Well Of Course...

[Toolslinger]

I needed to spray my roof/porch with anti-moss/algae treatment yesterday... Thought it would be a good use of the 444 since that's running now. Hooked up the sprayer, and headed over to the house to fill up. Half way over there, the tractor fell on its face, and I almost went over the wheel. Engine bogged down enough to die from almost wide open. Sat there a minute, and it started up fine. Ran ok at mid throttle, then high. Tried to move again, and then it bogged down again. So there's something wrong for sure... Started, and at mid throttle, and low speed it ran fine back over to the barn to put away.

Part of me feels like it's a collapsing suction line. It's been so long since I worked on the machine I don't recall if I ever replaced that. If I did, I believe I would have used the correct line, but it's also possible I never did it. That will be the first thing I check.

Guess it could be something real unhappy in the travel circuit too. I can't really think of anything else in the travel circuit that could go intermittent. If that was the case, I would think the pressure relief would just kick in, so you might stop, but it wouldn't stall the engine.

Thoughts with that little bit of information?

Of course this comes up A) when I'm soon to need it for leaf pickup, B) just spent money on a new Blower C)picked up a Hydra Bagger at the same time for a good price as backup for my 52 year old EZ Rake blower...

[JSinMO]

That’s aggravating for sure. As I was reading this I was trying to picture this happening. A couple of things came to mind. Could it have been a blockage of some sort that cleared since you were able to drive it back to the shed?

Could it be something other than the hydraulic system?
I was wondering about fuel delivery. That would have similar symptoms. What made me think of that is you can run at low and mid throttle but not at full throttle. If you have a restricted fuel flow it may run ok at low or mid throttle but can’t keep up with the demand to keep the carburetor bowl full at full throttle.

Maybe something else to look at. Let us know what you find.

[Toolslinger]

I can't rule anything out, but it sure didn't feel like a fuel issue. This was like deadheading to pump.

I did look at the lines yesterday. Apparently, I've never changed them. So, while dumping the system isn't on the list of things I want to do, I guess I need to order some hoses, and oil, and deal with it. Obviously, I can't guarantee the low pressure lines are the issue, but they're overdue anyway, and I guess that make them a good place to start. Really wish it had done this before the weather turned...

[JSinMO]

Sounds like you have a good place to start. Don’t feel along about the weather turning before you’re ready. I just looked at my schedule and October is about full for me and I still have a long list of to do’s that I know won’t be done before winter.

[DavidBarkey]

What gear were you in , High gear with cold fluid will stop dead in it's tracks if the engine dies . I would first look at the fuel pick up in the tank and make sure the screen is still there ( crap /bugs will get caught in the elbow if screen is not there and you won't see it ), the fuel cap vent Bugs build nests in little holes), water in the fuel bowl , ect.

[Toolslinger]

I was in high gear, which certainly magnifies everything. Fluid wasn't really COLD, it was probably 65-70 degrees, and had been running/idling for a little while, obviously not really hot operating temp yet, but not winter time molasses either. The weather turned Friday afternoon with a big front. It's fall for sure here now.

I'll have to check the fuel screen in the tank. Honestly I didn't even know it had one. This tractor has an electric fuel pump, and a filter. The filter is clean. Nothing gets to the carb except fuel, and possibly water. 'Course it could be corrosion in the carb bowl, but that seems like it would have happened too quickly from the last cleaning. I suppose it could be a blocked line from the tank to the pump. That's easy enough to check. Probably suck it up and order the replacement carb at the same time. Can't say I'll get to this before leaf pickup sadly. I guess that's why one must have multiple machine options...

[Eugen]

I didn't get a chance to read everything, but did you read the spark plug? Was it running lean at the very end?

Regarding the carb, a simple sanity check is to take the bottom bowl off and clean that, try again.

Also, did you notice if perhaps the head of the engine seemed really hot?

[Toolslinger]

I didn't get a chance to read everything, but did you read the spark plug? Was it running lean at the very end?

Regarding the carb, a simple sanity check is to take the bottom bowl off and clean that, try again.

Also, did you notice if perhaps the head of the engine seemed really hot?

Didn't check the plug. If I manage to get it to repeat the issue, I will be sure to pull it, and see what I can see.

I will check the bowl, that's an easy one. Reality is though I will likely just replace the whole carb since it's REALLY chewed up internally with corrosion. I told myself to just order one, but naturally haven't done so yet.

I didn't note any heat beyond what I might normally. It would have been tough to tell though, it was pretty breezy in an open field where the issues occurred.

I'm currently looking at the replacement hoses as well. While it looks like a real delightful job to replace that pump suction line, it's original to my ownership of the machine, and it wasn't new by any stretch then... The other soft lines will get done too. Should probably take a look at whatever fitting I need to put in a case drain while I have that line off.

[Toolslinger]

Sadly, the 444 has not been satisfied by the first allotment of time and money that I have put in to it...

I did replace the 3 soft lines. They were original to the machine, so that was good to do regardless. I also put a new carb on there.

The machine will run at WOT perfectly happily now, as long as it's just sitting there. It will move around at low to mid speed pretty reliably. High speed will cause the stall. Not instantly, but randomly.

That still has me thinking hydraulic circuit, rather than fuel, or engine. I suppose that could just be a red herring, with the issue caused by the movement/sloshing of the machine at higher speed. Didn't see any issue in the fuel tank. Hate the idea of having to pull it all apart to get to it, but probably should. Didn't find anything particularly bad in the electrical, but there too, I should go through it. After the mice wrecked it a few years ago, there are too many crimp connections going on. I should just replace it all. (and we're back to needing that heated winter space again)

I still didn't look at the plug when it happens. What am I looking for? I also still haven't noted an excessive amount of heat, but again open breezy field conditions... What kind of temp should the head be? I have an IR thermometer I can check it with. I suppose I could run the JD 140 for a while and get a reference temp there since it's also a K321.

I really hate intermittent issues. It something is going to break, I really would prefer it just break, and stay that way, so I can get on with the fix rather than just chasing my tail...

The only up side is I finished leaf pickup yesterday. I can kick this issue down the road if needed by using the JD 140 for the winter snowblowing. (or no blower since we never had one out here before, and stick with the bigger tractors)

[Harry]

Just a shot in the dark, but did you check the condenser? Harry