John Deere LX 178 Won't start

[jack morrison]

My John Deere LX 178 Won't start. I was cutting the lawn and it just shut down. I tryed to choke it before it shut down and it didn't help. put gas in and choked it didn't fire at all. Get spark.Put new plugs in. New fuel filter. New fuel pump. turns over but doesn't pump fuel to the filter. I even pulled the hose. No fuel. I blew air backwards into tank.Still no fuel. does turn over but never sputters to try and start. Has a Kawasaki 15.HP V - Twin Liquid cooled engine. I'm lost for ideas. Could use some help. Thanks Jack
 

[chevy65]

Jack
Im going to ask u to do a compression check on ur tractor
If it has no compression then its not good
Early unit had a plastic gear camshaft and no compression conferms this failure
Camshaft also operates fuel pump rod so this may explain ur loss of fuel being pumped
Hope this helps Good Luck Gary
 

[jack morrison]

Chevy65,
I took the compression. 75lbs on Drivers side. Zero lbs on passenger side. Is this time consuming and a lot of dismantling of the engine to put the camshaft in?
Is there a kit that I need to buy for the parts?
Thanks for the info. Jack
 

[chevy65]

Jack
The engine of corse will have to be removed
No need to remove the radiator or dismantle the top end of engine
Drain coolant and oil from engine
Flip engine over upside down and remove crankcase cover an ur there
Be sure to clean all pieces of cam gear out
Sometimes with this failure it breaks the oil pump gear water pump gear and govonor gear so be sure to inspect them good
Good news is the replacement cam has a steel gear
Good pratice is to replace water pump at this time cause ur already there
If ur not sure of doing this repair a tech manual is a worth while investment
I m a tech at a John Deere dealer an Ive done this repair more times than i can remember
I can do it in 3 hours so its not really that big a deal
If you need more info on this please feel free to email me
Im happy to help Good Luck Gary
 

[cat236]

I would agree that there is a possibility cam gear has failed , but before you tear engine apart I would remove valve cover on offending cylinder and rotate flywheel manually. Are the valves moving? I have seen alot of these engines have valves get tight from deposits and bend a push rod sticking valve open,no compression....real easy to check.If valves are not moving you know it is the gear. The gear was a lot more common to fail in the 620d Horizontal on like the 425s. I too have been a OPE certified Deere mechanic for many years.
 

[j meyer]

I bet you dropped a pushrod--check that before ripping the engine out! It may be a cam, but I doubt it since one side has compression. Good luck!