12 hp carb problem

heehaw · Aug 30, 2002

i have a 12hp kohler on the wheel horse i use to mow with, last week, while mowing along, it started slowing down, i pushed the choke about half way on, and it ran fine. I finished mowing, then raised the hood and adjusted on the carb till it ran ok again, without the choke on. but i could make a couple rounds, and it would start the same thing, put the choke on an it runs?? readjust the carb, actually just turn the screw up an down, and it ends up in the same spot, and it runs fine for a couple more rounds?? anyone got any ideas??
heehaw

Thomas · Aug 30, 2002

By chance do you have a fuel filter or maybe the carb need to be clean..also does the engine miss fire..maybe some water in the gas tank etc..just a thought.

RJohnson · Aug 30, 2002

heehaw
I had the same problem on an 18 horse Sears my brother gave me. I replaced the fuel filter with on of those clear plastic ones and thought I had it fixed. After running for a while I could see that the gas was being used faster than it was being replinished. Ended up having to remove the tank and found that the elbow out of the bottom of the tank was clogged with old grass clipping. Cleaned it out and it ran fine. Hope this helps.

Randy

s1120 · Aug 30, 2002

Check the vent in the cap. It it plugs up, the gas can not be sucked out of the tank. After it sits for awile, it will relive some of the vacuum in the tank, and run for a wile.

heehaw · Sep 24, 2002

finally got around to checkin the carb last night, all sorts of junk in the bowl, so i pulled the fuel filter off, one of those little red jobbers, well, you could see right thru the thing, from one end to the other..so i put on a new clear one. i will try running it again this wk-end, hopefully this will solve the problem.
thanks for all the suggestions
heehaw

Molerj · Sep 26, 2002

Sounds like dirty fuel is what caused your problem. You may want to disconnect your
fuel line before the filter & flush out the tank. If it isn't too hard, remove the tank &
clean it out. On the carb. a little carburetor cleaner may be in order. Use the straw &
spray in all the holes & orifices. Remove the adjustment screws & spray thru there also.

heehaw · Sep 26, 2002

good idea, thanks..the gas tank is plastic, so i always thought it wouldn't have these problems, but i was looking in the spout of one of my red plastic 2 gal gas containers, and the bottom of it appears to have a bunch of crud in it too???
heehaw

lblair · Sep 27, 2002

Before you remove all the jet screws heres a tip. Screw them all the way in while counting the turns so that when you put them back in you can bottom them out and then back them off the right amount for your starting adjustments after cleaning. This way here you know where they all were before you removed them. Just my 2 cents, Larry