QuestionQUESTION: MY LX 188 JOHN DEERE WON'T START, BEEN SITTING UP FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS WHAT TO TRY? ENGINE TURNS OVER REAL FAST NO PROBLEM THERE JUST WON'T START WHAT TO DO?
ANSWER: Did you drain and replace the gas? What engine is on the mower. I need the engine make, model and serial number to look up your engine.
Have you checked to see if the engine is producing spark when you try to start it?
A shortcut we use in the shop to check things quick is to remove the air filter and try to start the engine by priming with good gas or starting fluid. If it tries to start and you can keep it running by squirting gas in the carb then you know you problem is fuel related. This save a lot of time.
Eric
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: ERIC I HAVEN'T DONE ANY OF THE QUESTIONS YOUR ASKING. DOES THE GAS TANK HAVE A DRAIN PLUG? I HAVE A FD501V ENGINE MODEL 16686. IS THE CARBURATOR EASY TO GET TO?
AnswerNo drain on the gas tank but you can dis-connect the fuel line to train the tank.
The Kawasaki engines usually have a carburetor float bowl drain screw. Look on the side/bottom of the carb for a screw you can loosen to drain the carb.
Did you check for spark? Some JD models will allow the starter to spin the enigne even if there is a safety switch not working. A defective switch can cause the igntion module not to produce spark. We use an inline spark tester tool to check for spark. I would remove the spark plug when checking for spark.
There are several You Tube videos on how to test for spark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drSep-Bp7wE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qSgmunp_Ys
Did the engine try to start when priming? If so then you know you have good spark.
Eric
