I have a John Deere Riding mower that stalls and found a simple fix. This fix applies to many John Deere riding mowers; my mower is a L120 and I have very steep hills and my mower recently started stalling on me after running it for a short time (5 to 15 minutes, sometimes more).
FYI: If your mower is having problems losing power when climbing hills but doesn’t stall, then check out my John Deere Hydrostatic Transmission Fix.
In fact, when my mower stalled on me while riding up my hill, I panicked and tried to turn the mower before a complete stall and ended up flipping it! Yup, it did a double flip and landed right side up! To make matters more confusing, my John Deere started right up (after I stuck the front cover back on).
What I should have done, was not turn, but instead, let the mower just glide back down (it goes very slow without power). Needless to say, it won’t happen again. I was also very impressed that after that tumble, the mower started right up – Go John Deere!
I was ready to bring my tough John Deere Riding mower to the shop and have them look at the stalling issue. I was planning on spending about $200 in repairs, but I decided to check some forums for information about the problem.
What I found was that many of the John Deere mowers come with a self ventilating gas cap. This cap has a little hole that allows it to breath and when it gets clogged, it stops the supply of gas and the riding mower stalls!
So, to test this theory, I loosened up the gas cap and ran the mower happily, without any stalling! So, the next time you think your riding mower stalls, John Deere or other, loosen the gas cap and give it another go, you could end up saving yourself $200 or more!
Same problem with a 24 HP twin Craftsman 42” 4 yr old mower.
Just by luck I took off the fuel filter and blew it out with the gas cap off.
2 days later it stalled again so I loosened the cap and it started right up.
I’ll clean it tomorrow. Whodathunkit.
This also happened to me and the dirty gas cap was the culprit. They don’t show that as a trouble shooter in their manuals for the John Deere. It surely would help lots of people if they did. Maybe they want to keep us in the dark so we will bring the mowers in for repair and have to pay hundreds of dollars when all it is is the little hole in the gas cap being plugged up.
Gas cap fix did the trick after I was talked into buying a new battery.
My L118 Mower has the same problem as described except last nite I mowed until it stalled and it started smoking like it was hot. I can’t wait to get home tonight and check out the gas cap; but, now one else has mentioned smoke. Have you ever heard what might cause that?
Thanks,
Rich
I also had an issue with my L118 stalling. I simply took off the gas cap and cleaned the air hole and the seal inside the cap. My mower started right away and did not stall. Saved me a trip to the mechanic as well as cash.
Thx
Dude, you saved me a trip to the shop! The instant I read you said you noticed it happening on hills, I knew you had the answer.
Well, at least this episode got me to replace all my filters, oil, etc for the first time in 5 years. lol
Thanks!
I have a newer John Deere 100 series. It would start strong then die. Over and over. I instructed my wife to pray and “googled”. I found your site. I cleaned the cap and followed my hose from tank to engine squeezing it and making sure it was not kinked, both ideas from your site and comments. It hard started one more time and then it was off and running!
You’d really have to see my finances to really know how much I appreciate the help. THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!!!
I have a John Deere STX 38 tractor with a black deck. I have a problem with stalling after about 20 min. It back fires occasionly. After it stalls it won’t start until it cools off.After it cools it runs fine until it heats up. I have a new air filter, fuel pump, spark plug,oil & filter changed.some one mentioned “starting circuit fuseable link or the ignition coil”. Any ideas?
Tom
L100 same problem stalled and wouldn’t restart. No gas to carb. Thought it was the fuel pump. But checked all the lines going to the pump and the short hose from the filter to the pump was pretty rotted and wasn’t leaking gas but was letting air in and losing the prime. Changed the hose and it runs perfect again. Thanks for the tips everyone!
Your tip worked perfectly, John Deere should add this to the owners manual. Thanks
ok. so what if isn’t the cap? more info on problem… 3 yr. old J.D. 115 running fine till 4 days ago.changed mower belt and after engine ran about 10 min. and engaged mower engine started revving up and down and died.would start again but die. engine would run at lowest speed for couple of min. but died and would not start. if let it set awhile, would start but go through same cycle again. changed plug air filter fuel filter ,drained and refilled with fresh gas with no difference.
hello everyone. i have a 2005 john deer riding mower it is a 26 hp and 54in cut. i was mowing and then i herd a pop sound. now my mower will not move and it has no breaks. i checked the belts and they all are ok. if someone could tell me what is wrong and how to fix it that would be great. thank all of you very much
It was the CAP. Air whole was clogged with dirt.
clean the whole at the top of the cap with a pin for air. Mower runs new again….
Problem was not getting air in the gas tank / gas lines; this was the reason why the mower kept stalling (starting and stopping after brief usage) Thanks for saving me a visit to the shop.
