Ernest N Sheila 2 #1 Posted May 21, 2020 Hello , I am posting this because I cant figure out why this is happening.. First thing is first it is a WheelHorse C-81 with a Kohler K181 engine.. The problem we are having is it runs great but as soon as we engage the lawn mower it bogs out and stalls.. I have tweaked the carb and the spark plug is properly gapped to the .025 as required.. The deck belts move smoothly the blades spin. The belt from mule to the deck is in good condition It ran beautifully last summer it was stored in our garage over the winter and we took it out last week and it is acting like this.. What am I missing .. Any ideas? thank you for reading Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kasey54 305 #2 Posted May 21, 2020 There is a safety switch in the PTO activator. If its faulty the engine will quit like you turned it off when you engage the mower. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ernest N Sheila 2 #3 Posted May 21, 2020 5 minutes ago, kasey54 said: There is a safety switch in the PTO activator. If its faulty the engine will quit like you turned it off when you engage the mower. Could be , I will have to look for it.. (There is a switch under the seat could that be it?) I should be a little more clearer, it doesnt completely stall out immediately it bogs or slows down , then engine starts bucking (rev wait rev wait rev then sputters revs a bit more and dies) usally after maybe 5-10 minutes.. This is our first tractor type lawnmower.. No manuel no nothing just what I could find online.. (You tube , whatever Google threw at me) I was able to find a engine manual on here the other day for the engine at least.. Also I have a dipstick under the seat as well with a milkyish white goop.. First is it supposed to look like that and second what is it for.. (Yes I am sorry about the newbie questions , but lets face it I want to preserve this as long as possible they do not make these like this anymore , I know its an opinion but this is different then anything I have ever seen) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kasey54 305 #4 Posted May 21, 2020 No, doesn' t sound like the safety switch. I'm pondering. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 42,941 #5 Posted May 21, 2020 What kind of gas do you use? Sounds like you have ca-ca in the fuel bowl. They will put around and idle ok but put a load on it and it will start using more fuel and suck it from the bottom of the bowl. That crummy fuel will settle on the bottom and stay there unless it gets loaded up or drained. Sounds like a carb cleaning is in order 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kasey54 305 #6 Posted May 21, 2020 Milky gear lube is common. There is a shifter boot at the base of your gear selector, it has failed and allowed water in. The solution is to drain the gear box by removing the drain plug, jack the front of the tractor high. The gearbox has a hump built in that require you raise it to drain thoroughly.Most folks then add kerosene and and drive around a bit as a flush. , and drain again. This could be required more than once to thoroughly purge the milky oil. Next you purchase a new boot and install it. They can be found on line, or as I do order if from Wheel Horse Parts and more here in our vendor section. I just got some from him in fact. Great guy, good to deal with. Some use 30 weight oil, the manual calls for 90 weight gear lube to refill it. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,301 #7 Posted May 21, 2020 The c-81 is a 1978 or 1979 model. Here is what we have for the C-81. There are 2 pages of search results so look through them all because they are mixed up. https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/search/?q=c-81&quick=1&type=downloads_file Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeM 8,013 #8 Posted May 21, 2020 32 minutes ago, squonk said: idle ok but put a load on it and it will start using more fuel If you add a little choke when putting on the load it may confirm. Main jet probably is plugged. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 71,257 #9 Posted May 21, 2020 @Ernest N Sheila I'm about an hour north east of you in Hiram Maine so welcome (sort of neighbor)... I'd agree with the above thoughts and it sounds like the guys have got you headed the right direction. That C81 is a great rig that'll last a lifetime given some care. When you drain the transmission get the front end of the machine as high off the ground as you can safely do so. There's a bump in the middle of the transmission. