Oil & Fuel MF 135 Tractor Dies on Throttle. Need Help!

[slhilbert]

I have a MF 135. I am having an issue where the tractor starts and runs fine for a minute or two and then it just idles down until it dies. If I back off the throttle then it will continue to idle and sort of sputter. However, if I try to give it any throttle at all it dies.

If I then immediately restart the tractor then it will start, but if I give it any throttle it dies.

If I let it sit for a bit and then start the tractor it starts up and I give it gas and it will take it for a bit, and then throttles down and dies like before.

This started happening after a plug wire came out of the distributor cap while I was bush hogging.

I replaced all the plug wires and plugs at that time and that didn't fix the issue.

I then replaced the distributor cap and that did fix the issue.

Again I was bush hogging and a plug wire came out and replacing the distributor cap again fixed the problem.

Now it is doing it again, but I don't believe the plug wire came out this time. I replaced the distributor cap and that didn't solve the problem this time.

The carb is leaking gas pretty heavily, so I need to rebuild it, but I don't know if that is just a secondary problem or the root of the problem.

I made a video that shows what I am trying to describe above

I appreciate any help someone can give me in figuring out how to solve this. Snow has started and the 600 FT driveway won't clear itself

Thanks,
Stuart

 

[murphy1244]

Try cleaning out the gas tank, I think you have some junk in there.

 

[slhilbert]

So how does one clean out the gas tank exactly? disconnect the sediment bowl and then flush it with water or something like that?

 

[murphy1244]

So how does one clean out the gas tank exactly? disconnect the sediment bowl and then flush it with water or something like that?

Take off the connector to the tank and flush with Diesel or gas. See if something is in there first. I think you have rust in the tank but I might be wrong as I'm prone to do.

 

[Ranchero50]

Yeah, runs about long enough to suck the bowl dry. Should run better with the choke pulled.

Turn off the fuel, remove the fuel line from the carb and turn the fuel back on to see how much gas flows out the line. If it's barely dripping you have a filter problem.

PITA but it's easier to let it drip drain overnight into a 5 gallon bucket. You'll end up having to take the shut off petcock and bowl assy out of the tank and clean the prefilter. Mine was pretty funky with old gas.

While you are at it pull the carb off and tear it down. A complete rebuild takes about an hour, a carb kit and a couple cans of carb cleaner.

 

[redman135]

Hello, it sounds very similar to what happened with my 135 diesel, same symptoms.
Cause : dirty fuel had blocked fuel inlet (on diesel models the inlet can't be seen from the fuel cap)
Under the fuel tank is a fitting/tap that the fueline conects to. Disconnect the fuel line,fuel should run out in a stream.If fuel is dribbling out then the tap is full of rust/ junk, and strangling the fuel flow. You will have 2 choices, remove the tank and clean, or use compressed air to blow the tap clear. REMOVE fuel cap FIRST. NB, I tried to clean the tank out and couldn't get it all, so 2 or 3times a year a squirt of compressed air kept the fuel line clear.

 

[Jerry/MT]

"The carb is leaking gas pretty heavily, so I need to rebuild it, but I don't know if that is just a secondary problem or the root of the problem."

It sounds like a lack of fuel delivery or a flooding problem based on the above statement. What do the plugs look like? If they look normal, I'd suspect a lack of fuel delivery or misadjustment of the carb (too lean). Check the spark also.It should be fat and bluish white, the color of lightning.

If they are sooty, then I'd suspect flooding (stuck open float valve, leaking floats, etc). carb could be misadjusted overly rich also but that would not cause "...leaking gas pretty havilly..." observation.

You need to do somemore trouble shooting to nail it down.

 

[shona13]

G'day .
Turn the fuel of at the fuel tap on the glass fuel bowl,disconnect the fuel line that connects to the glass bowl and turn the fuel tap ALL THE WAY OUT the fuel should run out at a good rate ,about a cupfull in 30.40 seconds ,if the fuel starts of fast then slows down, close the fuel tap and unscrew the complete assembly from the fuel tank,keep a piece of wire handy and as the fuel is running out push the wire up inside the tank and give it a good wiggle this will help remove any pieces of rubbish inside the tank.
The fuel bowl/tap assembly ,carefully remove the small tube type pre filter and give it a good clean out then ,if you look at the fuel tap there is a small screw and a plate that stop the fuel tap coming all the way out ,take the screw and the plate of and unscrew the tap all the way out,get a piece of wire and clean out the fuel tap ,finishing of by washing in clean fuel and blowing out with compressed air ,be carefull ,reassemble putting thread sealer on the assembly that fits into the tank,this will eliminate the possibility of fuel starvation to the carburetor.
This wont cost much and the fuel you drain out can be used to clean the tractor .

If you decide to reuse the fuel I would filter it through an old sock or maybe mums undergarment
,P.S.make sure there is no water in it.
If you still have the problem let me know and I will carry on from here.
happy days.
Hutch

 

[The kid]

Hello. If your going to drain the tank, Shona is spot on. Remove the bowl assembly and disassemble it. There is basically two debris catchers. One stands up like a mesh pipe inside the tank. One is inside the bowl. Either or both could be clogged. There could be fuel varnish built up on the mesh filters or a lot of trash on the bottom. If you drain your tank down. Take a flashlight and a mechanics mirror ( on a rod ) and look towards the back of the tank inside to see if there is any sediment on the bottom of the tank. If so, as suggested. Remove the tank and rinse it out. One could put a wire brush attached to a long wire and try to scrub that area of the tank and rinse with diesel. A little diesel left in the tank is no big deal once you refill with good gas. You might also address that gas leak on the carb. Could be a float problem not opening up which would stop gas flow, but if the bowl is going dry then look from there to the gas for the problem. -kid

Shona.. You old goat, we've missed your wisdom.. You've been busy I presume chasing roo's smile:

 

[slhilbert]

I appreciate everyone's input.
This past weekend I did as you said and took off the sediment bowl and run, captured and filter a lot of gas through the tank. At first I was getting chunks of stuff, but by the end it was clean. I happened to have a replacement sediment bowl, fuel shutoff assembly valve thingy that I had purchased so I put that on. Took the carb off and it is pretty gnarly in there. Also one of the gaskets was broken between the upper and lower assembly of the carb.

I had purchased a carb rebuild kit, but everything is too small to fit my carb and I have had trouble identify the carb I have. I have a three cylinder, perkins, gas with a zenith carb. If anyone knows where I can get a rebuild kit for it I would appreciate it. It does have an electrode on the button that is wired to the ignition to help stop the engine I believe, if that is helpful.

The air hose from the air filter was cracked and had a good hole in it so I will have to replace that too.

Hopefully one of these things will get this puppy going.

Thanks,
Stuart