Need some help

[SgtMajHarper]

Hi gang, I need some help with an issue my Mule is having. It has always run like a champ, starts right up in subzero weather after being parked for months without running. Always no issues. Last 4th of July at the end of a parade while driving back to our staging / loading / loading area and it just stops dead. It started back up and drove a short distance and stopped a couple more times. It was warm out, maybe mid to high 80's and it had been running for @ an hour driving slow at parade speed. When it stopped, we were driving @ 25 mph for a couple of miles.
I had the summer off with shoulder surgery, followed in the fall by another, so no time to tinker with it. Now that its warmer, I was messing with it yesterday, prior to a car show next week that my other vehicles are going to and I had hopes for the Mule. I went out and it started right up, ran for @ 15 min. no issues. Today it started right up and I let it idle for @ 1/2 hr., ran like a singer sewing machine.
I went to drive it out and as soon as I press on the gas pedal it kills the motor. Starts right up, sounds good, kills the engine as soon as I press the gas pedal and it starts to move, the motor stalls. After @ 4-5 of these start /stop events, it doesn't want to start anymore.
I'm not the great detailed guy mechanic like many of you are here. I hop on them and ride them, put gas in them and pet them and talk to them once in a while (don't say I'm the only one). I'm hoping someone will have some insight for me to get this machine back on the road.

 

[SgtMajHarper]

Hi gang, I need some help with an issue my Mule is having. It has always run like a champ, starts right up in subzero weather after being parked for months without running. Always no issues. Last 4th of July at the end of a parade while driving back to our staging / loading / loading area and it just stops dead. It started back up and drove a short distance and stopped a couple more times. It was warm out, maybe mid to high 80's and it had been running for @ an hour driving slow at parade speed. When it stopped, we were driving @ 25 mph for a couple of miles.
I had the summer off with shoulder surgery, followed in the fall by another, so no time to tinker with it. Now that its warmer, I was messing with it yesterday, prior to a car show next week that my other vehicles are going to and I had hopes for the Mule. I went out and it started right up, ran for @ 15 min. no issues. Today it started right up and I let it idle for @ 1/2 hr., ran like a singer sewing machine.
I went to drive it out and as soon as I press on the gas pedal it kills the motor. Starts right up, sounds good, kills the engine as soon as I press the gas pedal and it starts to move, the motor stalls. After @ 4-5 of these start /stop events, it doesn't want to start anymore.
I'm not the great detailed guy mechanic like many of you are here. I hop on them and ride them, put gas in them and pet them and talk to them once in a while (don't say I'm the only one). I'm hoping someone will have some insight for me to get this machine back on the road.

Hello?? Is this mic on? Can anyone hear me?.........................crickets............

 

[biscuitwhistler37]

To me, that sounds like a flooding carburetor. Could be the opposite problem though and you could have a starving carburetor, but either way, I would start there.

 

[SgtMajHarper]

To me, that sounds like a flooding carburetor. Could be the opposite problem though and you could have a starving carburetor, but either way, I would start there.

OK, I just know it can't be too complicated since it still starts and wants to run (most of the time). It's as good a place to start as any. Thanks!

 

[WillWagner]

Interwebs troubleshooting, sounds to me that it might be starving for gas. It is possible that something is in the tank covering the outlet, a piece of junk in the fitting at the filter. I don't think it is the carburetor just because it does staat, well, did, and runs fime. I would look pre carburetor for the issue. Don't they have a glass bowl type filter/strainer?

 

[SgtMajHarper]

Interwebs troubleshooting, sounds to me that it might be starving for gas. It is possible that something is in the tank covering the outlet, a piece of junk in the fitting at the filter. I don't think it is the carburetor just because it does staat, well, did, and runs fime. I would look pre carburetor for the issue. Don't they have a glass bowl type filter/strainer?

I started to tinker with it yesterday as my first real adventure into turning wrenches on a Mule. I replaced the fuel filter with a NIB filter, the old one looked brand new, no garbage in it at all. I removed everything up to the carburetor and it is getting gas as I work the linkage. (I'm guessing I was looking into the throat of the "pre carburetor") I can see gas running out. I have a NIB fuel pump and carburetor, but it looks like a nightmare to try and get my gorilla hands down in there to replace either one, no idea how to reach some of those screws & bolts......I'm going back out today and do some more head scratching.

 

[SgtMajHarper]

It .........is..........ALLLLLLIIIIIIIVEEEEEE!!!!! New carburetor, new fuel pump, drained the fuel tank, blew air thru the fuel lines, replaced and installed correctly the fuel filter, could not get the screws loose to drop the tank, tightening, tinkering and it runs again. The idle seems to be way too fast, barely moving the linkage around slows it down, a little too much and it dies. I'll mess with it more this week and see if I can get it to settle down.

 

[WillWagner]

Glad to hear that it runs, except, now you don't know what the issue was. Junk in the carb, FP not enough output, fuel line blocked.

 

[SgtMajHarper]

Glad to hear that it runs, except, now you don't know what the issue was. Junk in the carb, FP not enough output, fuel line blocked.

Yes sir, you are not wrong. I failed to identify what the exact problem was and in the spirt of how most of the contributors are on here with a detailed run down on exactly what they did, what they found and what was the cure......I failed you all. As for my knuckle busting, fat finger twisting, bad back and joints, bending and twisting, making new bad words adventure having never turned a wrench on a Mule engine before, I just wanted to bring it back to life. Thanks to Nick (mvmuleman) and Big Mike (Gamagoat1) and the rest of you guys for the tech. help and suggestions. All I can say for the fix is that it was somewhere between the carb. and / or the fuel pump. Maybe blowing out the lines helped, it couldn't hurt, right?
I made a couple of adjustments to the new carb. and also, the idle screws and now it starts easier than ever. No more choke required (so far), it fires right up and runs like a Singer sewing machine. We have a big parade on the 4th of July, it was on the 4th of July a couple of years ago that I had it all fixed up and ready to roll after purchase and it was last year on the 4th of July when it died, so I'm pleased to have it running and returning to the 4th of July parade.