Troubleshooting
Adjustments & Service
TROUBLESHOOTING 
WARNING
While normal care and regular maintenance will extend the life of your equipment, prolonged or constant use may eventually require that service be performed to allow it to continue operating properly.
The troubleshooting guide below lists the most common problems, their causes and remedies.
See the information on the following pages for instructions on how to perform most of these minor adjustments and service repairs yourself. If you prefer, all of these procedures can be performed for you by your local authorized dealer.
To avoid serious injury, perform maintenance on the tractor or mower only when the engine is stopped and the parking brake engaged.
Always remove the ignition key, disconnect the spark plug wire and fasten it away from the plug before beginning the maintenance, to prevent accidental starting of the engine.
TROUBLESHOOTING THE RIDER
PROBLEM | CAUSE | REMEDY | ||
Engine will not turnover or start. | 1. | Parking brake not engaged. | 1. | Engage parking brake. |
| 2. | PTO (electric clutch) switch | 2. | Place in OFF position. |
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| in ON position. |
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| 3. | Out of fuel. | 3. | If engine is hot, allow it to cool, then refill |
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| the fuel tank. |
| 4. | Engine flooded. | 4. | Move choke control to closed position. |
| 5. | Fuse blown. | 5. | Replace fuse. |
| 6. | Battery terminals require | 6. | Clean the battery terminals |
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| cleaning. |
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| 7. | Battery discharged or dead. | 7. | Recharge or replace. |
| 8. | Wiring loose or broken. | 8. Visually check wiring & replace broken or | |
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| frayed wires. Tighten loose connections. |
| 9. | Solenoid or starter motor faulty. | 9. | Repair or replace. See authorized dealer |
| 10. | Safety interlock switch | 10. Replace as needed. See authorized | |
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| faulty. |
| service dealer. |
| 11. | Spark plug(s) faulty, fouled | 11. Clean and gap or replace. | |
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| or incorrectly gapped. |
| See engine manual. |
| 12. | Water in fuel. | 12. Drain fuel & replace with fresh fuel. | |
| 13. | Gas is old or stale. | 13. Drain fuel & replace with fresh fuel. | |
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Engine starts hard or runs poorly. | 1. | Fuel mixture too rich. | 1. | Clean air filter. Check choke adjustment. |
| 2. | Spark plug faulty, fouled, or | 2. | Clean and gap or replace. |
|
| incorrectly gapped. |
| (See engine manual.) |
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Engine knocks. | 1. | Low oil level. | 1. | Check/add oil as required. |
| 2. | Using wrong grade oil. | 2. | See engine manual. |
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Excessive oil consumption. | 1. | Engine running too hot. | 1. | Clean engine fins, blower screen and |
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| air cleaner. |
| 2. | Using wrong weight oil. | 2. | See engine manual. |
| 3. | Too much oil in crankcase. | 3. | Drain excess oil. |
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Engine exhaust is black. | 1. | Dirty air filter. | 1. | Replace air filter. See engine manual. |
| 2. | Engine choke control | 2. | Open choke control. |
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| is in closed position. |
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