Cub Cadet LTX1042 - Bogging and Stalling
 

Hope for some help for this problem. I have an LTX1042 that has started having an issue. I start it up, runs fine. But after just a few minutes the engine begins to bog down, then quits.

It started doing this last summer, but then you could just start up again and it would run for the rest of the mowing - about an hour.

This season, once it bogs and stalls it's done for the day.

I've installed a new plug and a new battery, and all of the safety "features" seem to work OK. At least I can cause them to stop the engine when they're supposed to. I swear, they put more safety switches which cut the engine off that they seem to forget that the purpose of the machine is to run, not shut off.

I surely don't want to take it back to my local certified dealer - they wanted to charge me $45.00 for a quart of "special" motor oil!

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Try running it with the gas cap loosened.
Some time dust clogs up the vent hole in the gas cap, air cant get in and you have a vacuum in the tank.
If this works you can clean the vent in the cap or replace it.

Thanks. Makes sense!

I wouldn't have never thought about that........but then it's always the simple things, isn't it.

I'll give it a try this afternoon and report back.

GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR!!!!!

You nailed it. I took the gas cap off, and the vent on the outside looked kind of cruddy. I poked a little piece of wire into the vent, then tried to remove the inside "baffle" to see if I could clean that out, but I couldn't it removed. I'll just buy a new gas cap. Ran it around the yard for 10 or 15 minutes, and it didn't skip a beat.

Feel kind of stupid for not figuring it out myself though!

I figure I'm running on borrowed time with this one, as it's a Courage with 666.8 hours on it. Still runs strong, though. Smokes a little when you first start it, but I think that just a little oil that seeps past the rings, as it's a horizontal cylinder. It definitely doesn't like even the tiniest amount of overfill on the crankcase.

Your bill is in the mail.....:beerchug:

Spoke Too Soon!!
 

I went out this morning to mow the front lawn, and fired up the 1042. Made one loop around the perimeter and, true to form, the stupid thing died at almost the same place.

The other day, after I put the new gas cap on it, I drove it all over the yard and it ran great! But I didn't have the mower deck engaged.

The only difference is that, this morning, I had the mower deck engaged.

So what the heck, other than the physical load of the mower deck, could cause this issue? There must be some sort of switch that senses the mower deck is on. This is one of those jobs that you have to throw a mechanical lever to engage the mower, not one engaged by a switch on the dashboard.

I did, back when my brother still had the machine, replace the cable that connected that lever to the mechanism that let the blades spin. The cable had stretched over the years that he mowed with it. This mechanism is kind of weird in that to disengage the blade rotation it uses a couple of brake shoes to brake the blades to a stop, letting the mower drive belt spin. But I don't recall that had any sort of kill switch, but there must be one.

I'm sort of baffled by this thing right now.

Maybe Got It Fixed Finally (Knock on Wood)
 

Pulling on any thread I could think of, I put in a fresh gas filter. Maybe helped a little, but it still died at almost the same place!

I pulled the air filter out and noticed the "first stage" filter looked pretty grungy - that part of the filter is on of those "sponge" looking things that you treat with oil. Also the rubber "gasket" that seals the filter unit and holds the paper filter "second stage" in place was kind of dry and stiff The paper filter element actually looked spotless. I ordered a new filter from Amazon which arrived yesterday afternoon. Installed it this morning. Also took an air hose and blew the inside of the engine cover out where the cooling fan/flywheel blows air to the "first stage" filter- lotsa dust and debris in there.

Gave it a test ride around the part of the yard that always seemed to kill it like clockwork after two laps. Made about four or five laps with the deck engaged, and it ran like a top! Started to rain so I parked it in the garage and called it quits.

Maybe got it fixed this time.

Probably shouldn't brag on it, but this Kohler Courage engine seems to be running strong at 700+ hours! Even appears to not have any oil leaks.