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Tractor dies


KSever

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Was out blowing snow this morning with the Landlord for about 1 hour when suddenly the engine just quit. Didn't sound like a rod or piston so I tried to start it again but no go. Checked for gas and had gas running out of the carb real good and alot of gas when I pulled the spark plug out (spark plug was real wet). Checked for spark and had spark but I don't know if it was enough to get it going or not. This Briggs engine does have the electronic ignition that was installed last year and has run fine up until about a week ago. This also happened about a week ago but I put a little HEET in the gas and it started right off again. This time it wouldn't start at all. I finally had to push this tractor 600 feet to the garage where I thought I would try and change out the ignition. I temporarily wired the coil, points , and battery ignition off the Kohler and it started right up. So I spent about 2 hours after this and wired up the new ignition system back to the old points. tried to start it when I got this all wired up and no fire again.. Let it set for about 30 minutes while I had a warm cup of coffee and then it fired right up again. I did think about the flywheel shear pin but this ignition is not running off the flywheel (it's running off the external coil and battery). Got the tractor all back together and running but I don't trust it to run back out by the end of the driveway (600 feet) until I know it's not going to die again. My luck had a real good day today after I got this tractor running and back to snowblowing the belt broke on the blower so I finally went and got the 4211 with the blade but this tractor doesn't do too good with the blade in 9" of snow. So I am REAL open to everybody's ideas why this tractor died. Is it the carb was froze (but I had gas at the spark plug), was it the ignition (but it still didn't start after I wired it permanent until it sit for 30 minutes). Is it ?????? Please help
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Ill take a shot. Wet spark plug indicating a rich fuel mixture caused by .... snow got in the air cleaner and froze there in the foam air cleaner thus choking the engine of air. The snow got in the air cleaner area since you were blowing the snow with a snow blower, some of it found its way back to the air cleaner. That is my inital thoughts, but ill keep thinking about it. Ryan
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I ageee with Ryan. Remove the air cleaner and see if it starts up. Also an new spark plug might be in the works. I had a problem with one of my engines with a sometimes short. It took lots of looking to find the wire that would sometimes hit a piece of shroud. Good luck in the the troubleshooting.
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I was thinking of a short but all that could of shorted was changed out when I swapped the ignition including the key switch. This is a '64 Landlord so there are no safety switchs such as a seat switch. I was kinda leaning towards a freeze up of somewhere (carb) since it started happening after I installed the snowblower but I never thought about the carb filter intake. I'll have to look into that one, maybe try and blow the other direction if at all possible?
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I will take the opposite position. I think it is a problem with the carburator flooding the engine, or water in the fuel. Most times, a flooded engine will re-start if you let it sit awhile.
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Kris, I would still be suspicious of the the flywheel key being partially sheared or the magneto coil having an internal intermittent short/vibration sensitive problem. A snowblower puts very fast transient full WOT load on the moving masses of the engine. The fact that it fired right off with the battery coil bypass you did says to me that the timing has changed(ie sheared key) or the coil is flakey. My thoughts, Tom(PK)
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I think since you had gas running out the carb and a wet plug you either had moisture in your gas and it froze the float open or it froze up the carb and the float wouldn't shut off the fuel, be careful you don't get fuel runniing down into the oil. Old briggs rely heavily on the float to keep the fuel flow at a metered amount otherwise you flood out. Just my opinion.
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I would look for moisture or water in the fuel. I had a 3210 that I used mostly for blowing snow. It would sit most of the year, when the snow came I would replace the battery and run it. Several times it would die or just not run. It would have like a cup of water in the tank.
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I'll go with the carb/aircleaner iceing up. Without a winter kit to protect the carb, they get pretty covered with snow when blowing. Before I had my shop I'd cover the tractor with a large cardboard box to let it melt out and dry off.
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I think I'm going to have to make one of these before the next snow. [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/images/snow_ops/figure_9_small.jpg[/img]
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That's one rig there, If it could be extended to prevent governor Icing. Governor freezes on the tractor when I leave it outside. :D
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Kris, I ran into the air filter freezing over on my tractor with the blower on. It was still running but very rich which would give your problem with the wet plug. If it froze over bad enough it may block enough air till it simply wouldn't run at all. Good luck
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I had the same problem on my 16hp single cylinder Briggs when it was cold and wet.Used large aluminum serving trays to cover the engine,exhaust and carb .Cut them up with scissors to the necessary shapes to direct the hot air where I wanted it and held it together with small sheet metal screws.The exhaust and blower warm the carb,intake and fuel line.Works great!
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