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I have a Weed Eater Lawn Tractor with a 16.5 Tecumseh OHV. I bought it about 10 years ago and 2 years ago had an issue with it not wanting to start. They put a carb rebuild kit and new coil on it. Now two years later it will run for about 20 minutes or so and under load of mowing and an uphill grade it simply dies. It is OK if I give it time to cool off again. I just had a repair shop put an entire new carb on it for about $160 dollars after I put a new air filter, spark plug, fuel line, inline filter, gas cap, checked cooling fins, and even said a nice prayer. What am I missing?
Optional Information: Make: Weed Eater 42" Lawn Tractor Model: Tecumseh 16.5 OHV XXX XXXXXXX Already Tried: I have a Weed Eater Lawn Tractor with a 16.5 Tecumseh OHV. I bought it about 10 years ago and 2 years ago had an issue with it not wanting to start. They put a carb rebuild kit and new coil on it. Now two years later it will run for about 20 minutes or so and under load of mowing and an uphill grade it simply dies. It is OK if I give it time to cool off again. I just had a repair shop put an entire new carb on it for about $160 dollars after I put a new air filter, spark plug, fuel line, inline
Welcome to JUST ANSWER small engines, let me try to help you !!
Have the valves ever been adjusted? >004 in. is the lash. If valves are too tight, engine can loose clearance and power, then will not restart when hot.
It would be good idea to check for spark when unit quits, use spare spark plug, when unit quits, remove spark plug wire, attach the spare plug, and with plug grounded, see if there is spark.
If you have spark, I would want to check the valves for clearance.
Let me know. Thank you.
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Starting is not the issue here. It sputters and dies under load going uphill after 20 minutes or so. If I let it roll back down the hill to a level spot, it will start back up again but will not run properly until it cools off sufficiently.
Relist: Inaccurate answer.
Hello I'm PopDaddy and I want to assist you in your DIY project! Let's figure out your challenge today...I would test the coil, it sounds as though it is failing when it gets hot.You can test it when you have ran it till it's good and hot and when it sputters and dies, hook up an inline spark detector and crank the engine and see if there is any bright blue spark. no spark - replace the coil. Also by the age of your unit there is a possibility that your rings are on the way out. engine gets hot and expands the cylinder until it exceeds the diameter of the rings and you will have a compression loss. Let me know and only rate my work if you get your answer! good luck :)
I have been talking to other individuals and I have not seen any smoke and don't seem to be using any excess oil that worn rings or valves would indicate. Any other suggestions?
I am tending to believe it is starving for fuel after it gets "hot" or the coil has either gone bad or is failing when hot. What are your thoughts? This seems to be a tough one!
A "vapor lock" could be an issue, make sure all fuel lines are not next to something hot.I would lean toward the coil going bad as I mentioned earlier
Experience: Shop owner & tech for 20 yrs.
I still am running this tractor when the weather is cooler and letting it cool down after every 20 minutes or so. A coil for this particular model is around $100 and don't want to simply throw expensive parts at it. The answers I have received so far have been all but definate. It may be a coil but as I mentioned it was replaced 2 years ago. The mechanic that replaced it only charged me $45 for it and online they seem to be around $90 to $100 for a genuine coil. This makes me wonder.