Stick a fork in me Johnny - I'm done. 2002 FE290 carburetor

Land Owner

[LATE NOTE - SUCCESS. Much stress relieved]

This failure to start has been a b**ch for the past month and the cart STILL does not run.

After Carburetor 101 AND Coughing and Sputtering, both times thinking I had "solved" my problem, the cart STILL doesn't run.

1.) Am on my 2nd carburetor.
2.) Still sputtering.
3.) Have GOOD spark.
4.) Have a dry cylinder and spark plug.
5.) Have ample fuel pump flow.
6.) All components of carburetor have been THOROUGHLY cleaned and cleared.
7.) Battery is fully charged.

My knees HURT from kneeling over the engine compartment R&R'ing the @#$% carburetor.

On multiple occasions, each time immediately AFTER replacing the refurb'd carb, she ran like a scalded dog in Maintenance Mode and for a short while in run mode, even around four blocks at one point before suddenly going back to sputtering.

I do not believe it is a carburetor issue. I am going after micro-switches next.

Thoughts?

BGW

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CP241

Take a step back, breathe a bit, and start from scratch with the basics.

You need the basics to run, spark, fuel, and squish... blah blah blah you know how that story goes.

Start over. Looks like you've been through the carb once or twice, so we can eliminate that, at least for now. You did say you're on your second carb, is it OEM or aftermarket?

I would check compression and adjust the valves, just so you know where it stands. I always get compression numbers and adjust the valves before I do anything. It's not going to hurt anything to do it, but can drive you crazy if you don't.

HAving said that, If you can get it to run when it's cold then take an extra spark plug with you. Drive it or run it in maintenance mode until it starts to spit and sputter. Quickly unplug the wire from the spark plug, plug your spare plug into the wire and ground the threads to one of the valve cover bolts. hit the gas and see if you've got a steady blue spark.

Judging by your description, I would bet that you won't. It sounds to me like a coil going bad. They'll run when everything is cold but once it starts to get some heat it quits working. very typical. But when it's cold, you'll have a great spark. You always have to test spark when it is in a failed state.

Let us know the results.

Land Owner

2nd carb is OEM.

Adjust the valves - will do.

Compression test - no equipment to do that.

Check the coil - will do.

CP241

Most auto parts stores will let you "rent" a compression tester for free. You pay a ~$50 deposit to rent it. Then get it refunded back to you when you return it after you're done using it.

And don't use a "spark tester". They give misleading results. They only tell you if you "have" a spark. But sometimes that spark that you "have" isn't strong enough to make the motor run...

BuggieMaverick

I agree with what’s been said. Valve gaps tighten as the engine warms up, so set them on the loose side of the spec scale.

I’m guessing it’s spark related. Failing ignition coils usually start having issues when they heat up. The spark should be a strong blue spark all the time. You may see some spark when it starts sputtering but a weak yellow colored spark isn’t strong enough. Small engine coils fail at a much higher rate than automotive coils and seems to be the #2 most common problem I’ve seen in general for small engines (behind fuel/carb issues).

CP241

Just to add... If spark is not present when it is in a failed state, don't jump directly to replacing the coil. It's not fun to replace... and there's other things in the system that can cause it to lose spark, but before going into that detail let's verify is spark is actually present or not when in a failed state.

A failing rev limiter can cause loss of spark, as can micro switches. Either is pretty simple to test but let's not jump the gun and take it one step at a time

Land Owner

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

The valve adjustment was well BELOW the favored 0.006" gap. Once adjusted, she runs like a scalded dog again.

How many DIY cart fixes - fuel delivery issues - are lacking something SO SIMPLE.

Remember, when watching someone else do these things (YouTube) they leave out essentials such as:

Valves must be TOP DEAD CENTER when adjusting the gap.
Rotate the driven clutch by hand and watch the valves until they are TDC, then untighten, adjust gap, and retighten. SIMPLE AS PIE and it WORKED SO WELL!!!

I am a Happy Camper again! Thank you SO MUCH! Now, with CRS, will I remember "next time"?

Much stress and frustration relieved...let's see, 11:39 a.m. EST, that's CLOSE ENOUGH to BEER-30!!! I am having a beer with lunch. Care to join me in a Hydraulic Sandwich? I owe you...

Tell me about coil and related electrical issues being tough. Here's my thread from 2010 (same cart) Generator 101

CP241

Great to hear it. Hopefully it holds up!

AS for the spark issues, a weak yellow puny spark is generally an ignition coil or spark plug (yes, spark plugs can be bad...). I only recommend NGK spark plugs, that's all I run in anything I own. And for ignition coil, I will only ever buy an OEM coil. Yes they're pricey, but the aftermarket ones are garbage. An OEM one will last another 20 years plus. You're lucky if you get a few months out of an aftermarket one, and unless "modifications" have been made, you'll probably need to pull the engine to replace it, or at least remove all the mounting bolts so you can tilt the engine for access to the lower 2 bolts on the engine fan shroud.

Rev limiters are common to go bad, they're the gold box below the valve cover on the front of the motor. When they go bad you'll usually end up with a no-spark or intermittent no-spark. There's a brown wire with a ring terminal on the left bolt that mounts the rev limiter. Remove the nut, remove the ring terminal and insulate it so it doesn't touch metal. When you disconnect the ground wire to the rev limiter, it disables it and you have spark. If that's the case you can leave it disconnected, or replace it with (again) an OEM unit. If you leave it disconnected, be careful going down hills as it can over-rev the motor and it will have an unhappy party inside...

The microswitches can also kill spark if bad, or adjusted incorrectly. On the passenger side of the motor, you'll see a wire running down the front of the motor, and a bullet connector, and the other side of that wire runs into the driver's side of the motor to the ignition coil. This is the kill wire for the coil. If you disconnect this wire and it has spark, you either have a microswitch issue that's killing spark, or that wire itself has grounded out somewhere killing spark.

Either of the latter 2 tests can either condemn the coil, or save you the hassle of replacing the coil if something else is wrong causing no spark. Coils aren't cheap (I think I paid $125 or something for the one in my carryall) nor are they "easy" to replace. Replacing them isn't hard, but access to them can be a hassle.

Land Owner

It is nice when a job is finally complete and some enjoyment can be derived from the equipment. With the monsoon rains on us, I have wanted to fertilize the yard, with Miracle Gro. I have a package that was ruined by absorbed moisture that needs to be used along with some Dawn dishwashing soap. The 25-gal. tank, 3.0 gpm 55 psi pump, and its 4-sprayer boom that I made for putting out Roundup/Glyphosate, will be employed after a thorough triple rinse with fresh water to preclude any gly in the mix killing the lawn.

Land Owner

That's not the lawn btw. That's the Hunting Property where the gly is used thick to keep back the ever creeping Potato Vines, Kudzu, and Johnson Grass.