Bobcat 2100

[JDC]

Ive got Bobcat 2100 with the FE400 engine if it idles about 10 min it quits and wont start back up for a while. Im thinking the coil is getting hot and breaking down maybe. Any body ever had a symtem like this ?

[Fairtax4me]

Usually needs to run longer than that, but definitely sounds spark related. Run the engine til it quits and put a spare spark plug in the plug wire and lay it on top of the engine where it can touch bare metal, then crank it and check for spark. Should be bright white/blue and consistent.
There should be a black box on the front center of the motor down low, thats the electronic rev limiter. Brown wire comes out and grounds to the mounting bracket on the engine. Remove the brown wire from the bracket and tape it so it won’t touch anything. Run the engine and see if you still have the same issue.

If there is no rev limiter then the coil is failing. I dunno how difficult it is to get the fan shroud off of that engine, but on most of the golf carts you almost have to remove the entire engine from the cart to get to all of the screws that hold the shroud on just to get to the coil.
Buy a genuine OE Kawasaki coil to avoid having repeat failures from cheapo aftermarket coils. That job isn’t enough fun to want to do it over and over again.

[JDC]

Good idea ill try that thks.

[JDC]

So i tried what you suggested. It still had spark when it quit. ive cleaned the carb with no difference in it. it dosent quit now even before i cleaned the carb. It runs great when cold but when it gets hot it wont rev up it back fires bad out through the intake. It will sit there and idle great. I think maybe a valve issue. It has the hydralic lifters so the valves are not adjustable. Has anyone had an issue with these lifters going bad? and its sooting up the plug bad.

[Fairtax4me]

Lifter problems are not unheard of but I wouldn’t put much effort into checking those. Most of the time if they are a problem it’s because they are not holding pressure and they’ll make noise, but not greatly affect the way the engine runs.

If the plug is sooty that tends to indicate it’s getting too much fuel or that the plug is the wrong heat range. What’s the part number on the plug that’s in it?

I would double check the intake system on it. Make sure the choke mechanism is not stuck, make sure the intake tube to the carb is clear and not crimped or damaged.
Make sure the air filter is clean and make sure the tubing going into the filter box is not obstructed. If it’s not getting enough air it can choke itself out with fuel once the engine gets warm.

Still possible it’s a spark issue, how does the spark look when it quits? Is it a strong bright blue spark, or a weak/thin yellowish spark?

[JDC]

Plug that was in it was an RN11YC4 which crossed to a BRP5ES which is the OEM one.

[Fairtax4me]

Well personally, I’d get rid of the Champion plug and put an NGK in it.

[JDC]

So the ngk made no difference. still cuts out under acceration and back fires through the carb. so i did a compression test when warm only 60 psi not good. letting it cool down and ill do another one when cold. either way i guess its coming out of the cart.

[Fairtax4me]

Pretty much all of the FE400s have ACR Automatic Compression Release, so you’ll only see about 60psi during cranking.

If it runs well when it’s cold, then compression is not the issue because compression doesn’t get worse as the engine warms.

Double check and make sure you’re getting Bright Blue spark when it starts acting up. If it’s dim/yellowish spark, the coil is the problem.

[lockman1]

Before pulling the engine, check to see if it has a rev limiter! (#22 in the pic)