Fuel issue!

[JGuen 1]

So I’m new to wheel horse, barely understand how to tell the model etc. however I am decent with motors.

Current issue is my wheel horse with 14hp kohler motor will only stay running on starting fluid.

I cleaned the carb, replaced the fuel pump, then replaced the carb, and finally took the suction of the full pump and attached a line directly to a separate fuel can to make sure it wasn’t clogged.

im basically out of ideas, has to be a fuel problem but I can’t understand how.

I was reading something about a governor but even when I take control of the throttle on the carb it’s self it won’t stay running.

 

any help is greatly appreciated.

thank you

Jesse

 

[oliver2-44 10,361]

Tell us what model tractor you have so we know where the gas tank is located. 

Here’s some thoughts 
1st may I strongly recommend you stop using starting fluid on these small engines. They are not designed for it and you can damage them. Gas in a squirt bottle or carb cleaner works just as good. 
Many time you have to go step by step to find the problem 
Have you cleaned the tank, including the fine screened strainer that is part of the fuel shut off valve?

Also have you replaced the hose from tank to pump and pump to carb?

Just a note tractor that have the tank under the seat can have trouble and it’s common to put a boat type squeeze  bulb on the fuel hose, or switch to a electric pump. 

With good hose, remove it from the carb side of the pump and verify pump is working. 
Once you confirm the tractors fuel system is getting fuel to the carb move on to the carb. 
Some of us have not had the best success with cheap aftermarket chinesum carbs, especially on larger k series Kohlers. 
I’ve had carbs that I’ve cleaned 2 or 3 times to get some really hard deposits out of. I now use a ultrasonic tank and it really helps.  Also the carb needles have tiny holes in them top and bottom that need to be open. 
Air leakage can also cause problems while cranking spray some carb cleaner on the carb to block gasket and on the throttle shaft. If the engine suddenly want to start you have an air leak that is changing the air gas flow through the carb. 
 

Have you checked your spark plug and tried a different plug Sometimes a plug will work in open air but not under compression. It might have a weak spark that is enough for the starting fluid, but not hot enough for gas. 

Have you cleaned the points by drawing a dollar bill or brown paper bag through then to remove oxidation. 
Moving down the list, have you checked the timing/ points opening setting. 
 

Other guys will join in with more thoughts, Good luck

Edited Sunday at 03:11 AM by oliver2-44

[SylvanLakeWH 27,502]

 

And 

[953 nut 57,872]

9 hours ago, JGuen said:

has to be a fuel problem but I can’t understand how.

Many times a "FUEL PROBLEM" turns out to be an ignition problem. What engine are we having problems with? @oliver2-44 has given you a list of things to check over, let us know what you find.

[Lagersolut 723]

Is this tractor getting Ethanol gas ?  Ethanol breaks down rubber fuel lines into mush and fine particulates - last one I seen was a K181 on a Troy - previous owner replaced the carb - still couldn't get it to run so he sold it to my neighbor  - fuel line mush and particulates from running Ethanol went right into the jets and ruined new carb #2 - flushing the tank - new fuel line and a carb from I save old tractors fixed it .

[parsonsponyz 169]

[WHX?? 50,703]

2 hours ago, 953 nut said:

"FUEL PROBLEM" turns out to be an ignition problem.

 

11 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

cleaned the points

  check gap  & try a different condenser

[Ed Kennell 40,465]

to the 

 

Did you pull the fuel line off at the carb and crank the engine to see if you have a good spurting supply to the carb?

Edited Sunday at 02:20 PM by Ed Kennell

[daveoman1966 3,807]

A couple thoughts:  (1) Are the HI and LO external idle screws set properly? (2) Maybe the internal Needle & Seat valve are to blame...replace both as a kit from Kohler.      

[wallfish 17,485]

A new fuel pump may have difficulty sucking up fuel when it's filled with air.  Pressurize the tank to push fuel through the new lines and new pump to remove the air.

Could there have been water in the tank which also got into the new carb bowl before switching to a different fuel can?. Water in the carb bowl will allow it to fire from spray directly into the carb, but no running afterwards.

Drop the bowl and water would be at the bottom and visible. 

Was the bowl full of fuel? If not see above

Seems as though the pump is not pumping fuel. Try gravity feeding fuel to the carb bypassing the pump completely. That would verify engine operation and isolate the problem to fuel delivery if it runs.

 

[JGuen 1]

I appreciate all the comments and possible solutions! I have fuel lines, squeeze bulb, and new spark plugs coming in tomorrow to give a try. The wheel horse is a 414-8 with the fuel tank under the seat. My model number is very faded so hard to read however from my research it looks like it’s a 88’ or 89.

 

I took apart the fuel pump which the diaphragm and spring look pretty good. 
 

side note: the current spark plug gets black tipped pretty quick and I’m suspecting I may need piston rings. Does anyone know where to find these as well as head gaskets? Compression test is next on my to do list. And any tips before doing this work would be appreciated.

Edited 17 hours ago by JGuen

[953 nut 57,872]

1 hour ago, JGuen said:

the current spark plug gets black tipped pretty quick and I’m suspecting I may need piston rings. Does anyone know where to find these as well as head gaskets? Compression test is next on my to do list. And any tips before doing this work would be appreciated

Spark plug quickly getting black could be a carb adjustment needed. Section 6 of this Kohler manual explains the adjustment process.

Your engine has a compression release cam shaft which makes it easy to start but prevents an accurate compression test.

 

[Ed Kennell 40,465]

On 4/20/2025 at 10:16 AM, Ed Kennell said:

to the 

 

Did you pull the fuel line off at the carb and crank the engine to see if you have a good spurting supply to the carb?

Did you do this ?

[WHX?? 50,703]

5 hours ago, JGuen said:

I took apart the fuel pump which the diaphragm and spring look pretty good. 

Guessing you took apart the check valve housing and checked those?