I sent my John Deere 318 to a local dealer for service after a winter in the barn. After 3 trips back, the tractor is all but unusable. At full throttle, once the PTO is engaged on a slight incline, the unit backfires and sputters to no end. The only way it will operate at all is at a slow crawl at 1/3 throttle max. I am at my wits end - the dealer says they ran 3 tanks of gas thru it, after tuning it the first time. HELP!!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Help with JD 318
- Thread starter KDOregon
- Start date
- Views: 2346
-
- Tags
- john deere 318
awlchu
Gold Member
KD,
1) Does the 318 have any safety switches (seat, mowing deck etc.)?
I could see if the seat switch is going bad the intermittent operation (cuts in/out) at WOT and with the deck running.
2) Plugged high-speed fuel circuit in the carb?
3) Dirty air filter
4) Bad Gas (3 tanks of gas, that's alot of running time!)
1) Does the 318 have any safety switches (seat, mowing deck etc.)?
I could see if the seat switch is going bad the intermittent operation (cuts in/out) at WOT and with the deck running.
2) Plugged high-speed fuel circuit in the carb?
3) Dirty air filter
4) Bad Gas (3 tanks of gas, that's alot of running time!)
KJO
Bronze Member
Does that have the Kohler engine? Did it run ok when you put it away last fall? If it did and nobody has messed with the valves, you could assume that the valves are adjusted correctly. Aside from that, you should try and nail down whether it is a fuel problem, or an ignition problem.
Could be the dealership cleaned the carburetor and incorrectly adjusted the carburetor float level. It might run ok at slow speed, but starve for fuel wide open. Kohlers also have a mechancal fuel pump which, if worn out, will not pump enough fuel. Does the engine smoke any. Black smoke would indicate a rich condition...too much fuel. You could pull out the sparkplugs and check them for color. Black/sooty appearance would indicate too much fuel. Very light brown, nearly white would indicate too little fuel. You could also check the points gap, which if incorrect will impact the timing of the engine. I would assume the dealership would have checked the most obvious things such as point gap and sparkplug gap. If the condenser was replaced, could be you got a bad one. If you have a nice blue spark, that probably isn't it.
Can be frustrating figuring it all out, but if you take a methodical approach and if you can eliminate a few possiblities you can usually locate the problem eventually.
Could be the dealership cleaned the carburetor and incorrectly adjusted the carburetor float level. It might run ok at slow speed, but starve for fuel wide open. Kohlers also have a mechancal fuel pump which, if worn out, will not pump enough fuel. Does the engine smoke any. Black smoke would indicate a rich condition...too much fuel. You could pull out the sparkplugs and check them for color. Black/sooty appearance would indicate too much fuel. Very light brown, nearly white would indicate too little fuel. You could also check the points gap, which if incorrect will impact the timing of the engine. I would assume the dealership would have checked the most obvious things such as point gap and sparkplug gap. If the condenser was replaced, could be you got a bad one. If you have a nice blue spark, that probably isn't it.
Can be frustrating figuring it all out, but if you take a methodical approach and if you can eliminate a few possiblities you can usually locate the problem eventually.
No it has the Onan engine. Yes it did run OK last fall and I actually got it started this spring and drove it up to the house. After that, it would'nt start, just clicked. That's why I took it in.
Last season I replaced the fuel pump and hoses., so it was running great last year. After the dealer "tuned" it and I sent it back, thye replaced the seat switch. I still have the same problem though.
Last season I replaced the fuel pump and hoses., so it was running great last year. After the dealer "tuned" it and I sent it back, thye replaced the seat switch. I still have the same problem though.
JDgreen227
Super Member
I've got an '89 318 with the Onan engine and 1300 hours. About 3 years ago it began cutting out, it was getting ample fuel but the electric power would just stop like I had cut it off with the key switch. I replaced the key switch, the pto switch, the seat safety switch, with no success. Did some research online and there is an inline circuit breaker under the battery tray , under the right side panel (right side as you are seated) that supports the dash....an electrical short will trigger this breaker and cause numerous starting and running problems. I found a frayed wire under the battery tray which I taped around and replaced the breaker and my JD runs fine. The fuses and fuse holders near the battery itself are also prone to corrosion in the contacts, I'm not sure if this info will help but I have never had fuel related problems on my 318, however I replace the fuel line hoses every 6 years and the fuel filter every year.