# JD 110 Dies after 30 min



## iahunter11

I have a 72 JD 110 with kohler 10hp motor.. It runs fine for about 30 min and then it dies and you cannot keep it running after that... You have to let it sit for a couple hours before it will run again... Anyone have any ideas what the problem could be.. Thanks..


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## Hoodoo Valley

Welcome to the forum Hunter! Have you checked the fuel tank ventilation? Is the tank clean? Could be debri in the tank floating into the pick up on account of the suction then when it dies, just floats away again, or something plugging the vent in your fuel cap and creating a vacuum.


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## iahunter11

I unscrewd the fuel cap to see if that would help but it didn't.. Debri in tank is possible by why does it take so long to run again? you can start it with choke on right after but will only run for about 20 seconds and dies.. You can do that process all night if you want.. I just find it strange that it will run for so long before this happens then let it sit a couple hours and starts right back up .. I just don't know not get enough fuel one way or the other I think... Thanks for the welcome..


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## bstrang4

Sounds like the ignition coil is bad. Sometimes they will work fine when cold but will not work at operating engine temp.


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## iahunter11

Ok that kinda makes sense.. but it will still continue to start just won't say running.. is there anyway to test it?


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## ErnieS

To check if a component fails when it gets hot, you need to cool it down. The best way is to pick up a can of the canned air stuff they sell for blowing off computer keyboards. Next time the engine dies, hold the can *upside down* and aim it at the coil and spray for, maybe 10 seconds. Let it sit for the temperature to stabilize for a couple of minutes, and fire it up. Is that engine magneto or Hall effect ignition? Either could fail from heat
My '86 Harley would die from time to time and I'd have to sit along side of the road waiting for the ignition computer to cool off. A can of air in the saddle bag saved a lot of time until I converted the bike over to an aftermarket ignition system


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## bstrang4

Check the spark color when the engine is cold and when the engine is hot. Both times the spark should be a blue-white. If no spark or a weak yellow when hot then the coil should be tested with an ohm meter while hot. In some cases the choke will enrichen the mixture enough for the engine to try to start with very little spark.


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## iahunter11

OK I will try these things today and see what I come up with... Thank you very much for the help.. I will keep you updated on my progress..


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## iahunter11

Not really sure what I did. But I emptied gas tank... Put new gas line one... I decided to try to bypass fuel pump to see what happens.. I put in new spark plug.. Ran for about 2 hours without a problem... I shut it off and restarted 10 min later with the choke off... So it could have been fuel pump, spark plug, or fuel line... Not really sure but seems to be running ok now...


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## jhngardner367

Welcome to the forum! It sounds as if the fuel line may have been swelling and shutting off,or restricting fuel flow. Another possibility,is the plug could have a weak spot,or crack, causing a loss of spark,when it warms up. Glad to see you got it going.


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## Ford650

iahunter11 said:


> I have a 72 JD 110 with kohler 10hp motor.. It runs fine for about 30 min and then it dies and you cannot keep it running after that... You have to let it sit for a couple hours before it will run again... Anyone have any ideas what the problem could be.. Thanks..


Ahh, the old 'shotgun' approach to problem resolution! I would have voted for the coil as being the actual problem. You didn't replace the coil?


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## ralph241

Points maybe??


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## Cactusclyde

We also have a JD L110 with 260 hours that had the same problem. Changed oil and made sure it was the correct level, takes 2 quarts, changed fuel filter twice as we suspected it wasn't getting fuel, after much head scratching determined it was the fuel filter cap was clogged. There is a small air vent in the top of the cap and inside there is three small holes. You can put the cap loose to see if it fixes the problem. Haven't been able to make it quit since but bought a new JD 320 with 48" for the wife and loaned the L110 to daughter until fall as we have a leaf bagger that my wife uses. I am still using my JD GT245 with it's 54" on it's 11 season with 312 hours. Hope this helps.


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## dusty6812

I have been told that it could be your valve guides are carbon up and they swell up when they get hot. That causes the valves to stick out. When it cools down they close and the motor starts right up. I had the same problem I just never got a chance to check it out. Run a copression test when it dies and see what it has.
Hope this helps
Donavon


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## deerseeker001

i would check the gas cap vent hole,this happened to me.i didn't even realize there was a hole there.


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## horsenuts123

*Mine too*

I also have an old 110 with the Kohler engine that quits when hot. Mine starts blowing huge amounts of smoke out of the crankcase breather, misses badly, then quits. Let it cool and it runs fine again. If I'm not mowing, but just towing the sprayer around at a low throttle setting it will run all day. 
If it is the valve guides, what's the solution?


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## tonyennis

I have a JD L120 that has started exhibiting the same symptom. It runs a little rough for the first few minutes when first started. Then it runs fine for about 15 minutes. When it starts failing, increasing the choke helps for a while.

So it looks very similar to what has been discussed above.


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## Rusty

I am inclined to agree with those who think fuel problem, but my guess is a needle valve in the float bowl,take the carb apart and check for pitting on the needle then hone the hole it sits in and make sure it slides in and out easily put it back together and see what happens.


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## Ford650

Check your intake and exhaust valves when the engine "bone cold" for the proper clearance. I'm thinkin' .008" on the intake and .010" on the exhaust (BUT CHECK FOR THE ACTUAL SPECS ON THIS). You can make those adjustments on the wide side, too tight and your engine will die after a short while (30 minutes?). Pulling the choke is "enriching" the mixture. Check those valve clearances!


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## CDragonworks

Also could be the carb...we had an old mower that had the diaphram type carb and it would run great while cold but to make it run when hot you had to tap the front of the carb to get the thing to pump...replaced the parts and it ran perfect.


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## Lawrence1210

I had a similar problem last year with a B/S 18.5HP. It was a fuel issue. I went through the whole shotgun approach, even broke the carburetor inadvertently. So had to replace the carb. Checked all the electrical wires, fuel lines, caps, et.al. Changed spark plugs about 3 times.

It would start fine cold, but when really hot and I turned it off, it wouldn't restart. Had to wait till it got cold. After awhile running it warmed up in very hot weather it would start to chuck and eventually die if I didn't mess with the choke.

So, ... I was working on a 2-cycle weed-wacker that recommended 89 octane and my last 5 gal gas can fill up I got 89 Octane instead of 87.

I later ran the mower out of fuel and filled it up with new 89 octane gas and the mower has run fine ever since.


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## sun622

I put premium in all my power equipment. The extra additives keep everything clean. It costs more but I never have a problem starting.


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## deerseeker001

i had the same probem with mine,there is a very small hole in the center of your fuel cap,i didnt even know it was there.i took a straight pin and bored it open no problem after that.


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## Fatpuddy

When nothing else works here is one you won't think of, rust on the flywheel that shorts out the arms on the coil. just sand it off. My most annoying bug is pin holes in the float.


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