1430 backfires/stalls when mowing

[mtarsus]

Greetings to all,

I recently purchased an IH cub cadet 1430.. I think it is somewhere between 15 and 20 years old. It runs well at start up, and will idle happily forever, but once you start to ride it, engage the PTO and add load, it will soon start to backfire like mad, and then stalls. It usually starts right up immediately, but the same thing happens right away. It also makes a burnt plastic/rubber smell, which seems to come from somewhere near the intake manifold.

Does this sound familiar to you guys? I don't think it is the carbs, because the problem seems to rely on the engine heat. I was told by the PO that it is because the engine can't handle high ethanol gas... does this make sense?

Also, the engine oil is extremely runny, and it doesn't smell right. I will change it to see what happens...

 

[jchamberlin]

Mark, Welcome to the Forum!

According to Parts Lookup, the motor in your tractor is a Kohler opposed twin rated at 14 HP. It reminds me of the Mag 18 I installed in my 782. If your oil is runny, I would suspect the mechanical fuel pump; the diaphragms in them are known to spring a leak and dump tankfuls of gasoline into the crank case. You can purchase replacement fuel pumps, but low-pressure electrical one is often less money and helps with cold starts. (The electric pump fills the fuel bowl in the carburetor BEFORE you crank the engine the first time.) Kirk Engines, Inc. --a sponsor of this site listed above-- carries a unit designed to work with Cub Cadet (and other brands of) Lawn and Garden tractors.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the back firing, except that I know that there are two kinds of back fires: (1) through the exhaust and (2) through the carb. Each type of backfire has different causes.
Note: Since your engine's ignition is fired by a magneto, there isn't much chance the backfiring is caused by the timing being off.

Sounds like you have a pretty tough little tractor, there, if it can be nursed back to health.

 

[mbounds]

IH did NOT make a Model 1430! This belongs on the CCC/MTD page... Puhleeze!

Myron B

 

[mtarsus]

I will keep the fuel pump in mind as an issue once I have troubleshot the rest of it. Right now, I think the backfiring is caused by engine heat. I am going to pull the carbs and clean them out. Perhaps a stuck needle or float is causing overflow under open throttle?

Can I pull the fuel pump and inspect it to see if it is still OK?

 

[jchamberlin]

Mark: You will not find an answer to your latest question here. Please refer to International Harvester Cub Cadet FAQ #3 which can be accessed from the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link above, or here: <font color="0000ff">How come you guys won't answer my question about my Cub Cadet built after April 1981?</font>

As Senior Member Myron Bounds reminds us, this section of the IH Cub Cadet Forum is reserved for lawn tractors as manufactured by International Harvester, or, as stated at the heading to the section, the IH Cub Cadet Forum defines IH Lawn Tractors as, "Lawn tractors include the 76, 80, 81, 111, 1100 and 182 thru 482 - pretty much if it has a B&S and a belt..." Please note that the definition of Lawn Tractor by the IH Cub Cadet Forum differs from the definition of Lawn Tractor by the current manufacturer, MTD, who classifies the 482 as a Garden Tractor.

So . . . please post your question in the section of the IH Cub Cadet Forum entitled, CCC and MTD Machines & Equipment and you should (hopefully) get a response. (Note: You will need to start a new thread, but I see you already know how to do that.)

My apologies to the Forum owner and its moderators for improperly responding to Mark's question when he posted it in the wrong place.

As an aside, I just don't get it when a person goes to the trouble to register on the Forum and post a question, only to be told to post in another section. It seems decidedly unwelcoming to me and I fail to understand the reasoning behind it. OK, so Mark's tractor wasn't manufactured by International Harvester, but it IS a Cub Cadet, and it IS a Lawn Tractor-- 2 out of 3 ain't bad. The only possible justification I can find for zealously guarding the proper categorization of questions and answers on a Forum about IH Cub Cadets is that it somehow preserves the purity of the distinction between manufacturer, brand, and market segment. International Harvester invented the market for Garden Tractors --Hurray! and they also manufactured Lawn Tractors --Hurray! But in the process, they invented a brand-- Cub Cadet, embracing both market segments and which has been manufactured by three companies-- International Havester, Cub Cadet Corporation, and now MTD. A person who bought the brand, properly identified the market segment, and posted a fairly innocuous question is ostracized rather than welcomed as a fellow colleague in the struggle to return a quality product to its former glory. Would it not be better to first respond to the question posed and refer further discussion to another section? Is it not possible to MOVE the posting and leave a note as to its new address? (I know of some posts that have been moved on this and other forums.)

In short, with all due respect to the knowledge and wisdom of those who have collected and maintained vastly more Cub Cadets than I could possibly conceive, let alone implement (reading Myron's tagline), I believe the focus of the Forum (which I love) should be the hobby of preserving old iron, not maintaining the pristine precedence of proper postings.

Just sayin'

Mark, I hope you hang in there and post your question in the MTD section.

 

[kide]

There IS a reason for as you put it " zealously guarding the proper categorization of questions and answers on a Forum" - its to stop the breakdown of the forum's organization. You like to post whatever you want wherever YOU want to post it? That's just plain disrespectful to the people that set this forum up and set forth how they wanted it used. A reminder to post in the proper place on the forum is less nasty than what I've seen on other ones, where you're given a warning and then banned if you don't follow the rules. Obviously there's a group of regulars on the forum that feel that they can disregard the forum owners wishes, but he's too nice to smack 'em back in line, even though they continue a thread that's in the wrong place - but I guess that's par for the course now...

 

[digger]

I'd much rather see Mark T's post in the wrong section than what followed it!

 

[kide]

Yeah - you know it bugs me.....

 

[mfrade]

Remember the "Good Ol' Days" when it was 1 continous thread?

I think I was the only one to vote against that change.. But Bob & Bryan weren't asking for opinions!

 

[kide]

Actually, the main thread ( for IH built garden tractors) is still that way... I can't remember what the differences were at the time I joined (for the first time, not sure when, just in '99). But it was already on DISCUS and was being tended by Bryan..

 

[jgilliam]

I keep burning up coils on my IH cub 1450. Runs great for a time Then no fire. Check coil on 444 ih tractor. It won't fire either Do you need a special coil for K321? What to do? Thanks

 

[kmcconaughey]

Jerry, your <FONT COLOR="ff0000">I</FONT><FONT COLOR="000000">H</FONT> Cub Cadet 1450 is a Garden Tractor, not a Cadet lawn tractor. As such your post should be in the "IH Cub Cadet Forum" area where it will more likely get a response.