Mower wont start after running for 1 hour

[Dirk9221]

My John Deere LA165 won't start after running for 1 hour. I have to jump it to get it started. I have replaced the battery and voltage regulator with no fix. The mower can sit for a week and still start. Any thoughts? :confused

 

[drizler]

My John Deere LA165 won't start after running for 1 hour. I have to jump it to get it started. I have replaced the battery and voltage regulator with no fix. The mower can sit for a week and still start. Any thoughts? :confused

Sounds like your alternator is not working.

 

[hunt4570]

Sounds like a bad starter.. it gets hot and things inside expand making it too tight to spin well or the solder on the commentator has gotten to hot and bled, extra power(jump start) will help. starting cold and not when hot is a perfect indicator.

 

[drizler]

Make oh so very sure that you have removed all the wires on the starter and made them and the posts shiny clean. That will give you a bad starter faster than anything. If in doubt take the starter off and to your local starter shop. They can load test it and almost always rebuild for far less than you can buy a new one. Pull the Neg wire off the post when it's running to see if the engine dies. That will check your alternator well enough then move on to the starter . Check those wires (alternator leads too) and make them shiny bright .

 

[mitch becton]

also as posted before about this condition valve adjustment will get off when theses motors get warm they cool off and will work fine and by the way i had the mower but it said sears on it when it got hot did same thing could turn motor pass compression most times it would start thats when i found out about the valve adjustment just a thought

 

[tbrooks26]

I second checking electrical connections, and grounds. My truck did the same thing and after trying 2 more starters, it ended up being the solenoid.

 

[Texasmark]

What about vapor lock? Fuel line goes right by the engine. Place to look would be the inline filter.

 

[drizler]

What about vapor lock? Fuel line goes right by the engine. Place to look would be the inline filter.

Along that line of thinking try running with the fuel cap loose. They like to get boogered up when old and if that's your tank vent like most it will stop flowing fuel when you can't get air in to replace the fuel used. It often takes quite a while to show up and when it does you won't notice the vacuum when you pull the cap loose either. Just test it with the cap loose to check. Another indication is that it dies on the run and when you open the drain on the carb base nothing comes out till you open the cap and it flows again. If you have a separate tank vent watch for mud dubber plugs. Those things are a true menace.

 

[Coyote machine]

Check the fuel filter and make sure the tank is venting as it should be, both cold and when warmed up. Do NOT disconnect any battery posts, negative or otherwise when the mower engine is running. This can take a good alternator and kill it. Make sure there is no corrosion at the battery posts, post clamps and anywhere either negative or positive cable connects to a part on the mower, or at the chassis. Look for corrosion under the plastic jacket at both cables near the ends. Be careful on the pos cable, first disconnect ground cable, then positive at battery post, THEN inspect the cable.

Check the battery's cell water levels and if they are below the split ring, fill with distilled water; wear glasses. NEVER add acid to a battery, not ever.

Load test the battery, after it is fully charged at a local Autozone or similar. One cannot do an accurate load test until the battery has been charged to full.

Verify that the alternator, if equipped is working properly. Put test leads on each battery post and see what voltage you read when starting cold. Then test when hot and no start is present. You should have around 14-14.25 Volts when the alternator is putting voltage out to the battery. Anything less and the alternator is not functioning right. To get an accurate output reading the battery must already be fully or close to full charge.

Add Marvel Mystery oil to the crankcase, and to the carb to see if you may have sticking valves or piston rings.
How many hours on the clock?

 

[DanGorena]

My John Deere LA165 won't start after running for 1 hour. I have to jump it to get it started. I have replaced the battery and voltage regulator with no fix. The mower can sit for a week and still start. Any thoughts? :confused

I ran into the same problem with my D130 mower. The problem was that somewhere along the line I replaced the battery with a battery that only supplied 160 CCV instead of 340 CCV. The battery was strong enough to start the mower after it sat for a while, but would not start the motor when it had been running for even a few minutes. I think it was because of the compression in the pistons after it ran for a while, which would go away after the mower sat for a while. Replacing with the correct battery solved the problem.