1330 only runs on gas poured down carb

liam.gilpatrick · Mar 2, 2024

After taking my machine out of storage, I was going to get it running. I cleaned the fuel tank, checked the fluids, and everything seemed fine. After turning it over, nothing happened. I poured a little gas down the carb, and it sputtered for a few seconds before dying. when it was running, lots of fluid (I assume gas) poured out the exhaust outlet. In the Fall when I pulled the engine on this machine I removed the exhaust, and never put the gasket back on as it basically crumbled to pieces. I poured more gas down the carb a couple times, changing things like throttle and choke. I gave up when the air filter holder caught on fire. The engine is a Kohler 12.5. I'm still pretty new to this stuff, does anyone know a possible culprit?

dschwandt · Mar 2, 2024

Float stuck in the off position.
Did you run it out of fuel when you parked it for the winter??
If not, therein probably lies your problem.
For long term storage, shut off the gas at the tank and run the carb till the tractor quits.

liam.gilpatrick · Mar 2, 2024

dschwandt said:
Float stuck in the off position.
Did you run it out of fuel when you parked it for the winter??
If not, therein probably lies your problem.
For long term storage, shut off the gas at the tank and run the carb till the tractor quits.

I wanted to be very sure there was no fuel left in the carb because I heard horror stories about clogged carburetors. i drained the bowl, the tank, and even took out the spark plug and turned the engine over

When I was messing with the machine earlier, I did notice how the float didn't go up all the way. That might be the issue?

liam.gilpatrick · Mar 3, 2024

Update: today I had the ambition to put a new exhaust gasket on. Last night I guess I forgot to shut the fuel off, and it leaked an eighth of the tank on the ground. Firing it up with no gas down the carb, it sputtered as if it was running while the key was in the "turn over" position, but as soon as I turned it to "on", it died. I've got no more gas to put down the carb, and at this point i'm at a loss. Do I need a new carb? it's the only thing I can think of at this point.

fhiggenbottom · Mar 3, 2024

liam.gilpatrick said:
Update: today I had the ambition to put a new exhaust gasket on. Last night I guess I forgot to shut the fuel off, and it leaked an eighth of the tank on the ground. Firing it up with no gas down the carb, it sputtered as if it was running while the key was in the "turn over" position, but as soon as I turned it to "on", it died. I've got no more gas to put down the carb, and at this point i'm at a loss. Do I need a new carb? it's the only thing I can think of at this point.

I’ve experienced the same problem on two of my Cubs in the past. I own five (5) Cub Cadet Lawn tractors and do all my own maintenance. I use these lawn tractors to mow the ~2 acres of lawn we have and a snow blower is permanently attached to one of the 1330’s to clear our driveway in the winter.

If your carburetor float is restricted it will not allow the gravity fed gasoline from your fuel tank to your carburetor to be shut off when the engine is not running. In all probability that is the source of your problem. A stuck float will cause gasoline to flow into the carburetor bowl which when it becomes full will cause gasoline to enter the engine and drain down the cylinder walls into your oil pan. NOT GOOD!

The fix is to:

Rebuild your carburetor using an inexpensive rebuild kit for about $7 from Amazon. There are several tutorials on YouTube for how to do that. Here is the link for a rebuild kit for the Walbro carburetor on your Kohler 12.5 hp engine. Amazon.com: Carburetor Overhaul Repair Kit Compatible with Kohler Models CH11-CH14 and CV11-CV15 Part 12 757 01-S : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Drain all the contaminated oil from your engine that was diluted with leaked gasoline, replace the oil filter and refill the engine with two fresh quarts of Mobil 1 motor oil.
And for added insurance, purchase and place a cutoff valve between your gasoline tank and the carburetor.

If you don’t want to tackle rebuilding the carburetor you can just do steps two and three which will also solve the leaking problem. But take it from me. Don’t waste your time and money by purchasing a Chinese knockoff carburetor. From experience they are notorious for not working properly on the Kohler 12.5 engine. The Walbro works extremely well on this engine and is worth rebuilding.

Let us know how it goes?

digger · Mar 3, 2024

fhiggenbottom said:
I’ve experienced the same problem on two of my Cubs in the past. I own five (5) Cub Cadet Lawn tractors and do all my own maintenance. I use these lawn tractors to mow the ~2 acres of lawn we have and a snow blower is permanently attached to one of the 1330’s to clear our driveway in the winter.

If your carburetor float is restricted it will not allow the gravity fed gasoline from your fuel tank to your carburetor to be shut off when the engine is not running. In all probability that is the source of your problem. A stuck float will cause gasoline to flow into the carburetor bowl which when it becomes full will cause gasoline to enter the engine and drain down the cylinder walls into your oil pan. NOT GOOD!

The fix is to:

Rebuild your carburetor using an inexpensive rebuild kit for about $7 from Amazon. There are several tutorials on YouTube for how to do that. Here is the link for a rebuild kit for the Walbro carburetor on your Kohler 12.5 hp engine. Amazon.com: Carburetor Overhaul Repair Kit Compatible with Kohler Models CH11-CH14 and CV11-CV15 Part 12 757 01-S : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Drain all the contaminated oil from your engine that was diluted with leaked gasoline, replace the oil filter and refill the engine with two fresh quarts of Mobil 1 motor oil.

And for added insurance, purchase and place a cutoff valve between your gasoline tank and the carburetor.

If you don’t want to tackle rebuilding the carburetor you can just do steps two and three which will also solve the leaking problem. But take it from me. Don’t waste your time and money by purchasing a Chinese knockoff carburetor. From experience they are notorious for not working properly on the Kohler 12.5 engine. The Walbro works extremely well on this engine and is worth rebuilding.

