mattd860 161 #1 Posted April 11, 2012 I can't keep the K161 on my Wheel Horse 753 running. The motor starts right up whether it's cold or hot but after it runs for a few minutes, it stalls. I just changed the gas, verified the fuel pump is working, and soaked/cleaned the carb with carb cleaner. It's definitely a fuel problem because if I spray a little starter fluid in the carb when it wants to stall, it will keep running. When the motor does run, it runs smooth and sounds great. The only noticeable problem I can see is that the carb bowl gasket is worn and a tiny bit of gas seeps past it in one area. A new one is on order. Assuming that's not the problem, can the old metal fuel pump not be delivering enough fuel??? It does pump fuel but not all that fast. Any other ideas? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelly 1,028 #2 Posted April 11, 2012 Is the cap venting right? open it as it sputters to see if it helps, with a full tank you should be able to run it with a fuel pump, the weight of the gas and being higher than the carb it should be good, many other brand tractors don't use fuel pumps, only gravity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boovuc 1,090 #3 Posted April 11, 2012 Hi Matt, Does it stall when open at full throttle or does it stall at idle after a few minutes? Does it stall a full throttle quicker than it does at idle? Is there a fuel filter on it that could be constricted? You could also have a clogged screen in the tank if it's still there. If you have real old fuel lines, they can actually swell partially closed and that can create what you have stated above. The seeping around the bowl shouldn't shut it off unless your losing a lot of fuel around it. My 867 actually dripped fuel from a bad bowl gasket but kept running. If the fuel pump spits a good deal of gasoline under pressure, that should be sufficient to keep it running. If it isn't spitting it out with some good noticable spurts, that may be the culprit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattd860 161 #4 Posted April 11, 2012 I disconnected the fuel line at the fuel pump and let the gas drain into a cup. The fuel flowed very quickly and freely so the fuel filter is not clogged and the gas tank cap appears to be venting properly. Also, there is no screen i the gas tank. The tractor mostly stalls under medium and high throttle. It will run very smooth and steady and then all of a sudden die. I did notice that the fuel pump doesn't 'spit' the gas out like other ones I've seen. It does flow gas out of the line but the gas just dribbles out of it. I have a spare plastic pump from my C-161 that I will install to see if it fixes anything. I will also try bypassing the fuel pump entirely because Kelly is right - the gas tank will gravity feed the fuel to the motor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CRE1992 135 #5 Posted April 11, 2012 Matt I think it might have to do with the fact that the gas is leaking around the bowl. I had an engine that would not run right it would either surge or stall. Turned out that after I replaced the fuel bowl gasket it ran perfect. I believe it was causing some sort of air leak and affecting the mixture. Does it start right back up after it stalls out? If not you might need a new coil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattd860 161 #6 Posted April 12, 2012 The problem seems to be solved. The fuel filter definitely wasn't 'spitting' out the fuel when manually activated so I bypassed it completely. I drove it around my neighborhood for a good 15 minutes without any stalling. Now... should I get a replacement fuel pump or just keep it bypassed? What's the point of a fuel pump if it works without one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CRE1992 135 #7 Posted April 12, 2012 Is it a metal fuel pump? The new ones are plastic, however Brian (Buckrancher) has a rebuild kit for the metal ones I believe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
