GT 1554 engine miss

dkauzlarich · Sep 9, 2020

It's a 27 hp Kohler that's starts and runs fine when cold. If you shut it down after it's warmed up, on restart, it runs on one cylinder for a while. After a minute or so it clears up and runs fine. Any thoughts?

Bought new on 6/15/08 s/n 1A248H10025 Does that make it an 08 model?

dkauzlarich · Sep 23, 2020

Can anyone recommend another site where I might get help with this problem?

kmcconaughey · Sep 23, 2020

Dave, that sounds like it might be a fuel flow related issue, like perhaps it's vapor locking. The Kawasaki engine in at least two of the JD X585 that we have in my family will do a similar thing on a warm start. I've always just assumed it was a bit of vapor lock. (The Kawasaki engine is a fuel injected, horizontal shaft, V-twin.) Not sure where else to go for an answer to your question, perhaps mytractorforum.com.

dkauzlarich · Sep 24, 2020

kmcconaughey said:
Dave, that sounds like it might be a fuel flow related issue, like perhaps it's vapor locking. The Kawasaki engine in at least two of the JD X585 that we have in my family will do a similar thing on a warm start. I've always just assumed it was a bit of vapor lock. (The Kawasaki engine is a fuel injected, horizontal shaft, V-twin.) Not sure where else to go for an answer to your question, perhaps mytractorforum.com.

Thanks for the help. It has about 750 hrs on it. This season, it has shown another oddity. On cold start (down here 85 is cold), sometime it turns about 1/2 revolution, and stops. (compression relief valve?) If you release the key and try it again, it usually turns over and starts. It will sometimes give up a little backfire while starting. It has new plugs and the plug wires are tight on both ends. With this many hours, are the coils done for?

kmcconaughey · Sep 25, 2020

The starting issue sounds more like either a weak battery or a poor electrical connection. How old is the battery? Probably would be a good idea to check the ground cable where it connects to the chassis and make sure it's not corroded. Not sure where the battery is located in the GT554 but have a look at the terminals to make sure they are not corroded either. I would think if the coil was going it would be all or nothing, or intermittently fail after it's heated up from running. Does that engine have a single coil for both plugs or two separate coils? If it's two separate coils I suppose it could be one that is failing when hot, causing your warm start one cylinder running. I'm definitely not an engine expert, especially with Kohler twin cylinder engines.

dkauzlarich · Sep 25, 2020

kmcconaughey said:
The starting issue sounds more like either a weak battery or a poor electrical connection. How old is the battery? Probably would be a good idea to check the ground cable where it connects to the chassis and make sure it's not corroded. Not sure where the battery is located in the GT554 but have a look at the terminals to make sure they are not corroded either. I would think if the coil was going it would be all or nothing, or intermittently fail after it's heated up from running. Does that engine have a single coil for both plugs or two separate coils? If it's two separate coils I suppose it could be one that is failing when hot, causing your warm start one cylinder running. I'm definitely not an engine expert, especially with Kohler twin cylinder engines.

The battery is on its second year and if not running daily it's on a Battery Tender. The battery is behind the dash and the terminals are kept clean and greased. I will check the chassis ground - that's a good tip. It has two separate coils and online other owners have had to replace them. There was some discussion online about the factory knowing they were a problem at times. Mine are in their twelfth year now, so they are probably due for recycling. I'm trying to finish this mowing season with them first. I'll let you know when I change them out. Thanks again for helping.