4010 Mule surging
Having problems with my 4010 mule surging.
This is what I have finally found was causing it.
Factory recommended cleaning and then changing throttle body which solved it for 1 week.
The real problem appears to be the ethanol gas. We switched to non ethanol gas and after about a month the problem went away. Also ran some fuel injector cleaner through it.
Looks like when buildup shows up on the injectors a bug in the computer doesn’t know what to do so it starts surging trying to solve the problem. A software update would fix the problem and perhaps changing to a 3rd party computer might also solve it.
Right now this engine can not run on ethanol gas.
If you are having the same problem you need to run the tank dry fill it up with non-ethanol gas and add the fuel injector cleaner you add for cars. You should see improvements right away and after 2 tanks the surging should go away.
They really need a recall on this they need to change this software or they need to redesign the injectors and sensors to the ethanol gas doesn’t affect them.
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I am having the same trouble with surging did the fule pump fix it
Comment
by thomas —
11/06/2013 @
8:07 pm
They changed the throtle plate 2 times Its been 6 months and its doing it again.
The problem turned out to be ethanol gas causing buildup the computer gets confused and surges the engine. The computer doesn’t know what setting to use to solve the problems its seeing so it surges up and down.
Comment
by tmaster —
11/11/2013 @
12:01 pm
We have a 2015 4010 and frankly I think it is the biggest POS we have ever purchased…..I’d take my chances on YUGO before buying anything branded Kawasaki…….Polaris is what we should have purchased
Comment
by Richard Chapman —
08/23/2016 @
6:33 pm
2018 Kaw. mule 4010 .was advised :1. clean baffle plate with throttle body cleaner 2. remove crankcase vent from intake (plug connection and vent to atmosphere).3.carefully lubricate baffle plate shaft.4.switch to non-ethanol. I have done all of this. This machine is a piece of S…!!!! I do a lot of work at low speed(puttering). All I get is surging. Asked service mgr.if he had any recalls or surging complaints on 4010 Mules. Of course he said no. I’m not ready to leave it with my dealer for 5 to 10 days for an intermittent problem that mgr.is oblivious to (DUH). I have 335hrs on machine. I’m on 3rd tank of non-ethanol and I’m a really dissatisfied with Kawasaki. They HAVE to know about this. I will try the fuel injector cleaner. thanks — Is there anyone at Kawasaki Corporate that will try to address this?
Comment
by Robert Arnold —
10/25/2019 @
4:44 pm
I believe that the fuel injector cleaner recommendation has solved my problem of surging on my 2018 4010 mule 500 cc. I ran 16 oz. of Sea Foam brand in a tank of non ethanol gasoline. I ran the engine at full throttle(locked throttle down) for about an hour then at normal usage for the rest of the tank capacity. If you do this expect some smoke. This is normal. I will continue to add fuel injector cleaner in every 3rd or 4th tank. Initially I used the rate of 2oz per gallon. For routine treatment I plan to use 1oz per gallon. I have had good results at low speed “puttering” for the past 3 days of daily usage. Thank you Thomas for the advice.—-maby someone at Kawasaki will read this and pass it on. Maby service departments know this but had rather collect service fees rather than give out non-billable information. I’m very disappointed with Kawasaki Corporate for not advising Mule owners. I have E-Mailed them with my concerns.
Comment
by Robert Arnold —
11/03/2019 @
8:01 am
I dont think it can be fixed. Using cleaner all the time helps somewhat but the surging comes back if you dont run it all the time. I wish I has paid more for the non gas version. My 610 with a carb has no problems at all however carbs are now illegal since Obama.
Looks like someone needs to start a class action lawsuit these all need to be recalled they wont run on USA gas.
Comment
by tmaster —
03/04/2020 @
7:33 pm