John Deere 165 troubleshooting wiring and fuel system, will it start and run? (part 1)

[@TheIronDuke502]

The fuel pump on my 165 hydro John Deere takes quite a while to pump gas from the tank to the carburetor. The fuel hose was pretty dry rotted on my tractor when I replaced it. One day while I was mowing, I ran out of gas and it took a fair amount of cranking for the gas to reach the carburetor. With John Deere garden tractors, It’s always advisable to use the OEM John Deere hydrostatic drive belts. The mower deck engagement belt is 1/2 inch x 61 inches- There was a problem with the original 1/2 x 60 inch belts failing and there was an advisory issued to use a 61 inch belt instead of the 60 inch belt. The hydrostatic transmission drive belt size is relative to the ID plate number after the 165x on the plate. Hope this helps you out.

[@EllisMowersandmore]

Thanks for the advice about the belts! It's a long travel from the tank to the carburetor.

[@rickbroerman9267]

Great video Casey

[@Turningwrenches85]

Good seeing that jd165 going

[@TheIronDuke502]

Casey, I just unplugged my seat switch and the tractor started and ran fine.

[@brianking1138]

Great job Casey. I have a John Deere 160 and it's still in usable shape. The 165 looks similar. Mine is a 1987 I believe and has the slightly smaller Kawasaki engine and manual transmission.

[@EllisMowersandmore]

Nice Brian, I really liked this mower especially the hydro. I've heard these were something like $2500 new in the late 1980s. If so that is quite a lot but well worth it for the mower you got!

[@farmfan4382]

How do I free up the steering on my 165 ? Thanks

[@baldeagle242]

Nice little mowers. My main mower for the past 20 years has been a Hydro 165. It's actually the banner on my channel. ;-) Good video, thanks for sharing.

[@farmfan4382]

Ours starts with a hot wire to the solenoid it’s mint I’m gonna straight pipe it

[@Fjolle303]

Another informative video, great: BTW you said it yourself, its not easy to do this with one hand haha. And there is a certain calm about the shots from the tripod. My humble advice is more tripod less handheld, I know I know - its challenging but it gives a more professional overall feel and look. Greetings from across the pond....

[@EllisMowersandmore]

Thank you! I'm working towards mostly tripod and reserving the handheld for the tight spots and close ups.

[@davide4238]

HI THERE, "Easy" ahh... LOL Love the video. Having similar issues with my newly inherited 175. Cant get it to crank from the key. You didn't show how it suddenly cranks from key, and since you didn't replace the switch I wonder how its now working? Also having similar issue getting it to run (when cranking straight from starter) Quite a project ...

[@EllisMowersandmore]

Hey David, it was a months long process on and off and honestly not sure why it all of a sudden started working. However, I do know I had a rusted out brake switch. I bypassed it and got continuity between the switch and solenoid but still had nothing. My only guess is that I had a stuck solenoid that freed up. But in your case I'd check that brake switch first as well as your other safety switches.

[@FarmerGuy-1]

That platform is no frills and built like a tank. On top of that a Kawasaki to boot.

[@EllisMowersandmore]

I really liked fixing this one despite all the work it took to get it going.

[@jimmypopp2695]

It is a tractor just like the girls I have been dating lately because they all have issues..lol