Lawn Tractor STALLS and DIES after 30 SECONDS - LET'S FIX IT !!!

This Cub Cadet with a Kohler Courage engine runs great for 30 seconds! Then it struggles, stalls and dies! Wait a short time, and then it happens again....runs and dies. Is it an ignition problem? Maybe a fuel issue? Please join me as we walk the diagnostic steps to figure out what's going on with this lawn tractor.
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I appreciate it!

[@tommystockstill6944]

Thank you, trying to help my friend 1000 miles away, you took the same steps I would have so I can send her this video instead of trying to describe it on the phone.

[@digittydog]

I will be troubleshooting my lt50 today. Similar situation... except the engine dies when I try to drive forward. I was going to start with fuel supply and carb cleaning.

[@k9under]

Nice job buck need to do a part 2 of you cleaning that carb.

[@BlueberryStinkFinger62]

Throw the courage engine out and put in a Kohler 7000 series in problem solved you'll spend some money on that engine but well worth it

[@Buckwsr]

There's not much love out there for these Kohler Courage engines (at least not the single cylinder ones), but to be fair, this problem had nothing to do with the engine itself. Crud in the gas tank and the resulting fuel line obstruction could have happened on any tractor or engine....

[@kenk3102]

...good DIY video Buck....thanks for posting.....if you do a carb clean, be sure and check solenoid fuel cutoff valve is opening
all the way and is not gunked up....and of course, main jet..... 🙂

[@Buckwsr]

Thank you!

[@liljoeii6091]

Thank you for the video.

[@seanseanseanseansean]

Good one. I have a push mower that does that sometimes. 30 seconds and it dies. Next, I'll put an air hose on it and blow the line back to the fuel tank.

[@Buckwsr]

I've seen spark plugs go bad. They will work on a cold engine, but once it warms up, they fail. That's why my first test was to try a new spark plug. Also, pull the hose off the carburetor and verify good fuel flow from the tank.

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

Buck, once you blew the obstruction from the original line and it flowed correctly, then I would have done whatever it took to locate the debris which had been clogging the line. I would have taped the line to something straight and inspected the inside with a light to see if it looked ok. I would have gone the extra step to remove the tank to locate that obstruction and flush out the tank. Failing to do that means there’s a good possibility that the same problem will happen again because the obstruction is still in the tank.
The other, better option would have been to blow into the tank fill hole with a rag around the blow tool to clear the obstruction out of the tank and line.

[@Buckwsr]

Thank you. I anticipated that some viewers would admonish me to be more thorough, as you have done. I replaced all fuel lines, as you saw. I believe the issue was a freak one-time thing that is very unlikely to re-occur. If it does, I will go the extra mile to remove and clean the tank. I have mowers in my herd of machines that perpetually have debris in the bottom of the tank...rubber pieces from deteriorated fuel caps, dirt, etc,....and it never causes any fuel flow issues. I honestly don't expect this freak thing to happen again. And if it does, we'll deal with it. Thanks.

[@michaelroach962]

Do you think a shutoff and a filter would be too much restriction?

[@Buckwsr]

The fuel filter is an essential (and must be the type designed for a gravity-fed fuel system). A quality shut-off valve (I don't like the cheap plastic ones) should not be a problem, in my opinion. Thanks!