Zero Turn Mower Down on Power - Not Firing on all Cylinders
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2023
- Last week we fixed up Paul's old Cub Cadet lawn tractor. This week we look at his new Troy Bilt zero turn lawn mower. It's about 6 years old and a few months back the Kohler 7000 series engine started to bog under load and seems to be missing horse power. The Kohler is a V-Twin engine and most likely a cylinder is down. Hopefully its an easy fix.
Zero Turn Model: Troy Bilt 17ARCBDT011 DOM:07/2017
Engine Model: KT725-3083
Engine Displacement: 725cc
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James, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate not having commercial interruptions in your videos! 🙏
Paul is a gem for broken equipment. I mean, I feel bad for the guy having so many equipment problems, but he's gotta be a friend of the channel for life! You could do content forever just on his stuff.
@@davidduma7615 Yeah, that Cub Cadet was an eye-opener. That thing was WAY more messed up than I thought it was going to be when the first video about it started. Some people are just "hard on equipment." That's what I call it when I want to say it politely.
Paul should get some mousetraps or a cat 😂
Perhaps Paul is an alias in order to protect the identity of the perp
😂 I was thinking the same thing. As many spare parts as James has, Paul always seems to have more stuff to fix 🤣
Paul must have access to used equipment by its job, he could be buying and selling stuff in a pawn shop or he buy them at auction or at yard sells. If they work grreat he clean them good and sell direct. If broken he send them to James, and james do it at a nice price and keep the revenu from YT. everybody win.
That Caterpillar 🐛 is going to claim compensation when it get back on it’s feet’s 😂
You ran over the caterpillar! lol
😂
Thanks James…great video as usual! I do have a pet peeve: in this application, a “wheel” and a “tire” are two separate components. Pointing at a tire and calling it a wheel……well, you know….words means things. 😂
Both tire and rim are the wheel
I do that a lot. I call nuts bolt and bolts nuts. Trying to be a little more mindful to use the correct words yet sometime I fail.
@@jcondon1
Yeah, don’t even get me started on leverage and torque! 😂
@@jcondon1
Most people (I mean MOST!) call screws bolts and vice versa.
@@Rein_Ciarfellagive me a moment
The never ending struggles with the "dinky" tire. You have to prepare for battle because you'll want a nap when you're done 👍
The steering and transmissions are linked on these machines, and for a sharp turn, the transmission for the rear wheel inside the turn is actually power reversed. This was demonstrated when you did the U turn after querying whether it was a true 4 wheel steer or not. The problem is probably more 4WS than a conventional Zero Turn, as they are actual 2 wheel steer with the front wheels free to castor to follow, whereas this system combines conventional ackerman type steering at the front with differential drive at the rear, so all 4 wheels contribute to the steering effort.
Yes and this is actually an advantage on slopes where one rear tire might lose traction. Plus it allows you to push the machine and steer it with the hydro disengaged, like a regular tractor. Kind of cool.
There has to be a way to have that discharge chute cover on there and be able to lift it out of the way when needed. The older a person gets, the more forgetful they get and accidently putting your foot in the gaping hole with a blade spinning in it becomes more of a possibility.
There is, you just flip it up. No idea why this guy took it off unless he hit something and broke it.
there is a cover plate...
@@russellv6234 Paul took it off so it would fit in his shed.
@@YukonHawk1 or you know. Flip it up and it's just as narrow genius
Id would have liked to known what the resistance was on the new coil to compare
And if it would have started after cleaning the connectors on the "bad" coil!
Simple rule of thumb about positive battery cables: First on, last off when connecting or disconnecting them.
I can not get enough of your work videos, I can't get enough!
Front tractor tires are such a pain in the arse. Thanks again for sharing, especially appreciate the times when even the “great James” must fight with a machine like the rest of us.
James, another very interesting video, thank you for posting.
All the best from Nottinghamshire in the U.K.
Its a testament to how good that kohler is that it was running that good down a cylinder and with all that crud.
Nicely done, James. However, I don't understand why you don't use dielectric grease on electrical fittings, such as the coil wires. Prevents rust from forming due to rain water or other "liquids" from critters that make their homes in machines. :) It works great on battery terminals, too.
