cub cadet, running lousy, Ignition? or carb? HELP PLEASE!!

[Sol9Jam]

Hello!!

Im new to this forum and to cub cadets, and could use some veteran help!! I recently bought a 125 cub cadet, she was running great, started right up, ran an idled good from low to high throttle, i was told the head gasket was recently replaces, and the points as well....as i said she was running good, UNTIL...i engaged the mower deck...at first it was mowing beautiful, after about 20 mins the motor began running sluggish, and began loosing power, after dis engaging mower deck the power improved slightly but still sluggish, i shut her down and began trouble shooting...i had a feeling the pints might have gotten dirty so i cleaned them using a dollar bill, this semmed to do the trick, but again after 15 mins the problem came back, i cleaned them and noticed the cover was not sealing over the points, i fixed that and again she ran good again...and once again after 15 min the problem returned only this tme the engined back fired and now it wont start...took cover off points and they dont seem to be lined up correctly...i was told i can convert to an electric ignition, NOVA II....do you think this is a good idea? or do you have any other advice or thoughts on this problem....any advice, input, suggestions would be appreciated..thank you

[wicub127]

Check the fuel filter.

[Sol9Jam]

thank you!! had planned on cleaning the carb and checking fuel filter....any thoughts on the nova II ignitions??

[VScott]

The points are just as reliable as an electronic ignition. period.

Your symptoms seem more like a problem due to heat.

I have had a couple of Kohlers that had sat for years, and acted this way when they were put back into service. The oil inside of the ignition can thicken over time, and overheat and cause the coil to rob too much power internally, and provide weak, or sporadic fire. This is a definite possibility on your machine. Heat up, break down. Cool off, work for a while, etc

If you get it fired back up and decide that the coil is not the culprit, try running some marvel mystery oil in your fuel. it will help lubricate the valves. You may have an exhaust valve sticking. New head gasket should hopefully mean that the top of the piston and valves were de-carboned, but you don't know if the valve stems are carboned up. It is not all that hard to remove the valves, and clean them up with a wire wheel in a bench grinder, but it does take some patience, and a valve spring compressor.

And lastly, If the problem persists, you can eliminate the body wiring, and switches by running a hot wire to the + terminal on the coil and using jumper cables start the engine and run it without the key switch on.

Hook up your cables to the battery as normal red to + black to - .
Hook the other end black to a good ground, clip your hot wire (the one that you will connect to the + side of the coil to the + jumper cable, and TOUCH (touch, do not clamp it solid) the + jumper cable to the larger terminal on your starter/generator ( the one toward the outside of the tractor). When the engine fires, remove the cable from the generator, but leave the hot wire to the coil hooked.

You have just eliminated the tractor itself from the equation, and essentially hot wired your tractor.

One last thought, Is the tractor charging the battery sufficiently? The points system is a battery base ignition. The ignition can "run out of juice" and not perform properly if the voltage / amperage isn't up to par. Adead cell in a battery can make you pull your hair out.

[Sol9Jam]

thank you!! i plan to work on it tomorrow, so all the input is appreciated!!

Also I failed to mention, i had run out of gas prior to this problem happening, im wondering if some particles in the bottom of my tank got thru and clogged the fuel filter, and or carb

[Sol9Jam]

So!! I decided to start fresh with a new set of points and condenser (cheap enough)...i Pulled the carb, cleaned it, replaced the spark plug, and after carb adjustments shes running better than ever!!!

[Tom Scott]

Tim - Good to hear all is well again!

Even if running great now, Vinny gave you real good advice on the MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) in the gas. Air cooled engines can use a little extra lube in the fuel, especially if you are using ethanol poisoned fuel. I put MMO in every can before I fill it for all my outdoor equipment. (I also drive over an hour round trip to get ethanol free... )

[Sol9Jam]

thank you!! i will certainly grab some MMO soon!!