Let us know how it goes?

Oh my yes!
Don't use a Chinese knockoff carburetor, but go right ahead and use a good ole Chinese knockoff carb kit from amazon that's never done a thing for the hobby and never supported it in anyway other than sell Chinese knockoff crap!

liam.gilpatrick · Mar 3, 2024

I'll buy one as soon as I can and hopefully get it running reliably. Hope amazon shipping doesn't take too long

dschwandt · Mar 3, 2024

digger said:
Oh my yes!
Don't use a Chinese knockoff carburetor, but go right ahead and use a good ole Chinese knockoff carb kit from amazon that's never done a thing for the hobby and never supported it in anyway other than sell Chinese knockoff crap!

AMEN Brother!!

mgonitzke · Mar 3, 2024

I don't use the aftermarket ones unless the OEM one is unavailable/stupidly priced (i.e. Kohler Command V-twin carb kit, or most of the Walbro rebuild kits, OEM is $50+, an absolute ripoff for what you get).

KH-12-757-01 is like $17 or so...may as well stick with OEM for that price.

gary noblit · Mar 3, 2024

Liam,you said it ran in start position until you went back to on...It's possible you have an ignition switch issue.Prove it by isolating the wire from switch to coil to see if you're getting 12 v in the "on" position at the coil....a jumper from pos. on batt to pos. on coil will do it after unhooking wire to coil....worth a try..

mgonitzke · Mar 4, 2024

gary noblit said:
Liam,you said it ran in start position until you went back to on...It's possible you have an ignition switch issue.Prove it by isolating the wire from switch to coil to see if you're getting 12 v in the "on" position at the coil....a jumper from pos. on batt to pos. on coil will do it after unhooking wire to coil....worth a try..

1330 is magneto ignition, not battery ignition, so instead, the kill wire needs to be un-grounded in both the 'start' and 'run' positions.

fhiggenbottom · Mar 4, 2024

digger said:
Oh my yes!
Don't use a Chinese knockoff carburetor but go right ahead and use a good ole Chinese knockoff carb kit from amazon that's never done a thing for the hobby and never supported it in anyway other than sell Chinese knockoff crap!

digger said:
Oh my yes!
Don't use a Chinese knockoff carburetor, but go right ahead and use a good ole Chinese knockoff carb kit from amazon that's never done a thing for the hobby and never supported it in anyway other than sell Chinese knockoff crap!

I merely shared my experiences with liam.gilpatrick in response to the problems he enumerated and what worked well for me. He can make up his own mind regarding what (if any) of it he chooses to accept and what (if any) rebuild kit he wants to use. But you seem to have a bone of contention stuck in your throat that makes you seek conflict. Can you honestly say you've never purchased anything manufactured in China? Didn't think so!

gary noblit · Mar 4, 2024

Matt, thanks for the correction..

Barry Musser · Mar 4, 2024

fhiggenbottom said:
I merely shared my experiences with liam.gilpatrick in response to the problems he enumerated and what worked well for me. He can make up his own mind regarding what (if any) of it he chooses to accept and what (if any) rebuild kit he wants to use. But you seem to have a bone of contention stuck in your throat that makes you seek conflict. Can you honestly say you've never purchased anything manufactured in China? Didn't think so!

Why not buy from the sponsors of this blog when you can?

cstewart · Mar 4, 2024

fhiggenbottom said:
And for added insurance, purchase and place a cutoff valve between your gasoline tank and the carburetor.

So, has anyone installed an electric fuel switch? My fuel cuf-off on my 1811 is a PITA to get to. Seems like it would be easy to add a 12V cut-off switch - ignition on = fuel flowing. What did you use?
I have another 1811 with a seized engine sitting in my garage because of the fuel-dump issue. I need to either fix it or sell it soon.

mgonitzke · Mar 4, 2024

cstewart said:
So, has anyone installed an electric fuel switch? My fuel cuf-off on my 1811 is a PITA to get to. Seems like it would be easy to add a 12V cut-off switch - ignition on = fuel flowing. What did you use?
I have another 1811 with a seized engine sitting in my garage because of the fuel-dump issue. I need to either fix it or sell it soon.

Most people add a shutoff switch between the tank and fuel pump where it is easily accessible by opening the hood. On the tractor in question here it would be even easier to reach because there are no side panels.

IMO the electric cutoff switch is an UN-necessary complexity. The later models have a solenoid valve on the carb to shut off the gas when the ignition is off, and they tend to get fouled easily. I'd rather have a mechanical valve.

fhiggenbottom · Mar 5, 2024

Barry Musser said:
Why not buy from the sponsors of this blog when you can?

Simple! There's no free lunch in a free enterprise economy and even the sponsors of this site must learn to compete. Having used them in the past I found them; (1) too slow, (2) too expensive and (3) not providing good customer service like Amazon with free shipping if a return was necessary due to defective product.

Tom Fedolak · Mar 6, 2024

Getting back to the carb problems. Check the main jet for blockage. Dirt, or varnish from old fuel.
Since all of the fuel for the engine goes through it, that's the first place to look.

tkhoffman · Mar 7, 2024

Chances are you don't need any new parts. Take the carb off, drop the Bowl and see if the float moves freely. Push the float up and see occupy can blow thru the fuel nipple. You shouldn't be able to. Let the float drop, see if you can blow thru the fuel nipple. Hopefully you can.
Stop pouring fuel down the carb if you are testing for carb issues, a few dribbles in the carb is enough.

Jason Peoples · Mar 8, 2024

If it has a lift pump for the fuel supply, check the crankcase hose that actuates it. I have found a crack in it will prevent pump action.

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