The John Deere 997 is a zero - turn lawn mower with a hydrostatic transmission . It comes with a 31 HP Yanmar 1330cc 3 - piston chamber diesel railway locomotive . It is easily a grass cutting beast !

However , the most vulgar problems with the John Deere 997 are no power issues , PTO problem , cut issues , overheat of the engine , defective transmission and fuel delivery issues .

In this article , I have included all these issues along with their solutions . I have also included the solutions of these job . And finally , you will find some genuine limited review from real citizenry who own the ZT mower . So stay tune up !

Problems and Solutions at a Glance :

5 Most Common Problems with John Deere 997 and Their Possible Solutions:

Many reasons exist why a John Deere 997 manifest trouble . Here are some of the grounds and how to work out them .

1. No Power

The diesel locomotive engine peculiarly miscarry to start often . When you engage the deck of cards , it will seem to have no power . As a upshot , the mower can get stuck in even about 5 in of grass .

Gas engines seem to have more power than diesel engines on this mower . It will take away any H.P. . If the airwave filter is dirty , it might fume when working under load .

The diesel John Deere is admirable , but not everything green or diesel is the best thing . The 997 is an sure-enough mower , and many small gassers from other brands perform better than it .

Black smoke means there ’s too much fuel , while white smoke means oil is being burned . A high-risk glow chaw makes the locomotive have less might and dumps raw fuel into the exhaust .

Get a pic tachometer and check that the motor ’s revolutions per minute are correct . see to see if the drive belt is too loose .

supervene upon any unkept glow hack and unclog the fuel filter if necessitate . swop to the gas engine as shortly as you could .

2. PTO Problems

This is a common issue with the entire 900 series . The PTO or the PTO clutch wo n’t sour . All the relays , PTO switch , fuses and the solenoid may be fine . But you still may find problems .

The problem is usually with the wiring or with the transmission or pack of cards . There is an “ air gap ” around the actual PTO that demand to be set with a feeler calibre .

It wo n’t do work if the line gap is too big . If the machine shuts down when you seek to call on the PTO , it could be the tail switch .

First , use a multimeter to see if your solenoid is getting baron . This will let you know if it ’s the wiring or the transmission that ’s faulty . You may demand to replace the relay race .

You might need to fix the switch for the park pasture brake or adjust the PTO seize . Fix behind permutation if needed .

To set the PTO clutch , you need a 9/16″ pull . You ’ll be needing it to turn all three ringlet nuts on the clutch a half go at a time . Then sample the clench again . Keep doing this until the clutch will stay in place .

3. Cutting Issues

Normal grass is well-off for the mower to cut , but it has trouble with big patches of “ goosegrass ” and “ dallisgrass . ” Especially while apply side electric arc .

The use of twinned blades or meg - mo blades has been up for discussion . Running doubles on this lawn mower is not recommend .

So , twinned steel ( highlifts or T configuration arrangement bolted down as securely as potential is not an option .

The ordinary J.D spindle bolts are just long enough . However , to undertake double in the JD , you will need longer bolts .

Moreover , crabgrass , goosegrass , and other grassy grass have well higher wet table of contents . Therefore , when it is clipped by the JD 997 , the trimmings have a trend to clump together after being discharged .

Get foresightful bolt and expend the rearward dismissal to cut longer , stem - similar grass .

4. Overheating of the Engine

The John Deere 997 will terminate when overheating . This primarily occurs due to diesel vapour ringlet . If it bring forth too hot , an warning machine will go off and the blade will stop moving .

This is explained by the DLCS , which is part of the 997 ’s safe . If the oil colour is broken or the radiator gets too spicy , the PTO stops working and a loud beeper goes off .

The job can also be a very small screen at the conclusion of the tank ’s suction hose . It can get back up up . Also , the business line run into the tank is very small and possibly made of cheap credit card .

If the lawn mower die to evaporation ignition lock , the gas pileus vent will belike be blocked . But first , the plastic side of the tank will take off to pull in in first . Just use an ice pick to open up the jacket crown ’s fix .

Put a stainless steel flyscreen over the radiator ’s surface , pull it out , and clean it twice a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . gibe the oil , clean the radiator , and let it cool down .

habituate your air hose or a packsack blower to clean out the radiator . Then wash out the coils . Dirt gets deposit in there .

If there is vapor lock , just take off the top and tapdance it heavily against something while holding it upside down .

Take off the little covert at the end of the tank ’s suction hosiery . Put a filter on it .

5. Fuel Delivery Issues

The tractor run weak over fourth dimension . The railway locomotive would only run for a few sec before it dies . exchange the fuel filter will not make thing good .

There is an inlet concealment inside the fuel line that can get clogged . This stops fire from contract to the engine .

The fuel hold up through a water separator that has a valve to turn it on and off . check that to use a drain to get rid of any water in the bottom of the can .

If the fuel is n’t well filtered , it wears out fuel system quickly and costs a lot . So , employ a good filter and shift the fuel at least once a yr .

If you pluck out the fuel tank ’s supply tube and see that the inlet projection screen is dirty or clog , you should take the armored combat vehicle off and clean it . You might have alga or other rubble on the screen , which will do it to foul up again and give you more downtime .

What Majority of the Users Feel?

There are n’t too many job with the 997 . It ’s a big , grave creature that looks like a tank . Around 1500 hours is an economic amount of hour on a 2d - paw JD 997 .

The hydro drive motors are problematic . And you should n’t be get a 60 - column inch deck . It will be too heavy and strong for a 60 - inch cut . The 72 - inch deck of cards model weighs around 1700 pound .

They do finely on dry incline . But on usurious incline , they can get squirmy . A ZTR is not a good choice if you require to do a fate of side hill and ditch . I would call up about get a 4WD front deck mower or a 4WD tractor .

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

harmonise to my research , it is safe to say that you could buy a 997 ZTR . It is worth it and do n’t necessarily have too many issuance . Most proprietor would recommend it despite some inconvenience .

So I would indicate you to go for it .

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