John Deere riding mower D130

[snowwolfe]

Bought this new and have always run non ethanol gas in it. Ran perfect for last 4 years and now it surges all the time and has lost some of its power. Air filter is good, I checked the plugs and they are good. I replaced the fuel filter and checked the fuel lines and all seem fine. I have removed the carb and cleaned it to the best of my ability. Also installed a new fuel pump.
Friend suggested I put some seafoam in the gas and I did. Ran it for about 45 minutes and no improvement. The baffling issue is it seems to run fine going UP a hill but the power is still reduced. It has approximately 85 hours on it. Oil level is good. Moving the choke lever back and forth doesn't help it run any better.
Before I take it to the local dealer am open to suggestions.

[Jester560]

Check or replace the voltage regulator. It is a very simple swap. I have a JD L130 and was doing the same thing. Changed the regulator and it is purring like a kitten again.
My Deere has a touch over 400 hours on it.
Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[snowwolfe]

The battery is being charged. I thought if the voltage regulator went bad the battery would not be charging?

[MT Gianni]

If the voltage regulator is sticking and not shutting the alternator off of load it might be taking too much of the engines power. That is the only reason I can think of.

[snowwolfe]

New regulator was $12. Ordered one. Last part I will chase. If this fails off to the shop, ouch!

Looked over the engine compartment pretty good. Couldn't find the regulator or a part that resembles what I just purchased. Where is the voltage regulator on these mowers?

[Winger Ed.]

I had a problem with the fuel pump on my JD 105 acting like that. At the time it wasn't very old either.


You may also have a clog or restriction in the tank's pick up tube.

Not sure where the regulator is, but if it isn't real obvious, I'd look under the top engine cowling.

[shortlegs]

I have one of those mowers. Mine has done the same thing since it was new.I wont be buying another one. I am looking at restoring an old IH cub cadet mower to replace this****************** mower.Worst mower I have ever had!

[Petrol & Powder]

I know you said that you've run non-ethanol fuel exclusively and that is a GOOD thing but,......you could still have a fuel problem.

My guess is the carb is plugged up somewhere. While non-ethanol fuel is a huge step to prevent fuel problems, it doesn't prevent all fuel problems. So a new or re-built carb is likely where you are heading.

And 45 minutes with Seafoam in the fuel is probably not enough time. If you want to go that route before you succumb to replacing the carb, run the gas with the Seafoam for a few hours. In reality, you're headed for a carb replacement or carb re-build.

[Poygan]

We bought a John Deere D130 new in July 2013. We have had no problems with it to date. Small town lawn and almost have 100 hours on it. Run regular gas without any alcohol in it. Synthetic oil and new filter about every two years. Our time may be coming for problems but I am a fan of John Deere. I have a diesel mower at the cottage plus a Deere walk behind snow blower.

[snowwolfe]

It only has 83 hours on it and I take excellent care of it. Until the surging I only replaced the battery last year

[john.k]

Always check if the fuel tank can breathe .....surging is often caused by partial fuel starvation ......It will have a "sealed vapor trap system " for pollution control ......making a small hole in the filler cap may solve the problem .......first try running with the cap loose ,to see if thats the cause.

[Poygan]

I spoke too soon! Our mower began to run very rough so off it went to the John Deere dealer. The most they could find was a very dirty air filter and replaced that. The rough running issue was very intermittent so hopefully the problem was solved.

[Kent Fowler]

I know you said that you've run non-ethanol fuel exclusively and that is a GOOD thing but,......you could still have a fuel problem.

My guess is the carb is plugged up somewhere. While non-ethanol fuel is a huge step to prevent fuel problems, it doesn't prevent all fuel problems. So a new or re-built carb is likely where you are heading.

And 45 minutes with Seafoam in the fuel is probably not enough time. If you want to go that route before you succumb to replacing the carb, run the gas with the Seafoam for a few hours. In reality, you're headed for a carb replacement or carb re-build.

Carefully rod out the main jet with a torch tip cleaner. Start with the smallest and go larger until you meet resistance.

[rockrat]

Don't know if your carb has an adjustment needle underneath the fuel bowl, but if it does, you might try and unscrew the needle about 1/8th turn and see if it helps. You fuel might not have alcohol, but sometimes it seems it varies in density and as such the mixture might be off a little. It happens to me with my Troy built rototiller. I have to adjust the fuel mixture now and then

[rking22]

Not an expert at all, but the uphill vs downhill seems to point to the carb float. Perhaps another look at the carb with special attention to the float and related valve. Fuel level will be different in the bowl uphill vs down hill. Also trash in the fuel tank could be “relocating” causing partial starvation. I might try a remote tank fed to the carb with a new fuel line first. Fuel filter???

