Tractor related Kubota troubles but all should read

[bignastyGS]

My mom has the worst luck with tractors. She has had 5 since the last 15 years. She got disgusted with the LT 1042 Cub and handed it to me. She asked what new tractor should she consider. I have many,many friends with Kubota's and suggested she look into one. Since there are not many brand type places near,this seemed like a good start.So, she decided to buy a Kubota 18 hp gas with hydro. She brings it home and mows 3 times with it. It had 10 hours on it. She calls me and says it wont start. I go after work to her house and it is completely flooded. I tell her to have the dealer pick it up. After having it a week and a half,she gets a call that the gas was bad and it was over $800 bucks to fix it. I go there ready to flip out and they tell me to bring her gas and can so they can look at it. We did and then we all realized the gas that was in the tractor when it was delivered turned orange. I go to the crated new tractors and look at the small amount of gas in the clear tanks and it loos the same as what they drained out.Mom's looked nice and yellowish yet. They stood behind it and cost was zero. We were told they flushed the complete system,took the head off and carb as well and flushed it out as well as changed the oil. All was fine for about 2 months then it acted up again. I went back to moms and it acted like it was flooded. She was mowing for 2 hours and it just quit. When I tried starting it,it spewed gas out of the muffler and then it started up smoking from too much gas. It shot out so much gas,that it coated my pants through my sock.Good thing it didn't catch me on fire!. So we called and returned the tractor. They cleaned the system again(I don't believe it for a minute) added a new filter and got it running again. Cost to her was $150.00.It has been running like crap since and mom was afraid to tell me....Until tonight. It let her set in the middle of the yard and sat out in a drenching rain today. I go there and take her old Cub back to use(lol) and pick up the Kubota. I took the filter off and there was no gas coming out of the hose.I looked at the valve and it was on.So, I had to rip the fenders seat and shrouding on the motor off to look at what I had to deal with.



Then the real trouble was found after removal of the tank. I took the air cleaner off and tried starting it. I could spray choke cleaner in the carb and it fired and ran till it burned it up.That told m I had a fuel delivery problem. Upon investigation I drained the tank,blew through the fuel lines with choke cleaner and then discovered the trouble. The filter had all kinds of silty stuff in it but this is the sure trouble...



It seems there was a rubber gasket on the cap and it dissolved and fell into the tank,thus cutting off the fuel supply. The valve is plugged with the stuff as well as the fuel hose. Tomorrow I am flushing the tank,replacing the hoses to the carb,cleaning the carb and getting a new rebuild kit as well as replacing the fuel filter. The ethanol just swelled the gasket to 3 times it's size. I will be discussing this with Kubota as well...

[LarryW]

Thats pretty crappy luck. Hope it all ends there for you and your mom.

[ACecil]

Sorry to hear that, Pat. Hope things get better.

[cub1450]

Thats Sucks at least she has a good ole faithful cub cadet to mow with.

[CC1650Dave]

Your momma didn't raise no dummy. Good troubleshooting, and good job standing up for your mom. She'd be out of luck and money if you weren't looking out for her.

[bignastyGS]

I hope the one thing that is taken from this post is that this Ethanol gas sure messes things up. She was told to use premium gas and has done it as well as I taught her to put in Sta-Bil with Ethanol as well.. I can guarantee there will be no more rubber gasket on that gas cap from here on in..Shae asked me how much I thought the bill was going to be and I told her it may be pretty expensive.Sounds like some beef stew should settle the bill..lol

[ol'George]

Most of us really don't like high alcohol content fuel because of problems it causes,
but what surprises me is the fact that mower is "new" and it is suppose to be compatible with up to 10%
What comes to mind is, did someone induce high content alcohol in to it, like E85 or was the gasket not compatible?
Is the Gasket really "dissolving" or is it just damaged and thus clogged the fuel inlet components.
I'm Glad you were able to "rescue" Mom.
I remember telling my Mom when I helped her it was just payback for all those messy diapers I caused her to change.
I'm thinking "Premium" fuel is not recommended in a low compression small engine,
and remembering now a days, they tend to up the Alcohol content in premium to increase the octane rating.

[Merk]

by bignastyGS
I hope the one thing that is taken from this post is that this Ethanol gas sure messes things up.

There too many other things going on here to blame ethanol in your gas. The openning line says:

by bignastyGS
My mom has the worst luck with tractors. She has had 5 since the last 15 years.

