[Keith]

As some of you may have read in this thread I have been having some trouble with my fuel injected Lazer.

To start from scratch, I chose the dealer I purchased from by elimination. The first choice was a larger dealer that I have dealt with in the past. However the last few times I talked with them they urged me to go with a Kubota and they for sure did not want to sell the injected Lazer, they just don't like them. Dealer number two seemed like a real nice guy, bigger dealer but down to earth. Last time I talked to him he was suggesting I give the Super Z a chance. I noted some hostility between he and the distributor of Exmark which led me to think he might not be an Exmark dealer for long. There were a couple others, but they were Mom and Pop type operations that had only recently taken on Exmark and commercial mowers in general. I chose a dealer that, although not as big as some of the others, seemed to have a fair sized inventory and has had Exmark for a while. They were the ones I felt most comfortable buying from, although from the very beginning I hoped I never had any EFI problems...if you know what I mean

Anyway, to make a long story short, a problem develops that causes the mower to run bad at times. Very rich, hesitates, and overall underpowered. Sometimes it runs great, it's a hit and miss thing Enough about that, you can read that in the other thread

I take the mower back after it gets to the point one day where I can't stand it anymore. Dealer takes it in. It stays there for 16 days. They didn't do a hell of a lot to it in that time period. I think it sat there for 15 of those days They claim they can't really find anything wrong with it and there test procedure consists of leaving it running behind the shop for an hour They have no grass so it's kinda hard for them to test I guess. I pick the mower up and it runs good for about two lawns and then the code 34 is back and running rough.

I have talked to Kohler and have emailed Dustin at Exmark and both have seemed genuinely concerned. Dustin went as far as to call the dealer and tell them that it's still not right. They told him they had not heard from me and thought it was fixed. Well, they never really found anything wrong in the first place The mower runs good enough about half of the time, which is sure better than not having it at all. Basically I am not to fond of the idea of taking it back and letting it sit in the elements for two more weeks When I got it back before it had mildew all over the seat and managed to have more damage to the anti-scalp rollers than I have done to them in 120 hours Not sure what they did there :dizzy:

My question is this. Do you take it back to same dealer and let them have at it again and hope that they and Kohler can come up with a fix? Or do you find another dealer and let them take a stab at it. The dealer that worked on it before told Dustin (Exmark) today that I need to get it back asap, like tomorrow, because their commercial mechanic is going on vacation next week. How promising does that sound? Would you be willing to bet the mower is sitting out behind the shop while he's on vacation?

Anyway, I would like to hear what you would do if in the same situation. It will go a long way in helping me make a decision. One thing to note, no Exmark dealer is close by. All of them are a good distance, this one 70 minutes each way. So I can't just pack up and go check it out on a daily basis.

 

[EJK2352]

Take it back and get a carburated 27 horse Kohler. Did you ever have any performance problems w/ the 25 horse on your Yazoo/Kees?????????

 

[Keith]

No, the 25 was fine. But the 26 when it runs right runs circles around it Of course the 25 is getting a little tired at 1800 hours, so it's not fair to compare them Plus, I really like the seat

 

[jsr2741]

Any chance of them getting ahold of the rep from kohler and let them address the problem, after all it is their motor/injection set up.

 

[barnard]

I would go to another exmark dealer(if thats the brand you like) and trade it for a carbureted model. Take your beating and be rid of the thing and the dealer. On second thought I'd call exmark one more time on the slim chance they might really step up and take care of your problem-FAST. If not I would not ever buy one their machines again. Been there -done that. Exmark how about some help for this man . John Gamba- Wheres your stroke with exmark.

 

[Keith]

I like the mower, I really do It cuts great when it's right. I have thought about demo-ing a Super Z as we have a Hustler dealer much closer to us. I really can't afford to get into another mower right this second. I have considered selling the Grasshopper and Kees and putting a nice downpayment on another, but it won't happen right now. I also hate to take a beating on this mower.

jsr2741, ultimately that is what will have to happen. I think you walk a fine line between helpful suggestions and being a no-it-all telling them how it needs to be taken care of. I have been in touch with a guy at Kohler and he has spoken with the dealer. I think the last day it was there they changed a starter terminal at Kohler's suggestion.

 

[Keith]

I figure I might take it back to them one more time, but it will defineately be after the mechanic gets back from vacation. Bottom line, the Kees is the closest thing I have to this mower and it has a rough time on uneven lawns. I have to be able to cut those right and at this time of year, with the grass growing like it is, I need this mower.

Funny thing is, I have always had problems with mower service in this area. The only time things worked out well was on the worst mower I ever owned, a 48 Scag walk. The dealer took the mower, tried to fix the problem with a new deck and when that failed the distributor gave me a loaner for 4 months while they figured out what to do with mine.

 

[barnard]

Keith ,I dropped a line to Exmark in the Exmark forum on this site. Hope it helps. Ray

 

[MikeLT1Z28]

i say keep working with dustin AND get with the kohler rep (dustin should be able to tell you who the rep for your area is).
until then, i'd demand a loaner of equal or greater value and take lots of detailed pics of your mower showing it's condition before you take it to the shop. i'd almost say since you've had so much trouble (check your state for lemon laws) that kohler should just send a new engine to the dealer and swap it out. i guess it could be an ecu problem also. did they say what code 34 is?

 

[Keith]

This is what a code 34 is. Dustin sent it to me a couple weeks ago and it is exactly what my Kohler service manual says.

This information comes directly from the Kohler EFI service manual, page 5B.26.

Code 34 - Oxygen Sensor/Fuel System Components

Long term fuel adaptation control is at the upper or lower limit.

System operates "closed-loop." No appreciable performance loss as long as the temporary adaptation can provide sufficient compensation.

Possible Causes:

1. Oxygen Sensor

a. Sensor connector or wiring.
b. Sensor contaminated or damaged
c. Exhaust leak
d. Poor ground path
e. Circuit 10 wiring or connector

2. TPS Sensor

a. Throttle plate position incorrect during "initialization" procedure
b. TPS problem or malfunction

3. Engine Wiring Harness

a. Difference in voltage between sensed voltage (circuit 17) and actual injector voltage (circuit 45)
b. Problem in wiring harness

4. Systems

a. Ignition (spark plug, plug wire, ignition coil)
b. Fuel (fuel type/quality, injector, fuel pressure, fuel pump)
c. Combustion air (air cleaner dirty/restricted, intake leak, throttle bores)
d. Base engine problem (rings, valves)
e. Exhaust system leak (muffler, flange, oxygen sensor mounting boss, etc.)
f. Fuel in the crankcase oil
g. Altitude

5. ECU

a. ECU-to-harness connection problem




Looks like a 34 is about as broad a trouble code as you can have. The code was cleared when I picked the mower up. I am sure unhooking the power can clear it. But it returned within 30 minutes. The mildew on the seat can be cleaned, thats what happens when stuff sits out unused for 2 weeks. The rollers ain't no big deal, they would get scuffed up anyway.