This solved my problem also . Thank You
I have John Deere 115 that would not run. Cleaned the fuel cap but still had the same problem.
Checked the fuel line where it goes into the fuel tank and found the fuel line was wedged behind the fuel tank and metal frame. Move the fuel line over by pushing forward on fuel tank. The fuel line goes into the grove on fuel tank.
Now it runs fine.
I have taken twice to a John Deere dealer they worked on it and cleaned out the fuel tank andlines? They said the running problem was caused by bad fuel.
I think the viabrations of running the mower and going up and down hill let the fuel line move out of place and put pressure on the fuel line and caused
the engine not to run.
I have an x300r that was stalling out – cleaned the gas cap and good as new. You are a genius.
I have an L100 that started leaking oil from the bronze screen on fuel pump and stalls. Any thoughts? It’s a BS 17hp.
Paid 60 bucks to have lawn mower man tune up my mower because it kept stalling. Still kept stalling so I called him out again. He kept insisting I had bad gas in the mower even though I always get it fresh from the station right before I mow. I could`nt keep it running more than 10 minutes, Then 5 minutes. Saw your gas cap info,filled up my mower, And not only did she start great, She ran till she was out of gas! How come someone who makes a living repairing lawn mowers does`nt know this simple fix? Or was he just trying to milk me for lawn mower repairs?
BINGO! I can’t believe it was the gas cap!!!
After reading the Blogs I decided to loosen the gas cap, I ran my JD mower up hills on a tilt and no oil leak from the fuel pump, did not smoke or stall. I have a sealed gas cap, drilled two holes in the cap an the mower, problem fixed. Still confused why it all started right after I changed the oil. The JD mechanics still had no clue how to fix the problem.
JD LA125 changed oil, filter started mowing plume of smoke filled the area. Oil leaking from fuel pump vent, changed carburator float/seat, fuel filter, fuel pump, air filter, The JD mechanic suggested I change the parts, I’m at wits end, never had a problem till I changed the oil, did not overfill with oil. help
OMG thought I was going to have to put out big money and it was the hole in the gas cap. I am soooooo glad I found this site before I spent he money that I didn’t have. thank you thank you thank you
We have a LX 178 and went through blowing out the fuel lines, new fuel filter, cleaning on off fuel valve, etc….over and over. Finally called John Deere dealer here in Washington, was told “it probably needs new carburator, or fuel pump, labor is 80.00 per hour, bring it up and we will take a look. We asked if there was anything else to be checked…..nope, just bring it in. I came across this forum, and thought could it really be something that simple? Guess what? it was. cleaned the hole in the fuel cap, runs like a top. Called them back and told them they should be ashamed of themselves thank you so much for this forum!!!!
That’s was my problem too – thanks for sharing the tip.
my sabre lawn tractors’ engine fills up with gas,after pulling the spark plug and watching gas spew out i let it dry out and replaced the plug but now i don’t even get a click when i try to start it, any help with this dilemma will make me a happy man,thanks
STX38- Total gravity feed fuel system. Was doing the same thing going up hill, starting last fall. I’ve been fighting all spring to figure this out, with similar attempts as others (air filter, tune-up, etc) with no luck.
I read this, went out to mine and could see no vent hole at all, but with a bit of poking, there was one! Completely laquered over to be invisible. I’ve cleaned out the hole and cap (removed inner liner and cleaned, too), and now it’s been running in a nearly 45 degree position for 1/2 hour!
Thanks for saving countless more hours and $’s at my JD dealer. Life saver!
I believe that the clogged fuel cap was my problem too. Would stall out after 15 minutes or so. It was due for an air filter and fuel filter change anyway, so I changed them both. When I changed the fuel filter, I noticed the remaining gas in the tank bubbled like a vacuum was broken. It still stalled out again after the filter changes, so I once again removed the fuel filter, releasing the vacuum. Got done, put the mower up and read this. Went back out and checked the cap and sure enough, clogged with dirt and dust.
Worked like a charm. John Deere tried to tell us it was electrical. Thank U Thank U THank U
I need information on both cables for transmission, John Deere tractor series T773R * 02245th On which website could I find the necessary data for the above tractor. thank you very much.
Fuel Tank on John Deere X540: What if it is NOT the gas cap air hole?
Fuel does not flow from gas tank with the gas cap off, and with the fuel line and filter removed from the fuel line – and it is NOT the gas cap air hole or anything associated with air flow into the fuel tank.
I checked my fuel pump and was getting very little fuel, replaced it and still had the stalling problem. Found this sight, checked the cap and sure enough it was plugged. Unplugged it from the inside of the cap with compressed air.
Thanks for the info!
Should have read this first. Worked like a charm.
Wow, best tip!
It really does work. John Deer stalling no more. I checked the cap was on really tight, just loosened it up and had no more stalling.
