ZG227 trouble

[PBnDixie]

Hello all. New user here. I’m having some trouble with my ZG227. It’s always been relatively hard to start... Anyway, I parked it last fall, when I went to change blades and grease spindles etc..., it would not start. I could get it to crank, but it would not turn over. After changing the fuel filters and a little more tinkering... I realized there was no fuel getting into the lines. So I ordered a fuel pump, changed it the day after it arrived.. mower started up and ran just fine for about 10 minutes... then it began running rough, and it finally died in the middle of cutting. I am at a loss as to what else it could be. I have changed the fuel filters, fuel pump, battery, cleaned carburetor(twice), cleaned out the fuel petcock, checked and cleaned the tank and lines... now it again seems to not be getting gas into the lines, as I cannot see it in the filters. It’s a brand new factory fuel pump($175.00)... any advice or suggestions as to what it could be, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
P.S. fuel pump is audible when turning key over

 

[Digger Dager]

Welcome to the forum PBnDixie,
You have done everything I would have suggested. The next thing I would try is to see if the gas will flow from the tank, then from each line toward the pump. There may be a kink or pinch in one of the lines. If possible, use compressed air to blow back toward the tank. BE VERY CAREFUL not to use a lot of pressure. Also check the gas cap to see if it vents as it should.
You stated that you cleaned the tank. It might be possible that a small piece of debris is still floating around in there, and only occasionally blocks the outlet.

Digger Dager

 

[Captain13]

One thing you may try will sound odd but it works on mine......

Adance the throttle lever until you hear a click. I believe it’s the fuel shutoff and advancing the throttle before your start opens the mechanical shutoff. I had done everything including glow plugs and this is what works on my mower. It usually takes about one to two inches of throttle movement to get it to click. Be ready to throttle back when it starts.

Edit. I just saw yours is a gas model. Mine is a diesel. Still worth a try.

 

[lugbolt]

One thing you may try will sound odd but it works on mine......

Adance the throttle lever until you hear a click. I believe it’s the fuel shutoff and advancing the throttle before your start opens the mechanical shutoff. I had done everything including glow plugs and this is what works on my mower. It usually takes about one to two inches of throttle movement to get it to click. Be ready to throttle back when it starts.

Edit. I just saw yours is a gas model. Mine is a diesel. Still worth a try.

zg227 is not a diesel and should not be compared to anything diesel.

OP-you likely have a fuel restriction. The fuel pump is set up such that it will prime the line when you turn the key on initially for up to I think 5 second, OR until the pressure in the fuel line gets to a certain point-and then it will shut off automatically. That's one reason it's so expensive (internal pressure switch). You could pull a line off of the outlet side of the pump, attach a hose to it and then run the hose into a jar so you can watch the fuel being pumped. It should prime (pump) for about 5 seconds, then turn off. During the priming, you should see a nice steady stream that doesn't slow down until the pump turns off. If it's a trickle, or starts off good and then peters out kinda slow, you certainly have a restriction in the line or tank pickup. The pickup is in the top of the tank, goes to the bottom. I've had to remove the tanks before and actually replace them as you really can't get into them very well to get the stuff out completely. With that said, my fluid evacuator has a larger hose (3/8" ID) on it that fits nicely down into the very bottom, with use of a good flashlight I can generally get "most" stuff out of the bottom pretty easily, with minimal fuel loss, and minimum labor charge. Not everyone has that tool. It works SLICK. If there's a leaf in there, it's not going to pick it up, it'll suck it against the tube and then I just pull it out with it being stuck on the end, sorta like using a vacuum cleaner to clean out the car, with a Sonic receipt stuck on the end.

if it does not prime at all, no fuel pump "clicking", you can dig out your WSM and look at the wiring and how it all works. Relay, wiring, etc. Track it down and see where the problem is, fix it and mow.