Cub Cadet LT1045 fuel pump issues

[Santa Craig Cringle]

Have a Cub Cadet LT1045 with a 20 hp Briggs & Stratton Intek Extended Life Series V-Twin. Cannot get it to start. It died last winter right before I parked it.

Thus far,
1. Replaced the spark plugs (needed done anyway), matched gap to the old spark plugs.
2. Sprayed starter fluid in air intake. Started and then died immediately. (Aha! Fuel starvation.)
3. Removed hose from Briggs & Stratton Fuel Pump outlet and cranked engine - no fuel coming out. Replaced fuel pump, vacuum hose, and fuel filter (also needed done anyway).
4. Cranked engine, no fuel coming out the pump again.
5. Removed hose from fuel pump inlet, blew compressed air through and confirmed no blockage in the line. Got bubbles in the fuel tank.
6. Reattached hose to fuel pump and cranked engine. Fuel filter filled with fuel. No fuel from fuel pump outlet. Line from fuel filter to fuel pump is full.

Frustrated as ****. Did I get a bad fuel pump? Took it apart and diaphragms are all intact. Carefully reassembled, and tested again. Still the same issue.

The only thing I can think of at this point is there must be a crack in the fuel line that is causing loss of vacuum. Is there easy way to confirm that without removing the fuel line?

Any other suggestions?

 

[JRobyn]

My guess would still be the line from the tank to the fuel pump. Quite possible that it would pass air from the pump back to the tank but then suck closed when the flow is the other way. Big part of why I suspect this is my BIL's Husqvarna had exactly this issue. Ethanol fuel had swelled the insides of the fuel line almost closed and when the fuel pump tried to draw fuel, it DID close.

 

[tomplum]

For a test , you could drop some fuel line in a gas can , hook it to the pump and see if it lifts. As JRobyn has pointed out, lines can fail. Briggs pumps that I have don't come apart. Do you have a Walbro one or? The pump is hopefully labeled for the pulse line and which are the return and inlets. It is possible that this pump is reversed from the old.