126 Running Rough
 

I don't know much about motors, so I'm sorry in advance if anything I say does not make sense.

My 126 runs kind of rough. Like small backfires. It is the worst coming down hill, but it does it at other times too. i don't believe it does at idle, at least not like at higher throttle.

Any suggestions what I could try to fix this, adjustments or tests?

Could be running lean..... Poor fuel flow, dirty carburetor, carburetor out of adjustment are some of what causes lean conditions. Does your tractor run better with the choke closed somewhat?

Yes, I meant to say I have to leave the choke closed about 1/4 of the way until it warms up, I haven't tried leaving it closed after its warm though.

I adjusted the carburetor and it seems to be running much better now. Should I still clean it anyway, or leave it alone since its running fine now?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.:beerchug:

a little Seafoam in the fuel goes a long ways to avoiding carb issues;)

Is that stuff really good? I've heard some bad things about it.

I've dumped it in quite a few gas tanks over the years and never had any issues. If your fuel system has MINOR issues, it does well at cleaning it out. If you have a gunked up mess, you have no choice but to properly dissasemble the carb an maybe even drain the fuel tank.

Given the fact you had backfire issues and were running with the choke on, I'd say adjustment was your real problem.

There is a discussion in the General Talk section about another product called "mechanic in a bottle".

Question #7 This information is from Kohler FAQ's page
https://power.kohler.com/na-en/engines/faqs
deals with fuel cleaners. sea foam is a cleaner.

Products like sea foam are destroying your carbs.

I tried sea foam several times. The engines were down on power that had sea foam in it.

It's your engine.......your choice to use this kind of junk.

If it's running well now without having to play with the choke, I'd leave it alone.

I'm wary of any engine fixes that come in a bottle/can.