Cub Cadet XT1 LT42 starting issue

[Spring Break '92]

Cub Cadet XT1 LT42 (EFI) takes several tries to start after it sits for a couple of weeks between cuts. The engine just cranks over and over, I let it sit, and about the fourth time doing this it will fire up.

If I shut it down again at some point after it started it will fire up just fine. I haven't had this issue until this year, which is year 5 since it was bought new.

Fuel is good, battery is good. Still original plug and air filter - these being the two things I thought of to replace to see if there is an improvement, but I don't think they are due yet.

Engine has 50 hours in it and a fresh oil change is happening before the next start up. Anyone heard of these having the same issue?

 

[Brian123]

Let me get this clear you have a 5 year old mower that only has 50 hours on it, so this gets used 10 hours a mowing season?

Do you live in Northern Canada?

 

[ctechbob]

Not familiar with small engine EFI, but it sounds like the fuel pump isn't coming up to pressure fast enough, or the regulator is not keeping the pressure high enough.

 

[Spring Break '92]

Let me get this clear you have a 5 year old mower that only has 50 hours on it, so this gets used 10 hours a mowing season?

Do you live in Northern Canada?

Im in Virginia on less than an acre when you subtract the house, garage, and some woods. So yes.

 

[PontiacHO]

It does sound like fuel system is losing prime. Simple things first… is there an inline fuel filter that could be partially restricted? Otherwise the cold start enrichment feature isn’t working in the EFI system.

 

[userfriendly]

Let me get this clear you have a 5 year old mower that only has 50 hours on it, so this gets used 10 hours a mowing season?

Do you live in Northern Canada?

My 2011 JD X320 will finish its 12th season with 84 hours on it. It cuts 10 times faster than pushing a walk behind mower so I can mow the lawn in 30 minutes instead of all day.

 

[fantastic]

It's not getting fuel during cold start for some reason. I'm not familiar with that efi system. What octane fuel are you using?

 

[football]

When you turn the key to on, does it pressurize the fuel system? Maybe turn the key to on, wait ten seconds for the fuel pump to pressurize the system, then crank it. Maybe try that and see if it helps.

 

[fantastic]

When you turn the key to on, does it pressurize the fuel system? Maybe turn the key to on, wait ten seconds for the fuel pump to pressurize the system, then crank it. Maybe try that and see if it helps.

That's a great idea & I would also ad if that doesn't work then recycle the key again.

 

[Spring Break '92]

To answer all that responded so far, I have not tried turning the ignition on and waiting but I did order a tune up kit that consists of air filter, spark plug, and fuel filter. Going to install those items and see what happens. It is running on stabilized 87 octane that is 6 months or so old. And, nothing else using the same fuel is acting up.

 

[thastinger]

Probably a faulty anti drain-back valve in the fuel pump letting the fuel in the line loose pressure and go back into the tank.

 

[Spring Break '92]

Probably a faulty anti drain-back valve in the fuel pump letting the fuel in the line loose pressure and go back into the tank.

To avoid having to replace the pump, I'd like to explore adding a one way check valve in the fuel line as close to the pump as possible.

 

[thastinger]

To avoid having to replace the pump, I'd like to explore adding a one way check valve in the fuel line as close to the pump as possible.

Sure, that would also work, and likely save you some money.

 

[Brian123]

Im in Virginia on less than an acre when you subtract the house, garage, and some woods. So yes.

Good Luck, do you have a Fuel Shutoff Valve on this Mower?
Do you use a Fuel Stabilyzer?
Do you run your Fuel out at the end of the Season?
How many gallons of gas do you use during the Mowing Season?

 

[Spring Break '92]

Good Luck, do you have a Fuel Shutoff Valve on this Mower?
Do you use a Fuel Stabilyzer?
Do you run your Fuel out at the end of the Season?
How many gallons of gas do you use during the Mowing Season?

It's EFI, there's no shut off necessary. Always use stabilizer, do not run out the fuel but usually it's almost empty. Probably a single digit of gallons of fuel.

 

[Spring Break '92]

Everyone, I changed the oil in the tractor last night and when I started it up to get oil to the filter - it started right up, three times in a row.

It had had the filter off for a week and must have drained so much oil out of the entire engine, that it took 2 whole quarts vs the 1.3 quarts that the manual gives for oil capacity. Is this even possible?

I had let my car's engine drain recently for 8 hours and the engine took half a quart more than usual, but that's a much larger car engine.

I checked the oil level of the Cub tractor about 10 times after starting the motor just to get oil into the filter and shutting it down, to make sure I was seeing things right on the dipstick. Took 0.7 quarts over spec, sure enough.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[JTK]

I couldn't find much online in regards to this particular EFI engine, other than it's a 547cc, single cyl Chinese import. Powermore perhaps? 2qts sounds like a lot of engine oil, but if it's running good on it and not smoking or barfing oil out the breather, you should be good to go.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I never trust fuel when someone asks me to look at their OPE. Good fuel to me is fuel that has been bought within the last month and has been kept in a clean, dry and sealed fuel storage container that didn't have old fuel in it to start with. If none of those are met. I toss it for fresh and start my troubleshooting.

 

[userfriendly]

Everyone, I changed the oil in the tractor last night and when I started it up to get oil to the filter - it started right up, three times in a row.

It had had the filter off for a week and must have drained so much oil out of the entire engine, that it took 2 whole quarts vs the 1.3 quarts that the manual gives for oil capacity. Is this even possible?

I had let my car's engine drain recently for 8 hours and the engine took half a quart more than usual, but that's a much larger car engine.

I checked the oil level of the Cub tractor about 10 times after starting the motor just to get oil into the filter and shutting it down, to make sure I was seeing things right on the dipstick. Took 0.7 quarts over spec, sure enough.

Any thoughts on this?

There was a thread recently in the automotive section that went on for pages about letting the oil drain until the last drop had dripped. With my 726cc JD X320, I drive the front right tire on to a floor jack, raise it up a few inches then drain the oil. Doing that along with a longer filter increases the amount of oil it takes by half a litre. Off topic, but has anyone tried platinum plugs instead of regular large electrode plugs in their small engines?

 

[Whimsey]

There was a thread recently in the automotive section that went on for pages about letting the oil drain until the last drop had dripped. With my 726cc JD X320, I drive the front right tire on to a floor jack, raise it up a few inches then drain the oil. Doing that along with a longer filter increases the amount of oil it takes by half a litre. Off topic, but has anyone tried platinum plugs instead of regular large electrode plugs in their small engines?

Not a lawn tractor but my 342cc engine in my Generator. I replaced the Champion RC12YC plug with a NGK BKR5EIX-11 Iridium plug. The Champion plug is "OK", the plug looked great, not worn and the fuel mixture was spot on, not rich or lean. It just took lots of pulls to start it. Without changing anything other than the plug it now starts with 1 or 2 pulls. This maybe ancillary but now when a load is added to the generator there is less of an engine speed interruption than with the Champion plug.