It sounds like the proper care isn't being done. Several questions come to mind:
1. How old is the fuel?
2. How/where is the fuel stored?
3. Where is the mower stored?
4. Sta-Bil added to fuel before or after the fuel container is filled?
5. Can the container be sealed?
6. Did the Kubota dealer check your Mom's fuel when you took it to the dealer?

A gravel floor and metal siding makes for a damp area. Any fuel in a damp area will attrach moisture.

The orange gas is interresting...........Any lawn mower in a crate or box cannot be shipped with gas and oil in it. What did the dealer say about the orange gas?
Where was this mower made??
Odds are this mower was made overseas and the orange stuff is a way for Kubota to seal the fuel system from water during shipping.

10 hours on one tank of gas? How big is the tank? I have a 16 horse power Van Guard motor in an off topic mower. It's lucky to get 4 to 5 hours on 4 gallons.

The gasket in your picture looks like it has been overtighten. Any rubber gasket soaking in gas (straight or ethanol gas) will disolve. Is the sealing surface on the fuel tank smooth? A rough area in the tank's sealing surface will tear a rubber gasket. How do you know if the gasket in question is the correct material? Products like gas caps with a seal in them are not made in the USA. There has been several cases of the wrong material used in kids toys.....why not a gas cap???? Sad thing is there is no way to trace it.

How do you know if the Kubota dealer grab the wrong container when they fill the lawn mower????? Your comment:

by bignastyGS
They cleaned the system again(I don't believe it for a minute)

makes me question the workmanship at that dealer.


Another question: Was there gas put in the gas tank????

[bignastyGS]

Ok ..So I got the tractor back running like it's never ran before. I thoroughly took the fuel system apart,flushed all the gunk from the tank,replaced all hoses and filter. Took the carb off,installed a new kit and cleaned it good in carb cleaner you soak the carb in. Put it all together and it fired almost immediately. Had to prime it to get the fuel flowing,but after that it ran sweet. I even put a load on it after adjustments and mowed very wet thick grass. So, I called mom and she heard from not only Kubota,but the dealer. I find some of the things they said tough to swallow,but they suggested a few things. Kubota said they had several complaints about the rubber seal swelling or even breaking down.They said the dealerships were aware of this and Kubota suggested the rubber seal be removed entirely.I have a very similar cap on my Cub 1042 and there is no gasket.She asked about warrantying it but they said since it was out of warranty and I did the work,they couldn't help her at all and wished her good luck with the fix.As for the dealer,they offered to come get it and then fix it for $40 an hour..She told them I was doing it and they stated since I did the work,the warranty was void.Too bad they weren't smart enough to see it had a 1 year warranty which ran out in August anyways.
Now to answer Merks questions in order
Mom gets overwhelmed at the slightese thing with her mowers and then jumps the gun. She had an old Craftsman that was thrashed for several years and just plain fell apart and needed spindles etc cost was more than the machine was worth.Her Simplicity was a great tractor and she liked the Cub so she traded it after 3-4 years afraid there would be maintenance costs like the Craftsman.Her Cub(my 1042) has a bad wire that kept the battery from charging and the dealer closed.The next closest dealet is 100 miles away.So she went with Kubota. She isn't real hard on them just afraid she's going to be raked by the dealers.She is anal about fresh fuel and her yard is over 1 1/2 acres and she mows weekly,it is in a brand new container with the goofy neck and she adds Stabil each can before filling.I believe it's 5 gallons. The tractor and all the gas,oil and such are kept inside and on a clean floor. The dealer had to assemble the tractor that was in the crate like several others. If you look on the back there is a dished area that the pickup tube goes into. On 4-5 they all had orangish fluid in them that also smelled gas like. He didn't elaborate,but they ate the cost of the bill. The tractor had 10 hours on it not sure how much it actually used.The dealer had it full when delivered to her and showed her how to use the controls etc then she mowed. Her barn is wood side and not damp in there. I store my car in there and I don't ever have a problem.
Tonight,mom showed me her bill from the last time.149 bucks for 4 qts oil,oil filter and plug. They claimed they flushed the fuel,but there were some bolts that had little stick on things yet that as soon as I took them out to remove the tank,they ripped. I think they took her. So, In the end of it there are 3 things that will change
1 I guess I will maintain it from here on
2 we will see a different dealer from here on
3 we learned a lesson and will keep an eye on it.No more gasket as well..

[Cubcrazy]

Glad you got it running good now Pat.