Because dielectric grease is not conductive? So, on a battery where the terminal is clamped tightly, then it won't work itself in between, but on the coil, it might just work itself in between the lug and connector causing issues, that's just my guess
@@Behemoth33 Dielectric is needed because grease can melt and will cause many problem if it conduct electricity. The grease is not there to help to the conduction by itself but to prevent rust from forming. And that is keeping a good conduction between 2 connector. Car company use those on major plugs that are open to element. Connector that goes on the transmission of cars and trucks, they use dielectric grease.
Agreed. Using dielectric grease is a good practice for protecting connections from corrosion. It's a common misconception that it will introduce resistance but it's essentially a fluid, and the force of the metal-on-metal contact moves the grease out of the way. You can prove it by doing a resistance test before and after applying it. I've been using it for years without any problems and works great for keeping moisture out of connections. One example I can think of is that the cutoff switch on my gas weed trimmer wouldn't shut off the engine anymore. I took the switch apart, cleaned the corrosion from the contacts, and packed it completely full of dielectric grease. Several years later and I never had another problem with it. More recently, I've been using it on all the connections for my my outdoor low voltage lighting to keep the water out of them with good results.
I used to use dielectric grease all the time, and then I started having electrical problems on some of my equipment, and it turned out to be the grease. So I decided it wasn't for me, but I would still use it in certain applications. It's just one of those things that I think is a personal preference things If you were to ask 100 guys about it, 50 would use it, and the other 50 wouldn't.
Where “dielectric” comes in. Both petroleum grease and dielectric grease DON’T conduct in their normal form. The difference is when they burn. Petroleum grease leaves carbon ash which is conductive and would add to the list of problems for a fire. Dielectric ash is still nonconducting.
That camera almost fell into the mowerdeck 😅
You were having so much fun with that zeroturn, that you'll probably get one yourself 😁
Having a mower like this on the channel made it an entertaining video even though the problems were pretty straigt foreward.
It’s nice to get something that still runs and not in the trash once in a while.
How could he operate it for so long with less than half power? Maybe more than one engine is not firing on all cylinders?
26:35 I was so relieved to see your admonition about disconnecting the negative first (and reconnecting it last). I've winced and talked to the screen so many times in the past when seeing you disconnect the positive first. I don't know how the information got to you but It's great that you are passing it along. My son learned this the hard way when he welded his 7/16" combination wrench to the fender of his Ford Pinto (40 years ago). He was able to break it loose before catastrophic damage occurred.
My Zero Turn is 7 years old... but very low hour, since I can cut the grass in 20 mins. I REALLY like that type of mower. Never tried one with the steering wheel. Glad this was a straight forward fix. Tell the owner to FEED HIS MICE.... some green pellets, or peanut butter over a bucket of water.
JAMES, I try not to miss any of your videos, but man you need to be in them, all we see is your hands, my kids are 40, 42, and 34 and I tell them to look at me when we talk I'D LIKE TO SEE WHOM I'M WATCHING
Hey, at least you know his name! There are some creators who never show their face and never state their name. I have to ask so at least I can address them by their name.
On the other hand, if you watch enough videos (including James’), you’ll see their person eventually, by accident. I recently saw James’ face reflected in a window and I seen his whole amazing self in some early video he did.
Then there’s ChrisFix, who made a whole thing about not showing his face (but the same goes for him - we’ve seen his face on occasion by accident, reflected in car windows). 😂🔧👍
@@Rein_Ciarfella The way I was raised it was impolite not to look at someone while talking to them
You see a quick shot of his face every once in awhile…he doesn’t do a total ChrisFix.
15:46 The poor caterpillar got squashed.
A good trick for those deformed tires is a plastic bucket. By pressing the rim down very hard and shooting air to it you get pressure from inside the bucket that will pop the bead to seal.
The correct tool is a compression belt...
@@walkertongdee He used about 97 of them and it didn't work?
There is a trick that tire professionals use on tires just like that. It’s called tire mounting compound. Aka tire grease. Fills the large gaps and holds tight enough to allow air pressure to push the sidewalls out and the bead to contact. Boom. Done. I’ve used it for years and on everything from tiny lawnmower tires to road tractor tires. Stuff is a godsend.
There is a video called “how to bead up a stubborn tire”. Older guy shows you what I mean. You fill the opening with the Murphy soap and when the bead seats it will squeeze out all the “grease” and you scoop it up and put it back in the container for next time. Stuff work’s amazingly.
Starter fluid and a lighter. Boom
🎉Youare right about the tight quarters of the engine area the stuff that's packed around the cylinder heads on this engine is a nasty thing to have to deal with😮😂
And it is all plastic "for looks", not required. Customer focus groups must think people do not want lawn equipment to look like lawn equipment.
