see what happens. If it good that way it eliminates most of the things on the check list and leads closer to what Big Dog said or maybe the coil was damaged by the shock opf a sudden stop..

[allenlook]

Thanks guys!

It wasn't a real "lurching stop" kind of thing, the deck just fetched up on a hillock and stalled out the motor, so there wasn't like a jarring collision or anything like that, but the motor got stalled out because the blades stopped turning, although not instantly, I'd say in less than a second.

I went back out and started Jay up and went and mowed some tall grass and he did OK but then he started sputtering again, and running really bad and I almost didn't make it back to the barn, I had to restart him 4 or 5 times to get 100 yards.

[beaconlight]

That part of the tale just brought us back to step one as I see it
Bill

[ljw]

allenlook,
My Cub was doing the same thing awhile back and I jumped off the tractor and "jiggled" the governor rod. It calmed right down. From that day forward, I would never give the governor a direct look, only a glancing look for fear of the same problem reoccurring. No, really I think that the rod had been displaced somehow and I reset it by the "jiggle". After all these years I think I've finally been able to not fix something that wasn't broken anymore.

ljw

[Jim Becker]

I suspect the incident stirred up some crud that had been quietly sitting in the bottom of the gas tank. Make sure the opening from the tank into the strainer isn't obstricted, clean the screens in the starainer and the inlet to the carburetor and you may be back in business.

Of course, the absolute first thing to check is the main jet in the carburetor because it is so easy.

[John Niekamp]

Allen,

Sorry to hear about your day and also about Jay. Really sucks when you have a bad day and then come home to even more trouble. Been there done that, WAY to many times.

I had about the same problem with my 8N Ford earlier this week. SINCE I have been trying to make Mary happy by "trying" to sell it. I have been placing it out in the front yard each morning befor going to work.

I have a street side curb that I have to jump to get it in my front yard and since the city has removed about 3 to 4 inches of blacktop to resurface the street. The curb it much higher now. I jumped it Tuesday morning and I noticed the thing started to run REAL rough, took the carb. apart the other night and there was real super fine sediments ( I mean SUPER fine) in the bottom of the carburetor bowl. I did not see any signs of sediments in the sediment bowl or the screen.

I suspect, the sudden jar from jumping the curb knocked some of it loose and clogged the jets. Cleaned everything out and she runs like a dream again.

Just for what it's worth. Tomorrow WILL be much better, It's FRIDAY!

John Niekamp

[Carm]

Mine mysteriously did the same thing, I found the carb butterfly hitting the manifold. It worked fine one day then it started acting up just like yours.

[allenlook]

Well, I figured everything out...

Took the float bowl off and cleaned it out - it was full of some kind of silver gasket putty that a previous owner had used to try to hold the fine screen in the top of the float bowl, mixed in with some years of gunk. The silver putty turned to skoodge in gasoline and all settled to the bottom. But that wasn't the problem.

The rubber fuel line was broken down near the carb, right at/under the little pipe clamp that holds it on, so I didn't find it right away, but quick enough. Everything else was OK and Jay runs fine now (with a nice clean sediment bowl.)

Soon as I turned on the gas under the tank, the sediment bowl got some more "coffee grounds" in it, so I took it off again and cleaned it out again. Now it looks nice and clean, but I can still see some sediment in the bottom of the tank. Not sure how I'm going to get it all out of there.

[George Willer]

Now it looks nice and clean, but I can still see some sediment in the bottom of the tank. Not sure how I'm going to get it all out of there.

Allen,

I'm sworn to not reveal the source, but if anyone tells you the exciting story about trying to remove it with their wife's favorite vacuum cleaner... it's not an urban legend!

[allenlook]

Wow! That must have been a heck of a show!

[beaconlight]

Turn off the fuel at the tank. Use a hose from the tank to a can, drain the tank till it has about a gallon left. keep cycling this last gallon through a coffee filter and the tank till all the gunk is gone. Filter the rest of the gas, return it to the tank and you will have a clean tank. You may have to clean the carb and the bowl again. This should do the job.
There is talk about having a tank treated but I don't know anything about that nor where to get it done in this part of the country.
Bill