John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies

   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #1  

TxFig

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
33
Location
Texas
Tractor
John Deere 3032e
I swear this thing has me so mad, I'm going to just get a case of dynamite and blow this thing up... After years of having wal-mart **** mowers, i the fall of 2017 (16 months ago) I finally broke down and decided to buy a John Deere ZTrack M535 zero-turn mower. Bought it directly from John Deere - not a retail outlet.

Paid a boatload of money for it.


... and now, with only 62 hours on it (16 months later), it runs like a piece of ****.


About every other time I go out, it will start run for 3 hours or so. But after a while, it will start sputtering and then die - acting like it's not getting any gas. I check and the gas tank is still 1/2 full. But I dutifully fill it up the rest of the way - the mower will eventually start, run for a few minutes (cycling between running then dying), then die again after just 1 or 2 minutes.


I have drained the gas tank, thinking maybe some water got in the tank.
I have replaced the fuel filter.
I have replaced the air filter.
I buy premium gas 93-octane... and that's when I can't find ethanol free gas.


If I leave it sitting for a week, we can repeat the process - including it running for 2-3 hours. Which tells me it is NOT simply "bad gas".

I have had the mower into a repair shop 3 times this spring. He drains the tank - fills it up, and it runs for 10 minutes and he calls and says it's fixed.
What in the @$&BO*(&)*@#@ is wrong with this thing?


The longer this goes on, the more I am convinced this is a design defect in this mower. I am quickly becoming one of the worst PR spokesmen for John Deere they have had in this area.
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #2  
Print out what you just wrote, and hand it to the dealer. I assume this is still under warranty? Give them a chance to fix it right, then update this thread after it is done. Just trying to talk you down off the ledge:confused3: We Al get frustrated. If the dealer won't help you, contact JD headquarters.

Good luck.
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #3  
What for a motor did they stuff in there ? I’ve seen electronic modules do that when they are failing, also coils.
Once started my ‘86 F250 plow truck with a snow ball by cooling down the module, guy from the repair shop across the street wouldn’t have been anymore surprised if I had grown a second head !
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #5  
It could be good to bring a pair of pliers with and pop the fuel line clamp at the pump to confirm that you have fuel that far. Bring also a small tin so you don't spill over a hot muffler. These pull fuel out of the top of the fuel tank, thus pine needle / grass debris can start to build in the pick up or line.
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #6  
I was thinking more along the lines of Groundcover's comment around electrical. Gas is either bad or it ain't. Carbs either work or they don't. Compression is either there or it ain't. Spark plugs, coils, electrical etc. can kinda 'play games'. Works fine one minute, then don't. Easy to swap plugs. Costs more for coils/ignition, but, like Ink said, the JD dealer should honor the machine and help.

Let us know what it turns out being.
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #7  
Fuel cap vent clogged?

Non vented caps since 2012. Either will have a second line going to a charcoal canister or a second line going to the low vacuum side of the air intake.
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #8  
Was this issue ever solved? This sounds like the exact same issue as I am having currently, except I am barely getting 20 to 30 minutes before the issue starts. Mower on has 82 hours. My next step is to take it to the dealer, but I wanted to avoid the added cost.

Thanks
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Was this issue ever solved? This sounds like the exact same issue as I am having currently, except I am barely getting 20 to 30 minutes before the issue starts. Mower on has 82 hours. My next step is to take it to the dealer, but I wanted to avoid the added cost.

Thanks

Not really - but I did discover what was causing it and a very EASY "workaround".

Basically there is no filter inside the gas tank, so crap (grass clippings) can get into it. This causes the fuel line leading out of the tank to the motor to get clogged.
The "fix" is to disconnect the fuel line at the fuel filter and take my air compressor and blow air backwards (back toward the tank). This blows all of the crud out of the way and allows the gas to flow freely. It takes about 2 minutes and I am back in business.

IMHO, this is still a crappy design by John Deere - there should be a screen or something to keep crap out of the tank.
 
   / John Deere ZTrak runs, then dies #10  
I use this it has a screen. I'd add an inline fuel filter if it doesn't have one.
2023_03_19_16.43.09.jpg
 
 
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