I have a JD LT 160 with a Kohler engine. After a standard replacement of oil, fuel filter and air filters last year it began quitting after applying the blades. As it was the end of the season, and being a procrastinator, I let it lie until this spring. Same power loss after applying the blades. Did the standard fuel change, fuel cap check, carb cleaning with no change. After reading this blog I found that the fuel filter was the type described in above messages that was made in Isreal. This fuel filter is from the John Deere kit purchased at a JD dealer. So I ordered the Kohler recommended part, made in India, and replaced the Israeli filter. Lo and behold, the tractor works as advertised. I will update to see if it lasts the summer.

John, At the risk of rubbing you the wrong way but it's for your own good... People who know more than you have told you how to do this job the right way and the easiest way on at least two forums I've seen you post. By removing the body you'll have a clear view of the area and be able to completely clean everything, which it undoubtedly could use. That would be the time to replace the drive belt if the belt is at all questionable... and use a REAL JD belt if you do. Since you know what you don't know you should spend $55 and buy the Tech Manual on CD (TM1975CD @ 1-800-522-7448) for your LT160 and learn the right way to do this repair. It will be invaluable if you plan to keep your LT160 and teach you a lot about every aspect of your LT160. All you need to do anything are the tools and the knowledge. You don't have the knowledge and the tech manual will correct that so if you have the tools and know how to use them you're ready to give it a try. BTW, that snap ring #2 in the picture does require snap ring pliers AND the snap ring is directional in that there's one way it goes on the shaft correctly and won't pop off. When you do it yourself there's no one else to blame so take a deep breath and do it the right way.

My LT155 has the Freedom 42" deck...but I do know that routing can be a bit confusing on these tractors. At 9 years you probably should replace the belt, but make sure that all tensioners and pulleys are moving freely and under spring tension if they're supposed to be.....

The sting I posted should be put into an ascii word processor and made into one string, and then pasted into the address window of your browser. When you get the part page, you must enter the model number as LT155 or lt155, no spaces or dashes. I was just on the site to check what you said. While I was not requested to enter a password, some where in my system there may be one that is being passed when requested. (One of the first things I did when I got the tractor, was find this site and that was many years ago. ) The registration is simple, and the time to register is worth the information that is available. There are a couple dozen drawing of various component of the tractor, and a parts list keyed to the drawings. There is one drawing that shows the routing of the drive belt, and the part numbers for the plastic fan and all other parts. Fan 12 M127359 You can order the part from the JD parts site or you can get it from any authorized JD Dealer, not big box store. JD Dealers are fun to visit to see the big brothers to your tractor and the other large farm equipment. I have purchased their tune up kit for many years from the JD Dealer because it is cheaper than buying the same filters,plugs, and oil separately from the big box store. This post was edited by knuttle on Mon, Jun 17, 13 at 18:09