@@JasonW. you got that right 👍
@@JasonW.
So true, I like the older equipment, not so much of unnecessary clutter. 😊
Very much enjoyed the grass mowing at the end!
That thing runs really good for being down on 1 out of 2 cylinders lol
The c-clamp trick is genius!
I used to use an old bumper jack, set the wheel on the driveway under my bumper and jack away. Cars no longer have steel bumpers, but it will still work using the rear bumper on a truck in an emergency, assuming you have one of those old jacks.
I really like your videos, James. Wow, now I finally get to feel really smart and important by telling you that the spade connector on those coils is called a "Packard connector" because years ago the Packard Motor Co. improved the design of the original spade connector by adding that tab in the middle to insure better contact.
It fooled me for a minute. It unplugged so easy, thought I broke it.
Hello James: I was wondering what happened to your tire changer. Then you explained giving it away. They make a very difficult task a lot less difficult, not easy but manageable. If you have not already spoken to Paul about the deck guard/ discharge. Maybe a quick disconect bracket could be fabricated to facilitate quick removal & install if the guard is not already configured with one.
I put a bungie cord with a breakaway connector on my riding mower so I can lift the guard up while going through the door. It just clears with the guard lifted. Steeling yor closing, I hope this helps someone.
My Husky Varney zero turn discharge chute is double-jointed. It lift’s completely out of the way.
I brought my tires to a local tire installer and they put ny lawn tractor on the rims for me for free. I too spent hours and probably the entire French dictionary before I gave up. I felt silly after since they did it in 5 min and for nothing. 😆
Don't feel silly. Failure is how we can learn.
Tyre
Paul I have enjoyed your videos so far
Please let Paul know to drive the mower over a tarp. Let it cool and than fold the tarp up and use pinch clamps to close it. No more mouse problems.
This is the second time you have reminded me to be thankful that my brother owns a gas station (with a tire machine for more than 40 years). Watching you plow through those tires was illuminating.
That was a close call on the go pro lol nice work as always.
Thank you for my Thursday fix as I look forward to your videos
putting on all the bolts with the carburetor intake exposed I was getting nervous until the air filter was back in its place; 2 new racing slicks/tires and sparky coils it is going to be a sceamer...! Good job, James and do not give any tools away again....!
with all the unburned fuel from the non firing cylinder in the engine oil please do a oil and filter change asap !
I have to say that i am impress with that zero turn mower, I had have my doubts as well thank you for your video.
Love the pop! From a tire seating to the rim!!!
Your becoming a full service shop James!
This was fun to watch. Thanks
Love your show you wouldn't believe how much I've learned about small generators, small motor.I appreciate your time you keep on trucking brother thanks Rob from California.
That's a very special battery for this mower. Not really, it just has a "go handle" 😀
Do I sense a VGG reference? 😁
@@oldsharkie3786I noticed after the spark was fixed, the mower started much quicker when James.. ahem.. brought the thunder!
@@TheOneTonHammer Derek wouldn't like that mower. It's too shiny and the brakes work.😂😂
Another rescue! In my opinion the grass clipping in the engine blower housing were due the missing chute on the deck. You may see a return of this machine in the future. Thanks for taking the time to take us on this journey.
Great bit of maintenance there, James. Thanks for sharing with us.
Looks like a 2 coffee vid, good thing it's almost lunch time!
When I lose something and look and look and look, I call my wife and have her look. "Here it is!" inevitably.
Awesome zero turn and Thank you for the video
With all these lawn mowers that you repair and having to make all these test cuts, your lawn must be the envy of the entire neighborhood :)
TSC has been a life saver for those who work after normal hours
It’s my first place to go period 😊😊❤
I’ve been told that after initially seating the tire bead onto the rim, deflate it and then set to the proper psi. You may get a second pop but it will help to ensure a proper seal.
That is a common practice on High Speed rated tires not so much on ATV and Lawn Tractor
This is why I love you James, you always start with the BASICS, then work tward the harder stuff. Great Job Man. I'm learning alot from you. Hopeing to pass this info on to my children.
