Twohorses 2 #1 Posted June 6, 2014 My 1999 312-8 had been giving me ignition problems and finally crapped out. Turns out that the magneto had gone south and a replacement did the trick. I bought this one new and it has been my go to machine even though I still have my 1969 Raider 12. My big surprise was the amount of dirt inside the fan housing. I'm just surprised that this engine survived and did not overheat. My Fall PM routine is to now include pulling all the tins and the housing to clean away the dust and dirt. (No mice or other critters that I could detect) Bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wheel-N-It 2,967 #2 Posted June 6, 2014 Thats good preventitive maintenance Bob. I think I should do the same thing to all of mine as a Winter project. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 924 #3 Posted June 6, 2014 I had the same problem with my 1998 314. When I took off the engine should it was packed solid with dirt! Maybe it was poor maintenance by the PO, or maybe the small diameter fan intake (it is much smaller than either the M14 of K321) results in stagnation points inside the shroud Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twohorses 2 #4 Posted June 6, 2014 Doc: good point that the intake is much smaller. Not sure what to do about it other than to just keep after it and keep it clean. I have been wondering if this CH series is as good as the K or Magnums. This was my first real problem in 15 years, but it is an eye opener. Bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thehorse 221 #5 Posted June 21, 2014 After mowing, I always give the tractor a good going over with the leaf blower, focusing on the engine should while running. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites