Have a ARIENS IKONX52. Mowing one afternoon set the parking brake to get off and move something out of the way. Mower started smoking and caught fire and the throttle cable and choke cable were so hot they had melted the insulation off and melted in two. Check the wiring harness and tested the safety switch system and found that the parking brake switch shorts the throttle assembly 12vdc+. Strange the switch itself seems to be working properly.
Agree, ground issue. Follow the throttle cable down from the counsel to the engine and I’ll bet you’ll find an electrical wire rubbing against the cable.