Just getting started on the video, but as an automotive tech, I can tell you that rodents cause a staggering amount of damage to vehicles and other types of equipment that is often stored outside. The nest wedged into this engine definitely caused it to overheat and damage it to some extent (even if it still runs, its life has been reduced). They also caused the rust and almost certainly caused that ignition coil to fail. On cars, I’ve had them destroy wiring harnesses causing literally tens of thousands of dollars in damage (some harnesses, like those for safety systems, cannot be repaired and must be replaced due to liability), I’ve seen them climb into the hvac systems and either pee/poop all over it or build nests and die inside (both cause horrifically bad smells in the interior) which also leads to big repair bills.
Little tires and little wheels are the worst for break down and replacement. One of the best things I ever did on my riding mower was to replace the worn out tires. It saving me from fixing flats and having to check tire psi every time I mowed. It was a real guilty pleasure. Those little tire and a monster.
wow no torque wrenches must be a first great videos!!!!!!!!!!!!!
James, you crack me up with your train of thought, you concluded the bad coil is still bad, but most people would have hooked the wire up to see if the coil is good!!! 😅
That wire goes to Ground to shut the Engine OFF. with the Wire disconnected the engine would not shut off with the switch if it were not for the 2nd Coil that was connected.
Always great content!
Great video. I'm surprised you didn't check/change the oil....as many of your videos include. 😅😅 😅
I usually do on unknown equipment, but I know Paul had just changed it and out the good stuff in.
Hi James - I am just amazed that you have a tyre shop - Tractor Supply that you can just go, we dont have anything like that here in New Zealand - everything has to be ordered in basically. Well done again and looking forward to the water blaster repair video to come.
Jeez, you have grass in NewZealand. ? I thought it was all snow and ice. 😮
I gotta get out more. 😊
good video , but, Since the engine has been running on 1 cylinder for some time, it is surprising that you do not change the oil
Paul had recently changed the oil, but good point.
Getting the opposite side of the tyre bead down into the drop center so you can get the bead over the lip is the biggest challenge on small wheels/tyres
That is the key. It didn't look like he did that? Hard to tell.
@@alext8828
No, he didn't, but it can be very hard to do, because you want both upper and lower beads in the drop center opposite getting the tyre over the rim lip.
I'd really like to see Paul get a guard on that deck before he looses a foot.
Good video James
I have been a RUclipsr for a lot of years this is the first time I subscribed and left a comment. The Zero turn mower down was a great video, James took his time explained everything and was easy to follow. I have been a backyard mechanic for 40 years and still I learned some simple easy check points. Also anyone who has basketball court in their yard and with a last name that has saved many lives has got to be aces. Looking forard to many more vides, Thank you.
As a nice bonus, those go-kart tires will make the mower go much faster too
I had a set of tires like those for a lawn vac, just as smushed. I had two ratchet straps and a whole lot of creative language before each of those buggers would bead up! Never thought of the tube expansion idea, although I think I would have had the same success you had with yours. I broke the bead breaker handle on my HF tire changer. Ended up buying a "Bead Buster" which after a re-weld of the bead hooks, works like a charm!
Very nice: better seat and the trees survived. Thanks Paul also!
I thought I was the only person who lost bolts on a regular basis,lol.
Great job Jame's😎
Mark this date, folks. This is the day James Condon realizes he wants a zero turn mower. 😂🔧👍
Nice job on this one James, you really out did yourself.
If you use rubber safe silicone spray instead of soapy water when mounting the tires, it makes rotating that bead breaker/maker far easier and the benefit is it help protect the rubber for a time.
It's definitely sometimes easier to send tires off to the professionals to get them done.
I completely agree with you about coil bolts, especially if the engine has mice damage.
I bought the Cub Cadet version of that. I've been pretty happy with it. I bought the welded deck instead though since initially, I had to transport the mower often.
I think you can get a mulching plug for the mower. It will give you some protection..
Awesome job brother, he might to take take of his mouse problem. Luckily, the harness was in good shape! Well done, thank you for sharing.
Great video and an Eazy Peazy repair to get the ZTR back in shape!
It's always nice seeing fix something besides generators. You can do it all!
Just catching up on the summer equipment repairs before it’s too cold.
Excellent video audio and masterfull troubleshooting.
Obviously I enjoy watching your channel.
It even has a beer holder...perfect machine!
Beautiful neighbourhood too!
James great job. Looks like the driveway needs some upgrades and so culverts. Looks like your son needs to do some tree timing so you don't lose your head too and clean up around the wall. It will make the yard area look great. keep up the videos and send those tires back to China.
Look at something called a head buster they work amazing on all tires
Good fix. Bugger about the tyres.