[popper]

Air blade governor?

[smoked turkey]

Have you tried premium fuel? The fuel we are getting these days is pretty poor. It goes bad quickly and seems to take more of it to do the same amount of work. I've gotten to the point of putting Stabil (spell check this) into my gas can prior to getting it filled at our local station. I use only premium fuel in my chain saw, wood splitter, and generator because that fuel tends to sit quite a while before use. I still use the cheaper stuff for my mower, but rely on Stabil to keep it a little longer.

[Jniedbalski]

Just because you buy non alcohol fuel doesn't mean you are not getting Alcohol in the fuel. Also if you buy premium doesn't mean you are getting it. Well in Missouri thats true. Sounds like a new carb or clean the old one out. Take the fuel bowl off and check the Float and needle. Look for corrosion or whiteish looking Jelly looking stuff. Some time cleaning it out helps but most of the time it needs a new kit. The kits start out at 30$ to 50$ but a new aftermarket carb is usally 15 to 20$ on Amazon.I just replaced 3 carbs on my riders for the same problem. I would rather rebuild them but the new carb is half the price as a kit. Two where John deers and 1 snapper. All the new carbs fixed the problem. Last year I had to replace the carbs on my 2 stihl weed eaters. Had them 15 years or so always ran fine.what ever there putting in the gas tears up small equipment carbs bad.

[Jniedbalski]

Also is it a two cylinder or one cylinder? I have a Poulan mower with a 27 horse two cylinder. One of the coils was going out. It ran fine but way low on power. Also I have hade a couple of times last year and twice this year that I have got water in my gas. Had to drain my tank empty and refill with fresh gas.

[Land Owner]

Many above have given you the RIGHT answer. Watch this YouTube video for the SIMPLE FIX to almost ALL small engine waffling, surging, and "hunting" in its rpms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOI293d8XUg

[Petrol & Powder]

It only has 83 hours on it and I take excellent care of it. Until the surging I only replaced the battery last year
All the more reason to suspect a fuel problem caused by varnish in the carb.
Non-ethanol fuel is far less susceptible to gumming up a carburetor but it is still not an absolute guarantee against varnish in a carb.

There comes a point where all of the magic fuel additives and "repairs in a bottle" will not work. The quickest solution is to simply replace the entire carburetor. That may also be the best solution because you then have a spare carburetor that you can rebuild.
The second best solution is to obtain a rebuild kit, remove the carb, disassemble it, soak it in carburetor cleaner (not the spray can stuff but the can with the basket that you dip everything into) and rebuild the carb.
If you don't have the dip type carburetor cleaner (and it's about $30/gallon) and you're only doing 1 carburetor, it's often cheaper and easier to just buy another carburetor.

I've seen people buy a couple of spray cans of carb cleaner, 4 cans of Seafoam and do nothing but spend money and still not fix the problem.
Price a new carburetor and price a re-build kit + a gallon of carb cleaner with a basket - whichever route is less expensive will tell you how to proceed.

[1006]

Check safety switches for short circuits—intermittent grounding. I would put a lot more Sea Foam in it—triple the recommended amount. The recommended amount is for maintenance not enough to clear out an existing clog.

[Petrol & Powder]

Or you can just stop spending money on Seafoam and rebuild the carb. It's your money.

[Jniedbalski]

Once the carb starts acting up the only thing to do is rebuild or replace. The brigs push mowers are really bad for going bad with the new gas, alcohol in it . It eats the diaphragm and can no longer pump or suck gas. The new rebuild kits are supposed to be compatible with the new gas but they still go out. Like I said I before I like rebuilding carbs i am very good at it. When the carb on Amazon is half the price of a new kit with only 3 gaskets it kind of sucks buying just a kit. Some of the carbs come with plug,filter, new line shut off valve and cleaning brush kit. I like and always used my torch cleaning kit. Most of the Compleat kits are 12$ to 20$ To my door with Amazon on prime. Some of the holes or jets especially in tecumche Push mowers have very small holes in the jet. Probably .050 so it takes a very fine wire to clean them. It only takes a very small pice of dirt to clog one up.

[wv109323]

One thing is to check the barrery terminals. There is a solenoid that cuts fuel to the carb. It is grounded through the battery ground. Make sure the ground terminal is clean. Intermittent ground turns the fuel on and off.
Next there has to be some type of govenor that opens the throttle when the mower gets under load. Kohler engines have an adjustable govenor internal to crankshaft speed. Most Briggs have an air vane that acts off the flywheel and countered by a spring on the carburator throttle plate. The mower acting well when going uphill (mower under constant load) sounds like a govenor problem.
Small 3 1/2 hp mowers have a gasket that sucks air due to gasket failure.