John Deere 1010RU Runs Rough

[Cali MadDog]

Have a 1964 JD 1010RU that runs great for the first 15 minutes, then bogs down and doesn't want run. Four cylinder gas, have replaced plugs, wires, oil bath air cleaner, points, condenser, cap and rotor. Only thing I haven't done is the carburetor. Fuel is clean and bowl looks good. What am I missing?

 

[ADB-Ia]

Have a 1964 JD 1010RU that runs great for the first 15 minutes, then bogs down and doesn't want run. Four cylinder gas, have replaced plugs, wires, oil bath air cleaner, points, condenser, cap and rotor. Only thing I haven't done is the carburetor. Fuel is clean and bowl looks good. What am I missing?First thing I'd check would be the fuel cap to make sure it is venting - not creating a vacuum in the gas tank.

First thing I'd check would be the fuel cap to make sure it is venting - not creating a vacuum in the tank. Second, your symptoms could indicate a coil that is going bad. They will sometimes cause problems when they heat up.

 

[Cali MadDog]

Thank you. I will check that!

 

[DRussell]

Have a 1964 JD 1010RU that runs great for the first 15 minutes, then bogs down and doesn't want run. Four cylinder gas, have replaced plugs, wires, oil bath air cleaner, points, condenser, cap and rotor. Only thing I haven't done is the carburetor. Fuel is clean and bowl looks good. What am I missing?

Do you have a filter between the sediment bowl and carburetor? If yes, it could be partially plugged and essentially starving the tractor for fuel after it runs for a few minutes. If you have one, bypass it and see if it fixes the issue.

 

[Mnethercutt]

Have a 1964 JD 1010RU that runs great for the first 15 minutes, then bogs down and doesn't want run. Four cylinder gas, have replaced plugs, wires, oil bath air cleaner, points, condenser, cap and rotor. Only thing I haven't done is the carburetor. Fuel is clean and bowl looks good. What am I missing?

As others have said, this is typically a fuel or coil issue, far more often than not its fuel related. One thing to help narrow it down would be more description on how the tractor behaves when it "bogs down". Smoke color is a big indication. If you get white or black smoke its more likely to be a coil issue.

From the factory, these tractors are equipped with two fuel strainers, one underneath the gas tank in the sediment bowl, and another at the elbow where the fuel line screws into the carburetor. Check both by starting the tractor, then closing the fuel shutoff at the sediment bowl until the tractor runs out of fuel and shuts off, then check the bowl followed by the elbow. If your tractor has work done on it, it may NOT have the elbow screen.

Me personally, I've removed the sediment bowl and the elbow strainer and use a modern-day in-line fuel filter like you'd find on a lawn mower. Works fine for me.

Let us know what you find and we can go from there.

 

[Cali MadDog]

Thank you all! I also replaced the coil, so I am focused on the fuel. I will check the screen and see if that’s an issue. And we loosened the fuel cap and it ran better. Still bogged down but just seems to be starving for fuel. Otherwise, I’ll replace the carburetor.

 

[Mnethercutt]

Thank you all! I also replaced the coil, so I am focused on the fuel. I will check the screen and see if that’s an issue. And we loosened the fuel cap and it ran better. Still bogged down but just seems to be starving for fuel. Otherwise, I’ll replace the carburetor.

I would highly advise against just replacing the carburetor even if the screens look ok. There's a very good chance that is not your issue and a new carburetor is a very expensive part to throw at the problem. You need to verify that there is nothing in the fuel lines or in the tank inhibiting fuel flow before you even think about going into the carburetor. Check the screens and if that doesn't work then open the fuel shutoff and crack open the drain plug on the carburetor. Verify that you have a healthy flow of gas (>1 pint/minute) out the bottom. If it slows down or is only dripping then the problem likely lies somewhere upstream from the carburetor.

 

[Cali MadDog]

Just an update my 64 John Deere 1010. Major fuel restriction between the tank and sediment bowl. Cleaned it out and runs awesome! Like a dear!