My TigerCat is a 2013 STC52V-691FX and has been a wonderful piece of equipment to date. Week and a half ago we had a nice couple of days and my wife was anxious to get outside and wanted to mow a few spots. I went out to make sure it was ready; checked oil and air filter, hopped aboard,inserted key cranked and fired right up. Well, it fired but didn't keep running. Funny thing was no matter what I did I couldn't get it to turn over again. Moved all the controls, parking brake, to no avail. I was bummed. After reading all the woes of experienced operators I hoped I'd be spared. Even studied the manuals electrical schematic a bit but hope I never need to fully comprehend it. I'm no mechanic although I change my own oil and filters.
Then shortly before sundown just for the heck of I thought I'd go out and give her one more try. Sat in the seat, moved levers out, operated parking brake, turned the key and without any hesitation she fired right up and continued running strong. Wife heard it and came right out motioning me to get off and let her have it. She mowed for an hour or so and brought her in.
So today I go out, set choke, throttle, turn key and it fires and like an idiot I immediately release the key. Engine is not running and turning the key gets no response. I'm growing weary of this already. Any idea what it might be?
Close to the keyswitch under the panel is the cranking relay. When all the safety parameters are met, the electronic control module will provide a ground to the cranking and allow it to send power to the starter solenoid. The switches in the safety circuit for cranking are the PTO switch, the parking brake switch, the seat switch, L/H and R/H control lever switches and the key switch.
Trace these circuits out on the wiring diagram for your machine.
Check the fuses(2).
As all the electrical ground circuits are connected to one of the engine mounting bolts, sometimes the problem is there.
Clean the battery terminals and posts.
I replaced the battery a couple of weeks ago. Both fuses are good. I'll see if I can find a ground issue at a mounting bolt. But I have to wonder in the back of my mind about a relay hanging up somewhere that eventually wiggles free.
I suppose I'd have to get underneath the back to see the engine mounting bolts and any ground wires? I did listen to each arm, parking brake, and seat switch activate with the ignition on. Each sounded alike. Ofcourse the only thing the ignition accomplished was silence. At only 206 hours it still seems pretty new to me. What would I learn by lifting the panel?
Usually the engine mounting bolts come up from underneath, thru the engine mounting toes and a nut and washer. One of the bolts will have several ground wires with ring terminals installed under the nut. Some of the ground ring terminals may have more than one wire crimped to it. Trace the black battery cable from the battery to where it terminates on an engine mounting bolt.
Most if not all power equipment is not produced by the model year but by a PIN number series.
What is the PIN or serial number of your machine? This way I can bring up the correct wiring diagram for your machine from the Scag website.
Sorry. Hadn't checked back in. Spent yesterday getting the shroud off the engine, scuffing the rim with fine sandpaper and then reassembling. One of the top screws holding the cap was stripped and I had to drill it out to remove it. All making a fairly straightforward task a pain. Its back together now. A friend suggested it. Made no difference.
#7
mcdonell
My 2 yr old Cheetah has 100 hours and has already been "awnry" a couple of times. I have learned to hop around on the seat in the front and back a couple of times and it starts. These OSHA switches can be a real pain.
I have another mower that drove me nuts till I finally bypassed them all. Nobody drives our mowers but my wife and me.
I know a poor ground can be the issue, but in my case it was always a faulty switch.
A friend and I spent another frusrating day yesterday. Removed starter and had it checked. Worked flawlessly. Every visble switch seems to work so I'm thinking about under the console plate that retains the choke and throttle assemblies. But truthfully we're at a loss.
