# La 165 engine not running right



## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

Hi All,

I am new to being a tractor owner, I bought my LA 165 very recently, I did all of the regular maintenance, and things were great last few times I mowed my lawn.

However, halfway through mowing my lawn this time, the engine has developed some strange issue where the engine starts choking - like it's either starving for fuel or running too rich, I took a quick video with audio for anyone to look at. It isn't at all clear to me what might cause this kind of behavior.

I only have so much time, if I can't figure it out I'll take it to the dealership, but if anyone out there had any idea for a quick fix I would love to give it a crack. Thank all for any help!

Link for video is here (you might want to go to upper right of screen and click the three dots -> download: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EfKISijOegAYhJ243

Turn up the sound on the audio to really get an idea of what I'm hearing.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

Starving for fuel. Plugged vent on fuel cap, dirty fuel filter, fuel pump failing, pinched fuel line, water in float bowl of carburetor, or dirty carburetor main jet are the possible culprits. Then there is the carburetor mounting bolts possibly being loose.

I would start by draining the float bowl to get any condensation out, and check the fuel filter and breather vent in fuel cap.


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## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

RC Wells said:


> Starving for fuel. Plugged vent on fuel cap, dirty fuel filter, fuel pump failing, pinched fuel line, water in float bowl of carburetor, or dirty carburetor main jet are the possible culprits. Then there is the carburetor mounting bolts possibly being loose.
> 
> I would start by draining the float bowl to get any condensation out, and check the fuel filter and breather vent in fuel cap.


Thanks for the ideas. I have a brand new fuel filter so that is not the problem.

I checked out the fuel cap and seems ok to me. I can blow air through it just fine so I don't think that is the issue. I didnt know that could be a pronlpr so food to know.

Fuel lines looked not kinked anywhere. I tried just siphoning some gas and flow was no resistance to drawing some fuel so the lines seem clear.

Mounting bolts were snug.

I tested the fuel pump and that seems to be moving fuel fine

That all being said, the last thing is the carburetor. I kinda want to just get this thing fixed , so instead of trying to screw with the carb I will just see what a new one runs me. I find trying to fix or clean a carb too much frustration , those things are finnicky and I am not great with them. I think I will just go by my dealer and bolt in a brand new one and hope that is the fix.

Thanks for the advice RC!

I will update soon as to how things are going.


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

How hard would it be to unscrew the fuel cutoff solenoid from under the bowl and have a small container to catch the fuel that runs out of the bottom of the bowl for checking ?,
you wont have to remove the carby to do this.

There is a possibility that the fuel solenoid could be fluctuating with intermittent power supply, to check this, you could make up a lead and attach one end to the connector at the solenoid and the other to the positive battery terminal --- "KEEPING IN MIND THAT YOU ARE PLAYING WITH 12+ VOLTS BELOW THE CARBY", and running the engine at high idle, doing this will show if the solenoid is ok, or you have an electrical fault in the wiring.

I think in your case you would be better having the dealer sort the problem and put the new carby cost towards that. 

Have you ever thought of changing the spark plug, the plug can break down at revs and an easy fix.


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## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

FredM said:


> How hard would it be to unscrew the fuel cutoff solenoid from under the bowl and have a small container to catch the fuel that runs out of the bottom of the bowl for checking ?,
> you wont have to remove the carby to do this.
> 
> There is a possibility that the fuel solenoid could be fluctuating with intermittent power supply, to check this, you could make up a lead and attach one end to the connector at the solenoid and the other to the positive battery terminal --- "KEEPING IN MIND THAT YOU ARE PLAYING WITH 12+ VOLTS BELOW THE CARBY", and running the engine at high idle, doing this will show if the solenoid is ok, or you have an electrical fault in the wiring.
> ...


Hi Guys,

spark plugs are brand new, so those are not the issue.

I just tested the fuel cutoff solenoid - seems to work to me. I took the bowl off and turned the key in ignition and it clicked open and closed when key is off. So, no good on those ones. This is new to me, so thanks for the suggestion.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

Check your ignition for a strong spark when the mower starts missing. Running good cold, then missing when hot is a symptom of ignition system failure.


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## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

RC Wells said:


> Check your ignition for a strong spark when the mower starts missing. Running good cold, then missing when hot is a symptom of ignition system failure.


RC, how would you test what you are asking, I am not quite sure

On another note...

I am not going to call it solved for sure, but things look promising. I took apart the carb and gave it a thorough cleaning. Replaced any gaskets and rings that didn't look good. Put it all back together, and after about an hour of runtime seems working properly so far. I didn't see much in the way of deposits in the carb, it seemed pretty clean.

I am cautiously optimistic sit was kind kind of hard starting before, now the engine is starting instantly. I will update soon if I think this is fixed. I appreciate input from everyone.

-Ryan


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

Sounds like you are on the way to repaired. But for ignition testing in the future, auto parts stores and Harbor Freight sell a transparent spark plug cap with a visible spark gap. insert that between plug and plug wire and watch the spark. If you have the engine repair manual it will also include the impedance values and terminals to check on the ignition and charging system components.


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## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

RC Wells said:


> Sounds like you are on the way to repaired. But for ignition testing in the future, auto parts stores and Harbor Freight sell a transparent spark plug cap with a visible spark gap. insert that between plug and plug wire and watch the spark. If you have the engine repair manual it will also include the impedance values and terminals to check on the ignition and charging system components.


Cool, thanks for the info. I took a look at my repair manual, and unfortunately they don't seem to have those sorts of information about the ignition system in there. I'm sure they are there somewhere on the internet. 

Thanks RC!


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

You will find the impedance data in the Briggs & Stratton repair manual. John Deere no longer includes much in their repair manuals, neither do most other lawn mower manufacturers.


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## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

RC Wells said:


> You will find the impedance data in the Briggs & Stratton repair manual. John Deere no longer includes much in their repair manuals, neither do most other lawn mower manufacturers.


Ah, I see now.

This is probably my manual here :
https://shop.briggsandstratton.com/...-manual-for-intek-v-twin-cylinder-ohv-engines

Guess you have to pay for that. Anyhow, thanks for the pointer for information. I would have noticed it if there was some sort of link in the page for my particular engine model (44M777-0122-b1) on the B&S webpage where they have the user guide and parts diagram. Oh well.


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## Josh111187 (May 26, 2018)

Valves, I have a similar engine and it will give you the same sort of poor running after warm up due to valve rocker clearance not being adjusted properly. But you also notice a hard starting when the valves are out of adjustment.


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## Ryan D (May 27, 2018)

Hi All, I am going to call this one FIXED!

So, as I stated before, I rebuilt the carb. Since then, I have put on probably 6 hours or so, and not so much as a hiccup. 

So, I learned a good amount along the way from you all. For now, I think I'm good to go. Thanks all!


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