Blades wont engage when rained on

[Pat Daniels]

Have a new lazer z. 36 hours on it. Twice after traveling in the rain my blades wouldnt engage. It would bog down the 23 horse Kohlor and kill it real quick. Thoughts?

[eXmark]

Hey Pat,

First you said that the blades wouldn't engage, and then you said that the engine bogs down and dies. Did the blades start to spin, or when you pulled the PTO switch out, did the blades do nothing? If the blades started to spin, that's going to be a whole different issue than if you hit the switch and nothing happens (i.e. - the blades don't spin). Let me know when you get a chance. This will make a huge difference in the diagnosis of your problem.

Thanks,

Dustin
Exmark Customer Support

[Pat Daniels]

Ok. Got you. I would pull the pto switch out, the blades would try to engage, but the engine would quit. Seemed like too much drag on the engine. I would have to push the pto back in (disengage) to keep the engine running. No problem when its dry or not rained on. Its a new machine, hopefully its just a quirck, but thought Id ask before it happens again.

[eXmark]

Pat,

From what the tech. guys here at Exmark say, it's possible that the engine is only firing on one cylinder. If this is the case, it will run fine without a load. When you put the engine under a load (e.g. - engage the blades), the RPM's will drop off considerably.

We need to get this engine looked at by your dealer. Until they get a chance to look at it, we're just guessing here. Let me know how this works out.

Dustin
Exmark Customer Support

[TLS]

Pat,

Is the engine "stalling" from lack of power? The shock of the engagement too much for the engine?

Or is it loosing spark because a wire connection in the operator presence switches got wet? When you engage the switch, the engine spark is stopped?

Sometimes belts and the electric clutch will get real "grabby" after rain or moist conditions. Just like brakes in your car after you don't drive it for a while.


Here's what I found that helps when engaging the blades. Set engine power at about 1/3 throttle. SLOWLY pull out the choke until it just starts to slightly sputter. Then engage the blades. Your engine will have more power in this rich running condition and you will see that it does infact work. This is especially usefull on cold/wet mornings, when the oil's thick, the belts are stiff and the engines cold.

Hope this helps, and I hope its this and not an electrical problem.