John Deere 170 fuel problem

[geckman2]

I have a John Deere 170 and it will run for about 10 minutes and then will die. If i disengage the blades sometimes it will continue to run but once I re-engage the blades it starts to die. If I let it set overnight it will again run okay for about ten minutes but then die again. It seems like it only occurs once the engine warms up. I have replaced the fuel pump and the filter but still does the same thing. I rigged up a fuel tank that is above the carbuerator (gravity flow) and it works fine for as long as I want to mow. Could it be a leak in one of the fuel lines or possibly the vacuum line from the engine block that works the fuel pump?

 

[DJ54]

Sounds more like a ventilation problem in your fuel tank, causing a vacuum.

 

[geckman2]

Ran with gas cap off and still had the problem.

 

[geckman2]

Ended up taking the fuel tank off and pulling the fuel pick-up tube out of the tank. The pick-up tube was partially blocked with what appeared to be pieces of rust. Blew it out and am now putting it back together. I will post once I get it running. My tank actually had a vent tube that keeps it from creating a vacuum. Not sure if it came from the factory that way. Thanks chiming in!!