# Is my lawn tractor engine vapor locked?



## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I ran out of gas and now the engine won't start. It was running perfectly fine up until then. Any ideas?


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

pennstater2005 said:


> I ran out of gas and now the engine won't start. It was running perfectly fine up until then. Any ideas?


The smart A part of me wants to say - add gas.

I thought vapor lock went away once everything cooled down.

Are you confident the failure to run was due to a lack of gas?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

@Movingshrub

I did add gas then waited a few minutes before I started it. That's what I thought too but then I was reading on it and found sometimes it can be persistent.

I'm not positive it was due to lack of gas but it was running perfect before I ran out of gas. I'm going to try again when I get home.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Try taking the spark plug out, turn over the engine a few times, and reinstall. If no go, then a shot of starting fluid into the carb usually does the trick. The bowl on the carb might be bone dry, and the vacuum of combustion from the starting fluid will help.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

If the fuel tank is located under the seat, it's possible that there is an air leak between the fuel pump and the tank pickup. Some of these systems can take a long time to prime and any cracked fuel lines/fittings could aggravate that condition. Also, the fuel pumps are typically vacuum pulse operated so checking the impulse line from the crankcase to the pump is a good idea. You can take the fuel line off of either the pump outlet or the carb inlet and find out real quick if the pump is delivering.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

@Colonel K0rn @MasterMech

Thanks for the ideas. If it doesn't start when I get home I'll look at the fuel system. The fuel tank is under the hood.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Started the tractor and it fired right up! It stunk like gas bad for a minute or so. I was just trying to start it up too soon last night. Thanks all.


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## Sam23 (May 2, 2018)

Just a note, you might attempt to replace the fuel filter the next time you run out of gas in the event you have any debris in the bottom of your tank.


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