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Kawasaki Troubleshooting

Engine Will Not Crank

 Safety switches on unit malfunctioning
 Improper ground
 Loose battery connections
 Drive belt wedged between idler pulley or guide
 Transmission tight or locked up
 Key switch or wire harness improperly connected
 Blown diodes in system
 Positive lead on starter solenoid interfering with solenoid – terminal on solenoid
 Starting battery low on charge or not charged
 PTO clutch locked up
 Starter or solenoid malfunction or starter pinion stuck
 No current supplied to starter
 Starting leads from battery reversed
 Key switch malfunction
 Wire harness fuse blown
 Starting system cable connectors loose/corroded or worn
 Wired incorrectly
 Compression release inoperative
 Engine seized up
 Combustion chamber flooded with fuel or oil

Engine Cranks but will not start

 Fuel turned off or out of fuel
 Carb fuel solenoid inoperable
 Not firing at plug – bad coil
 Safety switches not working on unit
 Transmission in gear or neutral switch defective
 PTO clutch switch on
 Engine flooded
 Cranks too slow
 Choke is not closing all the way
 Fuel filter or fuel line clogged
 Plug wire loose or not connected
 Water in fuel
 Low or no compression
 Engine or unit improperly wired
 Fuel hose kinked or pinched
 Wire harness connections loose
 Diode burned in harness
 Low power going to spark advance module

Engine Starts –will not accelerate or run at idle

 Engine not warmed up
 Low idle RPM set too low –check spec book
 Low idle fuel mixture set too lean
 Running out of fuel
 Parasitic load on PTO (hydro pump, belts, etc)
 Bad fuel, old fuel, water in fuel
 Governor set improperly – linkages, etc.

Engine runs/Backfires on full throttle

 Throttle cable/choke improperly set
 Blown fuse in unit control box
 Safety switches malfunctioning
 Carb fuel solenoid malfunctioning
 Fuel mixture set too rich or too lean
 Water in fuel bad fuel
 Foreign material in carb
 Valves hanging up or sticking
 Ignition out of time – sheared flywheel key
 Gear timing incorrect

Engine Runs – stops on high RPM – no load

 Out of fuel – fuel cap not breathing
 Very low or poor lubrication – engine seizes or starts to seize
 Carb solenoid malfunction
 Safety switches malfunctioning
 Key switch malfunctioning
 Spark plug lead loose or disconnected
 Wiring connections loosing contact or shorting

Engine will not hot restart

 Battery cables reversed causing stator to short out
 Defective regulator or rectifier causing stator to short out
 Defective ignition module(s)
 Vapor lock (fuel) pump - sags in fuel line – fuel cap not breathing
 Carb solenoid malfunctioning
 Low oil pressure – unhook low oil switch if used

Not able to obtain top RPM no load

 Throttle cable not traveling far enough
 Choke not opening all the way
 Need engine warm up 3-5 minutes
 Fuel restriction – filter – fuel pump – fuel lines – fuel tank
 Drive system binding
 Foreign material in carb
 Engine timing
 Gov adjustment and linkages
 Gov hung up internally

Backfiring at shut down

 Carbs with solenoids must be shut down at ½ to ¾ throttle
 Carbs without solenoids must run at idle for 2 to 3 minutes

Cold Starting Engines

 Full choke (all seasons)
 May need choke assist until engine is warmed up
 Warm up time 3 to 5 minutes before putting under a load
 On units with larger decks you may need choke assist until engaged