John Deere LX277 Lawn Mower


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Old 07-04-17, 08:55 AM
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John Deere LX277 Lawn Mower

Hi all, I have 2000 JD LX277AWS with a 48C mower deck. It has operated flawlessly other than the occasional carb cleaning. Every fall I always drain the carb and treat the fuel before tucking her in for the winter. When I mow my lawn (approx 2 acres) occasionally the motor will cough, sputter, sounds like backfire, and make every other sound imaginable (I think it called me a bad once) then straighten out and run smooth until it does it again. The problem is, its' an intermittent problem. There is no pattern as to when it acts up. I've cleaned the carb and have begun using non-ethanol gas in it but it still coughs, sputters, etc... Any help you guys/gals offer will be greatfully appreciated. Thank you. Roger
 
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Old 07-04-17, 09:49 AM
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Sea Foam. Lots of stores carry it.
 
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Old 07-05-17, 10:25 AM
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marbobj - Thanks for the suggestion. I tossed a can of sea foam in the gas tank. How many tanks of gas treated with sea foam should I run through it? Would I see (hear) a noticeable difference with just the one can in the gas tank? Thanks Roger
 
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Old 07-05-17, 10:57 AM
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You might notice it with the first tank, or it might never fix it. Depends on what the problem is and if it's something seafoam can cut and dissolve. If it's a piece of trash getting sucked up on the main jet, it may take manual cleaning. I'd recommend replacing the plugs too, especially if they are the NGK plugs that came in it.
 
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Old 07-06-17, 03:56 PM
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What engine and carb? When it acts up does it resemble having the choke on?
If it is a nikki carb with the plastic transfer tube, sounds like the o-rings are bad and maybe the transfer tube itself. There are two orings on the main jet and another between the transfer tube and carb body.

One way to tell if you have the plastic Transfer is how the bowl attaches. If it has screws on the flange then it does.
 
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Old 07-06-17, 05:16 PM
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BFHfixit (I live by the BFH mantra) Thanks for the suggestions. It has the twin 17hp Kawasaki with a single carb. I do not know which carb is on it, I didn't pay attention when I removed it to clean it. The bowl attaches by one bolt through the the bottom; it has an electrical lead attached to it, if that makes any sense to you. I went to JDParts.com where I can research every part on any JD unit. The diagram doesn't show any orings or the transfer tube anywhere. Perhaps they are using a different description. When I get some time over the weekend, I'll look on the carb for a model or part number and see what JDParts.com says. I'll report back when I have an update to share.
 
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Old 07-09-17, 09:35 AM
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Okay, I thought I share a bit of info with you folks. Yesterday the weather here was very unpredictable so trying to get anything done outside did not happen but it allowed to dig into my lawn tractor. I put a spark plug tester between the spark plug and coil connection. It is strong even when the motor coughed, spit, called me names, etc... So, onto something else. My idea was to take a little compressed air and blow back through the fuel line to the gas tank thinking there may have been some kind of restriction in it. Well, imagine my surprise when I removed the NEW fuel filter. It was very dirty, even had chunks of stuff stuck in it. There was black powdery looking stuff stuck to it too. My guess is that last fall when I topped off the fuel tank for the winter, I either had dirty already in the gas tank or in my gas can. I have tomorrow off from work so I'll be visiting my JD dealer for a new inline fuel filter. Plus, I'm going to remove the fuel tank from the mower and flush it completely clean. I may even dispose of the gas in my gas can and flush it clean too. Keeping fingers crossed. Roger
 
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Old 07-11-17, 04:20 PM
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Well, I put in a new fuel filter and it ran great for about an hour and then it started the cough, spit, etc... all over again. I decided to look at the new fuel filter I installed and it was as full of crap as the old one I removed. That could mean only one thing; dirty gas tank. So, after I finished mowing I decided to try to remove the gas tank and flush it. After about an hour and half, I finally found it buried under everything; JD did a nice job hiding it. Anyway, while trying to remove the tank I realized the fuel line was still attached to the pick up tube. As I was roving the clamp the tube simply pulled out of the tank. After closer inspection, the grommet through which the pick up tube passes was completely worn away, to the point of allowing crud and crap to fall into the gas tank. While cleaning the gas tank I noticed the fan that provides cooling to the transmission, all but 2 of the 8 fins was missing. So I'm now waiting for the parts to show up at my JD dealer, including another new fuel filter. The saga continues and I'll update when things are back together. Roger
 
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Old 07-17-17, 04:34 PM
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I spent the better part of the day replacing the pick up tube grommet in the gas tank, the old one had disintegrated due to age and allowing dirty and crud to enter the gas tank. I also replaced the fuel filter. Everything was re-assembled and then I cleaned the carb to be sure it was nice and clean. Important step; do not forget to re-install jet after removing them to clean them before reinstalling it. It ran great for about 20 minutes and the coughing, spitting, calling me names started all over again. It had all it could do to get the work shop so I could work on it. I decided to remove the spark plugs. One was nice and clean the other very fouled. I went to the parts store and purchased 2 new ones. If I don't put the cowl back on, it runs very smooth and strong but if I put it back on, the engine will sputter, cough, spit, etc... after about 20 minutes of mowing. I decided to leave the cowl off so I could finish my lawn. It ran great during the 2 hours it takes to mow my lawn. But, I'm stumped. Does anyone have any ideas what may be causing the motor to act up with the cowl on but run nice and smooth with it off? Roger
 
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Old 07-17-17, 09:10 PM
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What are you calling the "cowl"? The plastic cover over the engine? If so, you're lucky it didn't kill it from overheating. The air from the fan does not cool the engine without it and it will overheat.

When it starts coughing and sputtering, is there any smoke? What color smoke if any?

Try loosening the gas cap when it does this and see if it straightens out. If so, clean the vent in the cap out or replace it. If not, I'd say you should probably replace your fuel line, the inside may be collapsed.
 
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Old 07-23-17, 02:37 AM
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Update - I ran the mower again yesterday. It was a sunny, hot and humid day and it ran great the entire 2 hours of operation. It had plenty of power during the entire time. Not one sputter or cough. Perhaps I have finally got this thing running as it should. It appears that the spark plugs may have been the culprit all along but it's hard to know for sure due to replacing a number of items in the fuel system. Thankfully I only put out about $20.00 for parts and not spend the bank on getting it running. I want to thank everyone who offered suggestions and willing to share their expertise with me. Roger
 
 

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