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ernest N Sheila 2 #12 Posted May 22, 2020 2 hours ago, squonk said: What kind of gas do you use? Sounds like you have ca-ca in the fuel bowl. They will put around and idle ok but put a load on it and it will start using more fuel and suck it from the bottom of the bowl. That crummy fuel will settle on the bottom and stay there unless it gets loaded up or drained. Sounds like a carb cleaning is in order I use regular unleaded gasoline .. All I know about this tractor is our landlord dropped it off in Dec 2018 since we have a 10+ acre area to mow. The push mower was almost dead so he gave this to us to use. He acquired it a few years before and had it sitting in a storage area. He has no manual for it and doesn't know much about it.. He just said he filled it with gas and it ran . Which last spring/summer we just made sure it had engine oil and kept gas in it. It ran beautifully So from doing newer (I found an engine manual on here a few days ago) research, the engine is missing an air cleaner near the carb. So we cleaned the carb (didnt remove it yet just used carb cleaner) so looks like I have a lot to do , to get this to run beautifully once again 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Achto 28,999 #13 Posted May 22, 2020 58 minutes ago, Ernest N Sheila said: the engine is missing an air cleaner near the carb. No air cleaner on the engine can cause all kinds of bad issue. Specially in dusty conditions like mowing lawn. Definitely want to get an air cleaner on it. If you can post some pictures of you engine area, sometimes guys will notice things that might be giving you issues. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oliver2-44 10,456 #14 Posted May 22, 2020 Another simple thing to check, The gas cap should have a tiny vent hole in it check that it is open. It it is plugged, when you load the engine it creates a vacumn causing the engine to starve for fuel. When the engine sputters the vacumn is relieved a little, the returns as the engine speeds up. If cleaning the carb doesnt help, remove the fuel hose from the carb and crank it over you should have a good flow of gas spurting from the hose. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunahead72 2,522 #15 Posted May 22, 2020 7 hours ago, squonk said: What kind of gas do you use? Sounds like you have ca-ca in the fuel bowl. They will put around and idle ok but put a load on it and it will start using more fuel and suck it from the bottom of the bowl. That crummy fuel will settle on the bottom and stay there unless it gets loaded up or drained. Sounds like a carb cleaning is in order 6 hours ago, TractorJunkie said: If you add a little choke when putting on the load it may confirm. Main jet probably is plugged. These are two easy things to check. The fuel bowl can be removed by removing the nut on the bottom, then you can see what is inside and clean it out good with some kerosene or WD-40, whatever you have. And you can completely remove the main fuel needle from the top of the carb, clean that also and make sure the tip isn't bent or otherwise damaged. The needle may have a series of tiny holes along the shaft, you should make sure those are clear by spraying with some carb cleaner and gently poking them with a tiny wire, or a bristle from a paint brush. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clueless 3,132 #16 Posted May 22, 2020 16 hours ago, squonk said: What kind of gas do you use? Sounds like you have ca-ca in the fuel bowl. They will put around and idle ok but put a load on it and it will start using more fuel and suck it from the bottom of the bowl. That crummy fuel will settle on the bottom and stay there unless it gets loaded up or drained. Sounds like a carb cleaning is in order I think we now have a name for ethanol gas: Ca-Ca gas, thanks Mike . 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 42,941 #17 Posted May 22, 2020 6 minutes ago, clueless said: I think we now have a name for ethanol gas: Ca-Ca gas, thanks Mike . 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tom2p 2,394 #18 Posted May 22, 2020 13 hours ago, Achto said: No air cleaner on the engine can cause all kinds of bad issue. Specially in dusty conditions like mowing lawn. Definitely want to get an air cleaner on it. If you can post some pictures of you engine area, sometimes guys will notice things that might be giving you issues. agree - all kinds of bad issues and more crummy fuel, plugged jets or orifices etc will be the least of the problems if this tractor was used to cut grass for a significant length of time without air cleaner installed 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 71,257 #19 Posted May 22, 2020 14 hours ago, Ernest N Sheila said: gasoline Ernest there's a store on route 25 in Freedom New Hampshire that sells ethanol free gasoline 91 octane. Usually runs just below $4 per gallon. We burn that in all of our small engines and tractors. Sounds like you've got a couple things to address on your tractor but none of them are likely very serious. Please do post some pics when you can so we know what we're up against. We will get you back on track as soon as possible. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