Help
My 2005 John Deere riding mower will run for a few minutes until it gets hot. Then is stops. Any suggestions on what is worng ?
Thank you
i had a problem with stalling and like you said, it was the cap! I ran my finger over the cap and it let air out and now it runs great! I thank my living god for giving you that wisdom to share with all of us.
OK, I’d like to think I’m a pretty good shade tree mechanic, but this one was baffling me. My 1 yr. old John Deere with the V twin 22 hp engine had been running super for 18 mo. and 60 hrs. This summer has been very dry, and when I do mow, the dust that gets kicked up is almost like smoke! I maintain that most of the 22 ponies go for the blades which feel like they could almost put you air borne. Last week right before shut off it started to sputter like a fuel issue. I cleaned the very filthy air filter, even vacuumed it, and added a little gas. I think I may have heard a bit of a hiss when I took off the cap, but not sure of that.
This late afternoon, I was 60% done with a 90 minute mow, and she died again. Choking it would kind of get her going for a few seconds, but as soon as you put it in high speed position she’d sputter and stop, or if you put a load on it like the hydro drive or blade she’d quickly die.
Found this sight, read how the symptoms matched, and checked the gas cap. It looked totally like just a pin head size round molding mark at the top of the cap. I gave it a few brisk scrubs with an old toothbrush, (a very handy tool BTW!) and found there was hole there, and then blew on it and found air did pass through. Eureka! Then I found air holes inside the cap. I put the wet or dry vac on it next and really went to town of sucking out any residual chafe dust.
After starting the mower up, it was immediately better, but it did take a 10-15 second time frame to really get down to a smooth idle. Pressure must have to equalize in the fuel system; carb float, bowl etc. This fix totally worked!
Thank you for saving me taking apart the whole carb, fuel system line, spark plugs etc. THANK YOU BIG TIME!!!
Don’t you love this site, and don’t we love the internet?
I have a Cub Cadet machine and after filling up with petrol this afternoon starting cutting the grass. Started losing power uphill then stall. Tried to start her up but wouldn’t start, just like I had run out of fuel.
Left the machine for 20 minutes, started then stalled after 5 mins and wouldn’t restart.
Pushed the machine in the garage. Tried Google, found your site and followed the advice. Unscrewed the petrol cap and a gush of air was pulled in. Screwed the cap back on but not fully and tried starting the machine……………started on the second turn. Really, really appreciate this posting!!
Well, I’ll be…..
My L118 kept stalling out after about 15 min of mowing. Checked EVERYTHING….fuel pump, air filters, new plugs, water in gas, gas filter. I do recall a slight hiss (vacuum) when I removed gas cap. Never thought anything of it. After reading this blog, I put my cap under a magnifying glass and found a small hole on top which was definitely plugged. Looked like a combination of skin oil and dead skin…..sort of white and waxy. Makes sense, because sometimes I loosen the cap by pushing down and twisting with my palm. It cleaned out easily with a pin.
Hopefully the problem will be gone. Time will tell! Thank you all!
Thank you, my LA115 stalled and then would crank but not start. Clearing the ventalation hole fixed the problem. Glad I checked here while the mower was cooling down. You saved me a lot of time.
Glad I could bring the two of you together again – one should never lose his love of ones mower :)
You have restored my love for my LX172 riding mower. After reading how you
loosen the gas cap live is good……THANK_YOU
ALL HAIL JIM MAURER!!!….You are a life saver :)….thanks for the help.
Can’t believe it! Was thinking after I used your tip, and was back on my mower, “this guy is a genius”. thanks for saving me time and money
i ran a 3 ft gas line from fuel pump in to gas tank for a test so there is a blockage in line cap vented ok drilled a tight fit hole for line works great drill cap in shop not on tractor reroute new line good luck
Normally keep my JD324 in a storage building Left it out under some oaks trees last night. It worked fine while hauling some stone from one spot to another, but starting losing RPM’s. Started mowing and after 10 minutes the RPM;s started dropping off and going back up. Shut it down for a few minutes and came back to it again, same thing, and when engaging the mower deck, it would stop. It kept starting right back up, but would lose RPM’s until it stopped. Called local JD and got the “carb” routinue or “plug” suggestions, all good, but I still could not get it done today. And MIL comes over Saturday morning.
The internet is a wonderful thing. Put in my question and here I am. A bird had “dropped” something and it had landed on the fuel cap. Right in the middle and when the “dropping” had hardened, no air.
Three minutes on the “net” and a toothpick, problem solved. Thanks for the tip, it saved time, money and aggravation.
Thanks for the great tip.
My mower would start and then stall as soon as I took my foot off the break.
I was pretty stumpped.
Came inside, found this site and the gas cap stories,
was happily mowing a few minutes later!
Cool!
