4200 HST Losing Power

wnooitge · Jun 6, 2008

Hi Egon,

I emptied the radiator fully. I added water to a cool engine and added a bottle of radiator flush. I ran the tractor for about 20 minutes and drained the radiator fully. A lot of crud came out so I waited till the engine cooled and ran some water through it until the water was clear. I then filled the radiator with Prestone pre-dilutted 50/50. Does that sound right? Just to throw something out, could the thermostat be failing?

Thanks for replying so quickly.

kennyd · Jun 6, 2008

Here is a thought:
Your mower is raised and lowered via a Rear Remote (3rd SCV) correct? The cable that goes from the lever down to the valve is known for sticking. I am thinking your lever is not returning to neutral, and the valve is staying open causing your hydraulics to overheat very quickly by going into relief mode.

Does the lever operate smoothly?

wnooitge · Jun 6, 2008

kennyd, The lever seems to be operating smoothly. Is there something that I should be greasing where the cable attaches to the valve? Could the leaky coupler cause the hydraulics to go into relief mode?

kennyd · Jun 6, 2008

A leaky coupler will NOT cause ant of your problems! Unfortunately, it's not a lack of grease issue. It's just the cable inside the sheath that's gets tight. Just make sure the lever is centered.

wnooitge · Jun 6, 2008

kennyd, Thanks for the suggestion. Next time I go out I'll make sure the lever is centered.

wnooitge · Jun 7, 2008

Egon, this is a re-post so that my reply to you didn't get lost in the thread.

I emptied the radiator fully. I added water to a cool engine and added a bottle of radiator flush. I ran the tractor for about 20 minutes and drained the radiator fully. A lot of crud came out so I waited till the engine cooled and ran some water through it until the water was clear. I then filled the radiator with Prestone pre-dilutted 50/50. Does that sound right? Just to throw something out, could the thermostat be failing?

Thanks for replying so quickly.

Well I'm off to push mow 5 acres.

gary_dsc · Jun 7, 2008

Been there, done that. I wish I were closer to you. I'd be happy to help you out. Sounds like it might be time to get the dealer involved.

wnooitge · Jun 10, 2008

I'm changing the thermostat tonight, I'll let you know if it cures my ills.

Boris1 · Jun 10, 2008

Hello,

I had a similar problem and it was caused by debris in the fuel tank. The rust particle would gravitate to the fuel intake after 15-20 mins of operation restricting the flow and run fine after sitting for awhile? Just a thought.Hope it helps?

Matt