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Refurb and Modification of 1430 Lawn Tractor

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Ok, it is done. For some reason it is extremely hard to start when the engine is hot and it sits for a few minutes. I'm not sure what to do about it. Other than the starting issue it runs great....

Also I changed my name to the real thing. No offense guys, I just didn't think I'd wind up liking everyone and wanting to stick around. So yeah, name's Mike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiho6F5lfEk&feature=youtu.be
 
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143 Posts and 6 months....
Nice to meet you Mike.
 
I didn't mean to do it intentionally. I made an account here to ask a couple of little questions and just didn't feel comfortable putting my real name. Then I started posting here more and more and started thinking "I wonder if I should say anything about that..." and of course, it just became worse with time.

It's not personal guys. I'm sorry, didn't mean to be such a fraud, that's why I figured it was time to just come clean.
 
Mike, I think I know how you felt starting out. I post on some other non-garden tractor forums where you can have a random username I just use my initials on those forums, but most everyone on them has some odd nickname that they use. Glad you decided to stick around here. There's a good group of people here.
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Mike: Enjoyed the video. I have been so wanting to see your rig in action! You have great vision to see its potential as a snow mover, I'm not sure everyone would.

On the name: Saul of Tarsus had an experience on the road to Damascus which ultimately lead to his being known as Paul; you're Mike. Welcome to the Forum.
 
Mike, your real last name has an interesting collection of letters. Two doubles and two 'I's. Kind of like spelling Mississippi!
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, and as others have said, glad to have you stay with us.
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Thanks! I feel all warm and fuzzy, like this:
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Do you guys know why it has such a hard time starting when the engine is hot? I was plunging the choke back and forth slowly but nothing happened. I had to drop the throttle down to low idle, once it punched, I put the throttle half way, then it started and I jacked it to full throttle to keep it running. I am not sure why it does that...
 
I've found that there is no reason to install a block heater. I just rest a heat gun against the frame so that it points at the front of the block, and the engine will start within 30-45 minutes. It's pretty simple and it works damn well. Therefore, I will not be sending anymore money at it.
 
Mike T

I see no one answered your hard start issue when the engine is hot . That problem usually is carbon build up or a sticking exhaust valve . To solve the problem completely I would suggest to remove the head and clean up all the carbon deposits. while your there remove the breather and exhaust valve retainers and pull out the valve. use some valve grinding compound and work the valve seat in to see how it sets in the seat ; also clean up the valve stem and install a new breather kit and gasket along with a head gasket . there are a few additives that some use here that will help prevent that carbon build up , Marvel mistry oil is one but there are many more . after you have done all this a small carb adjustment might be needed to get that tractor working and starting great . Hope this helps.
 
Mr Tanner,

Thank you for the advice. At this time, the idea of taking the engine apart is pretty far from my mind. I intend to run it until something breaks and then rebuild or repower with another Magnum. Perhaps an oil additive like you suggested will help to keep things working decently in the mean time.
 
Any snow removal videos yet? You presumably live in NY. (Although we can't really be sure now can we...)

I know NY has had alot of snow already this season. Does it work as planned?
 
Mike: You can address both the carbon buildup and sticking valve issues with the motor intact.

To resolve carbon buildup: warm the engine up well and carefully spray water into the intake while manipulating the throttle. If there is a good deal of carbon, it will be expelled out through the exhaust. Some Forum members (who include Dennis Frisk, if memory serves) report a satisfying spray of sparks coming out as well.

To resolve the sticking valves: I've had the best results from using the Low Ash oil available at your local Cub Cadet dealer or one of the Forum's sponsors (I know Cub Cadet Specialties carries it). I used to have some really aggravating issues with valves sticking until I switched the Low Ash oil, but I have had none since. You can also hit the valves directly with Sea-Foam or other solvent if you care to remove the carburetor and/or muffler/pipe to get at them.

That said, I'm not sure that either of these issues are really the problem with your engine. If the valve is truly stuck, you have no compression and the motor won't start until the valve reseats itself, usually after the head has cooled down a bit (about a 1/2 hour). I'm not sure what symptoms excess carbon cause in an air-cooled engine, but I imagine pre-ignition could be caused a "hot-spot" developing in the carbon. Harry Bursell maintains that carbon particles score a great many more cylinder bores than they're given credit for. I know that in water-cooled automobile engines, the carbon can build up on the back of intake valves to the point that it seems no air can get through the manifold!