I was mowing my grass and my JD was running like a top. Suddenly it died like it ran out of gas. It would not restart. After several failed attempts to restart it I went online this evening to see if there might be a straightforward fix to the problem before calling someone to service it and found this. I went out to the garage, loosened the fuel cap and heard the air being sucked into the tank as I did so. I replaced the cap, turned the key and it started right up. I’ll clean the breather hole in the AM. Thanks, you saved me money for sure. Doug in NH.
Spent two weeks considering what was up with my JD and I had figured out that the tank was not breathing but didn’t know there was a hole in my cap. Sure enough my cap was plugged tight! My plan was to take it to a repair shop but I thought I should check the web first. Thanks for the tip!!
WOW! I have been dealing with my John Deere L140 stalling first after 45 min, then 30, then 20 then 1 min. over the last month or so. I replaced spark plugs, fuel filter twice, was about to drain gas tank (thought I had bad gas…my wife says that to me sometimes) :-) Anyway, was thinking about taking the mower into the JD dealer and then read some blogs. Yepper, sure enough, I loosened the gas cap, heard a big air release, screwed cap back on, not snug and mowed my whole yard (acre and a half) without out incident!!! Thanks, you saved me more time, frustration and probably about $200 bucks! Happy camper in Texas, Dave…….
Own a 3 year old 115 lawn tractor. Died on me today for no reason, I diagnosed the best I could and tried everything I could find on the internet and couldn’t figure it out, was prepared to go the the deere dealer tomorrow. Finally found this link and gave it a shot and it freaking worked! I heard the vacuum release as soon as I unscrewed the cap. I saw that the fuel window was a little distored, but it never occured that the tank was being mishaped due to the vacuum. Saw some dirt in the center hole of the fuel cap and cleaned it out. Thanks so much, just saved me a hundred bucks or so by avoiding a trip to the dealer.
I have mowed about half a dozen times this Spring and each time my JD mower dies on me. Just happened again about an hour ago and I decided to go on-line to see if I could find a solution. Am heading out to the pasture to check out the gas cap!
A minute after my post, I realized I wouldn’t sleep without checking the gas cap. It is 3:15 in the AM, and I went to the basement to check. The hole was indeed plugged. I pulled out rubber piece and cleaned out the pinhole. Funny that I could not blow out the dirt via lung power alone. It is no surprise why the vaccuum couldn’t keep the hole clear. I still have to wait until tomorrow to try mowing again (it is after 3AM after all). Thanks for the tips, Jim!
I have been having this issue of my L120 dying after 20-30 minutes, as if it is out of gas. Then I wait awhile and it starts again. I can’t wait to try losening the cap to see what happens. Like others, I have changed plugs, air, and fuel filter, late last season. To no avail. It is even worse this spring. I found this blog (well actually first the one about the K66 transaxle) while looking for an engine parts diagram to determine whether what I was assuming was the fuel pump is actually the fuel pump. Checking the gas cap may very well save me 30 bucks, and further grief. Like I said, I cannot wait to try the cap tomorrow.
The hole got plugged in my mom’s John Deere gas cap and her tank collapsed! She had to have the entire tank replaced – at her cost. John Deere didn’t do anything for her. Very upsetting especially since it was only a few years old.
THANKS!!!! It worked! I’ve been going a little nuts trying to figure this out! Your information helped..Thanks!
My husband didn’t have any stalling problems until our mower sat under our deck in a monsoon of a rain yesterday. Today it mowed fine for about 15 minutes then stalled out every 5 minutes or so. Could it be water in the gas from that little pin hole? I checked the pin hole in the gas cap and it is okay- not plugged.
Thanks
After replacing the fuel filter and the fuel pump, my John Deere kept stalling…right in the middle of cutting the lawn, I tried your tip and it worked like a charm. By the way my cap was not self ventilating and it still worked.
Thanks you!
I wanted you to know that I have put your name into nomination for the annual MacArthur Genius Award.
Thank you for all the aggravation you just saved me.
David
OMG.. just spent two weeks with a stalling rider.. changed the air filter, the spark plug.. was at the end of my rope… just saw this and sure enough.. my gas tank was a bit collapsed and the cap pinhole was plugged.
Great tip.
Thanks for the tip, my husband has been working on our mower for 2 nights and has cleaned and changed so many things, again tonight he was out there and on his way to buy spark plugs when I found your tip and went out to the garage to tell him.
Half believing this would work he put the spark plugs back in and loosened the cap and she started right up. Just to really check this theory he started and stopped it several times and drove it down the street. It ran like a charm the whole time. Thanks so much for the tip, you saved us tons of aggravation a lot of money I am sure.
Thanks again
Tracy
I don’t have a John Deere, but I do have a Cub Cadet that had problems stalling. I tried your trick on cleaning the hole in the gas cap and it worked! Thanks for the tip!