2013 Kubota Z723 will not start

[Butch]

My neighbor's 2013 Z723 will not start I has 600 hours on the clock. The battery really spins the Kohler as if it was a new battery.
here is the back story. After his last mow he parked in in his shed after lightly rinsing it off with a garden hose. When he went to mow yesterday it flat out would not start... not even try to hit. It had fuel in the tank and seemed to be getting fuel. He even spritzed the carb with starting fluid to see if would hit. Nothing!

Put a spark tester inline with the spark plug.... it was making spark.... just barely! Removed the spark tester light, pulled the spark plug and connected it directly to the spark plug wire then grounded the spark plug to the mower frame. There was an arc between the electrode and the plug tip..... Just barely, you had to look really hard in subdued light to see it.

Any suggestions?

 

[RCW]

Butch - my first thought is there’s a coil problem. Not producing a good spark.

Don’t remember how a Kohler operates unfortunately. I had a similar problem, but it was a Tecumseh (11hp on a chipper).

If similar, just required some cleaning of the magnet in the flywheel, the coil and some re-gapping. In that machine, the coil was mounted just to the outside of the flywheel.

Follow the plug wire back to find where it’s getting juice from.

Sorry I didn’t have a better suggestion.

PS - Butch - before you do anything, change the spark plug, if you haven’t done so…. some may look fine, but aren’t….

 

[Roadworthy]

I like the answer RCW gave. When my Craftsman mower wouldn't start on gas but would fire on ether I knew I had a problem. It's a Kohler engine and replacing the spark plugs got it running like new.

 

[85Hokie]

As both said - replace plug.

I had a mower one time that would not run, unless the plug lead was pulled away by 1/8" ..... replaced plug ran fine.

 

[lugbolt]

try plugs first

kohlers are notorious for eating ignition coils so that may be an option.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Good one day, bad the next? With a bath in between?

Maybe got water some place it doesn't belong. I'd check for that, first.

 

[lugbolt]

As both said - replace plug.

I had a mower one time that would not run, unless the plug lead was pulled away by 1/8" ..... replaced plug ran fine.

yep on a lot of atv/side by side/mc, if I suspected a fouled spark plug(s), I'd often pull the plug wire off of the plug, then just barely reinsert it back on. If it ran, it was almost always a guaranteed fouled spark plug. A tech more senior to myself taught me that many moons ago.