# John Deere X585 Fuel vapor lock ?



## fbergman (11 mo ago)

I think I ran the fuel to low is there a way to check to see if its vapor locked .
its fuel injection engine 
thanks


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

hello fbergman, welcome to the forum.

First thing to check is if you have spark. Remove your spark plug, attach the plug wire to it, and rest the spark plug body against a clean metal ground on the engine. Crank the engine to see if you have spark across the plug gap. I have real problems seeing spark.... you should be in a well shaded area, or in darkness to see the spark. You should have a strong blue-white spark. A yellowish-orangish spark is not good enough.

If you have good spark, buy a can of starting fluid at an auto parts store. Spray starting fluid down the throat of the carburetor (remove the air cleaner). Post back if problem continues beyond this point..


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

Vapor lock happens when the fuel in your *fuel lines* vaporizes*, *turning from a liquid to a gas. In other words, your fuel lines would have had to have gotten hot enough to boil the fuel in them, and there would be no fuel flow. It gets hot down here in MS, but not THAT hot in March.

As soon as the machine cooled back down, it would start again. Odds are very slim it's a vapor lock.


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## fbergman (11 mo ago)

HarveyW said:


> hello fbergman, welcome to the forum.
> 
> First thing to check is if you have spark. Remove your spark plug, attach the plug wire to it, and rest the spark plug body against a clean metal ground on the engine. Crank the engine to see if you have spark across the plug gap. I have real problems seeing spark.... you should be in a well shaded area, or in darkness to see the spark. You should have a strong blue-white spark. A yellowish-orangish spark is not good enough.
> 
> If you have good spark, buy a can of starting fluid at an auto parts store. Spray starting fluid down the throat of the carburetor (remove the air cleaner). Post back if problem continues beyond this point..


I did check and there is spark, 
fuel injection engine is something new for me to work on.
I can use starter fuild in the carb ?


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

fbergman said:


> I did check and there is spark,
> fuel injection engine is something new for me to work on.
> I can use starter fuild in the carb ?


That Kawasaki DFI system is a little on the complicated/scary side if you've never worked on them before. It does require an expensive Special Tool to really get into it. However, there are a couple of simple/cheap tools you can use to tell if the injectors are working correctly. You can listening to the injectors "clicking" through a $5 mechanics stethoscope. Put the tip on the injectors and listen as the engine is idling, or in you're case, just cranking over. You should hear/feel the injectors clicking open and closed as the engine turns over. If you don't here the injectors clicking. You can hook a simple test light (you can make one with the instructions in the Service Manual) to the injector wiring plug and crank the engine over. If the test light doesn't flicker while you're cranking, you're NOT getting the firing signal to the injector from the ECU. If you're not getting an "injector signal", now you've got to diagnosis the electronics as to why and that gets into Special Tool 57001-1500 to make the wiring harness diagnostic connection into the ECU. If you do hear/feel/see the "injector signals", that usually points to a fuel delivery problem. I'm attaching a link that will download the PDF Service Manual on the FD711 with DFI. The simple tests I've just described are on page 2-34. There's also an injector resistance test you can do with a DVOM, if you suspect a bad injector on page 2-35. Fuel delivery system pressure testing is on page 2-36.

These are the few simple things a DIY guy can do with the Kawasaki DFI system, but to really get into deep troubleshooting, you need the Kawasaki Special Tool connector and a DVOM because there is no built-in diagnostic port like an OBD II system on a car. Unfortunately, that 57001-1500 diagnostic connector usually runs $200 retail, the 57001-1394 "Hand Tester" they talk about is just an overpriced DVOM. You might want to seriously think about buying a 57001-1500, if you plan on keeping your X585, and using the pretty extensive trouble-shooting instructions in the Service Manual as a cheaper way to go than paying some knucklehead $80 an hour to figure out what part to swap out every time you get a problem like this with your FD711 DFI system. Without one, you'll never really know if it was the $300 ECU he charged you for, or the $15 main relay that was the real problem. *Scrubber City.com* was the cheapest place I found when I bought mine($150). ...... If you're shopping for Kawasaki parts in general, they're also the cheapest place I've found on the inter-web by about 25-30%

FD711 Service Manual

$5 Harbor Freight Mechanics Stethoscope


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