I certainly admire your diagnostic skill at fixing the engine. The design of the actual mower deck, with that gaping exposed space just where a foot can step into active mower blades (especially a child's) is an engraved invitation to amputated and/or maimed body parts and lifelong guilt and regrets when someone gets hurt. I get the feeling that Troy-Bilt simply does not care about designing for safety. With that said, I will never need one of these machines. Troy-Bilt does not seem to be popular in my geographic area. It was very interesting watching you fix the engine and tires.
Good call on the "working" coil. You had extended crank time before replacing it. After the engine started almost immediately. The missing chute contributed to the buildup of debris around the cylinder fins. The grass blew almost straight back toward the engine. Those small tires are a pain, you were lucky the rims weren't rusty like the ones I deal with. I just stick tubes in them. Great job!
I usually put tubes in all small wheels that start off without! Usually every spring the tires are flat over the winter if there are no tubes and then seem to slow leak all the time. So out with the same tire tool James has! They stay up then much better.
If someone else has not said it , Habor Freight has a good tire changer. I have one and it works very well. Always great videos, look forward to seeing them.
Oh nevermind, made comment without watching all of the video. Lol.😊
Another good job James. No fluff and actor stuff, just seeing what you did on camera in every detail (and your detailed thoughts out loud) to complement your professional work. "Quiet on the set" as James the pro is working while teaching with great patience once again. This IMO is why so many look forward to your videos. The camera work is outstanding too. You update videos as you learn too and that's great. I almost missed the torque wrench on this video. lol
As always. A very informative repair. I really enjoy watching and learning. Thank you.
Before watching this video I’m thinking “is this from the same guy that crashed his cub cadet?” And sure enough 😂😂😂
Great video, thumbs up, I have had a couple of these Kohler V Twin engines have coils fail, put new ones on and they run again, i liked that tire changer mchine, gotta look into getting one myself,after a while you have so much equipment , no room for the machines that need fixing, enjoy all the videos
Nice work, Love the simple and calm voice. No over simplification and no over complication. But one thing, you really did not had the same weather this summer. There is no single patch of dirt that is dry around here. There have been way too much rainy days and not enough sunny days ;-) If things keep like this in the futur we will have a semi jungle like place. Only thing will be the snow that will be bad for the palm trees!
A tip, let the tires sit in direct sunlight for as long as you can, it will soften them, or boil them in boiling hot water, but be careful wear thick gloves, for the heat.
Those tires should never have been sold in the first place ! They were improperly stored.
k5576 every one I have gotten from certain shippers on ebay, and Amazon are like that, they suck the air out of the shipping bags for shipping purposes, to save space, it's a true pain in the butt, but if you know how to deal with them, they can be used.
Great work James ! 👍👍
You're right about the screws that hold the coils on. What I do is put a light coating of never seize on the whole screw under the head all the way to and including the threads. Wipe off as much as possible which still leaves a thin coat and put internal star washers under the head. The only resistance to taking them off is between the head and the washer.
I have a riding lawn mower just like that. Troy-Bilt and this video does help a lot
THANK Y , YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT PERSONALITY BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE CHALLENGE OF REPAIRS AND YOU ONLY CHOOSE THE DIFFICULT THANK Y
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I think Paul needs a cat, I can recommend the tabby but it's safe to say any kind will have an absolute field day
That's great it just turned out to be a bad coil and not cylinder head damage from overheating causing no compression, excellent work as always James!
Tire tip I learned from a old school dune buggy forum.
Their tires are shaved so thin for weight there are often in holes in the sidewall of brand new tires
And not uncommon to air up before every little trip out
Anyway this solves the problem
1 part Bars leak liquid aluminum
2 parts full strength antifreeze
Better than slime, doesn't eat aluminum wheels, never hardens up like slime, never freezes, and ATVs and utvs actually causes a natural tire balance. On higher speed stuff
Mix up, break outer bead, use small funnel and hose to pour it in and reinflate.
Roll around a bit in all directions
Typical large atv tire I use about 15 to 18 oz per tire
Small lawn mower front tires like those maybe 6 oz
Try it! It has yet to fail me
PS tire guys hate slime. This stuff just hose it out like a radiator flush
If you ever need to replace or service tires
Love your channel
Great show brother thanks for sharing 👍
Im learning a lot from this channel.
I find your videos to be very informative and helpful also calming some how, thanks for sharing!
For tiresI always have pieces of wood 6” and 8” and put 4 inside the tires between the beads and let them set for a couple hrs, works like a charm.