JD 445 running rough

JD Seller

Well-known Member
I have a JD 445 in that kind of giving me some trouble. IT has 500 hours, clean as can be. I have good fire at both plugs/coils. IT is starting hard and then running a little rough with low horsepower. Turning the deck on will kill it. It is sounding exactly like one that is running on one cylinder does. Pulling the plug wires off one at a time makes the engine lose power equally left or right plug wire. I also check the compression as I have had push rods fail/come off. Compression is 120 quick and equal. I do noit think it would have been the cam failing as the one I have had do that completely quit running.

I do plan on checking the fuel pump pressure tomorrow. What should it be??? I also have a new fuel filter but the retaining clips will not be in until Monday.

I am hoping it is just a filter or low pump pressure. I have not worked on the actual fuel injection system on a Kawasaki in years. I then had the dealership tools/books to use. I hope it is not one of the sensors.

So I am open to any Ideas you may have.
 
Try it with the air filter cover removed. More than once I've seen these with an air filter that looks clean, but be plugged enough to make them run rough. the 445 is fuel injected, theres a couple sensors that try to compensate for that to some extent, but eventually, it gets bad enough the computer can't adjust things anymore.

Everything on that engine is testable and repairable without any fancy computers or diagnostic tools. a simple multi-meter is all you really need, and the Service manual from Deere. Theres tests for just about every component in that book. I've not used the Kawasaki manual, so I don't know if its good as the one from Deere or not, but Deere's is very thorough.
 
If my memory is good, your compression is very low. I think 170-180 is speced for that engine. That could account for low power but not rough running.


Running a tank of fuel with fuel injector cleaner can't hurt, might help.
 
If that machine has the igniter/exciter on the left side under the frame I would suspect that.
My 425 had similar symptoms. I dremeled the cigarette size unit open and found a cracked solder joint that I fixed. It lasted about a year. The new one was over $300.
 
That is a possibility. If it is bad, take the number off the unit and search google. They are available from other sources at MUCH less than JD. I think the last one I bought was from Jegs and just over $100.
 
Thanks for the ideas!!! IT turned out to be a bad fuel pressure regulator. It had a very small hole in the diaphragm that was letting a very small steam of fuel through the vacuum line into the throttle body. Then when it shut off the fuel rail pressure dropped so it started hard for two reasons: 1) The excess fuel had it flooded 2) the rail had to build pressure before it would inject. Then when it was running it was sensing a too rich of fuel mixture so it was running very lean therefore low power.
 

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