I do sympathize with your plight though, my engines often react very differently when they are hot as opposed to when they are cold. And I've had some that I dreaded restarting hot. I remember when the rust in the gas tank of my 149 had so clogged the filter that it would die and NOT restart until I had given the carburetor bowl time to refill. Charlie helped me understand that I really needed to clean the tank properly (see the FAQs). I wound up securing a really clean replacement tank from Forum member Tom Hoffman.

Something that helped ALL my starting problems was setting the timing correctly, which may not be an issue with your motor.

Intuitively, it seems to me that your hot restarting issue (given your choke/throttle actions) would be a fuel/air delivery problem. Are all the filters clean? Does the engine react differently with the air cleaner off? Have you pulled the plug and looked at it before you try restarting it to see if the engine is running lean or rich?

Another thought. If the head gasket is leaking, it can cause all kinds of problems, with running and starting. Even though the tractor "runs," it runs a lot better with a well-sealed head.
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I stopped oil consumption issues, and greatly aided my starting and running issues with a new head gasket. Of course, the head has to be flat too in order for the gasket to seal properly. I believe there is a FAQ on preparing a head for reassembly.

I know you don't want to take the engine apart, but the experience of many Forum members and myself confirms that it is often the most direct route to figuring out what is wrong with an engine.
 
Gentlemen,

I've been using it all season to remove snow. @Nic, I posted a video a few weeks ago of some snow removal. Since then I haven't bothered making another vid.... but NY is getting piled right now, so I should be able to shoot another one for you all tonight. I've used it about 6 times now, ~8 hours total, long enough for me to learn all of its quirks, as well as its functional limits. It is a powerful machine with excellent traction, but the blower is on the weak side, and needs to be fed slowly to avoid burning the belt.

It throws the snow about 30ft, it's actually pretty cool to see how far it goes. The tractor is nearly unstoppable, and the little hydro seems to be holding up well, even with all of the back-and-forth, as well as the extra strain of pushing the blower. I have also managed to fix the issue where the lift lever slips off track -- I had to adjust the bolt on the lever arm which controls the lift height; by turning it out ~1/2" it pushed the lift arm high enough to keep it between the groove.... hard to explain without pictures.

Jeremiah, thank you for all of the useful info. I may look into some of the less intensive maintenance you described, such as cleaning the valves or even replacing the gaskets. At this time, though I think the issue was that I was constantly running at partial choke due to the choke cable being damaged. I found that when I took the choke cable off and just started it with the hood off, it has no problem whatsoever (I had to adjust the mixture screw because I'd compensated it too lean with the choke cable hooked up).

It is a bitch to start when it is cold. I have found that my best results are to do the following: remove the hood, point a heat gun at the underside/front of the block at full blast, put the battery on a charger, let it sit for 30-45 minutes. Then, I put a drill on the flywheel and pop it while holding down the ignition button. This engine is simply tired and old, and it does not like to start.

It also devours gas like no other. If it runs for an hour it will suck up about 60% of the 4 gallon tank. It is definitely a hog. I am not sure if it is just the nature of the engine, or if it is because the snowblower creates a lot of demand... or maybe both at the same time.
 
Throwing snow pulls HARD....a Mag 18 on a thrower will easily drink over 2x what it does mowing.

I burned 3+ gallons yesterday in 1-1/2 hours powering a 42" thrower through 6-7" of heavy wet stuff with my 782 and Mag 18.....she was hard into the governor the whole time, but getting it done with impressive authority, throwing snow about 15'.....
 
Mike T.
I just freakin cringe when I see guys WOT throttle kicking in a snow thrower/blower!!!!!!

What's wrong with letting it run?

Maybe you could shed some light on why people do that.
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Not sure what you are talking about?


... Oh, you're asking why I kill the PTO before I back it up? Because the belt will rub on the frame when I lift the blade. I need to fix that in the summer.

Why, do you think it's going to cause a problem?
 
Mike,
What Charlie is trying to say...
You are inflicting 10X the wear and load shock on your belts and ($$ electric clutch) by repeatedly disengaging / engaging the PTO.
You are better off throttling back a little and leaving the PTO engaged if you are diving right back into the snow pile again.

Thanks for posting the snow moving video. A video of me and a shovel would not be as fun to watch and it would have to be edited with lots of bleeps.
 
Rick,

Thanks. I edited my last post. See below.

I guess I could lower the throttle each time before I turn on the PTO. With the amount of back-n-forth that I do for one job, it would mean I'd be doing that like 60-80 times.
 

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