Blowing fuse in ignition circuit after dealing with water in the engine

Jsnap7

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  • / Blowing fuse in ignition circuit after dealing with water in the engine
I have an old electric start Snapper 30 inch cut rear engine rider which has started blowing the fuse in the circuit connecting the B terminal on the key switch to the starter solenoid. I replaced the 11hp or 12 hp with a 14.5 hp B&S Intek a few years ago and it has been running with no problems.

This past winter I stored the mower in the back yard with a tarp covering it just like I have been doing since I bought the mower years ago. I cranked it up a few times and ran it around the Yard to keep the gears lubricated. When I uncovered it a few weeks ago to get it ready for mowing I found out the carburetor, intake manifold, and crankcase contained a lot of water. The tarp must have leaked in just the right spot so that the water was able to drain down through the air filter. Anyway, I removed the air cleaner, carburetor, intake manifold, valve cover, muffler, spark plug, oil plug and drained as much of this watered down oil as possible. I then replaced the oil plug, filled the crankcase with kerosene and jumped the battery to the starter which turned over the engine very rapidly since the spark plug had been removed. By doing this I was able to eject a lot of this gunk out of the engine. I did this one more time with kerosene and then again using transmission fluid. I then reinstalled everything, filled the engine to the correct level with oil and thank God, was able to start the engine. I let the engine run for about 2 minutes and drained the oil. I did this again and let the engine run for about 5 minuted before draining the oil. I then refilled the engine with my normal synthetic 5w-30 oil, ran the mower around the yard for about 15 minutes. I checked the dipstick and the oil was clear with no sign of water.

I had removed the mower deck while I was dealing with the water problem, so I sharpened the blade, greased the spindle, and reattached the mower deck. A few days later I tried to start the mower so that I could cut grass but all I got was the click of the carburetor solenoid but the engine did not turn over. I went online to Partstree.com to look for a electrical diagram. This mower is probably 25-30 years old and the Snapper label was not on it when I bought so I used Snapper model 3014524BVE to get the diagram. This model's diagram was the closest to my machine. All the safety switches were removed from my mower when I acquired it so they were no help in identifying my mower. Most of the wiring on my mower was spliced at both ends of the wire except for the blue wire going from terminal S on the key switch to the top connection on the starter solenoid. I do not know why but all of the other terminal wires at the key switch were spliced. Who knows what went on with this mower before I got it but I have to admit I have been very pleased with it's performance especially after installing the 14.5 hp Intek. I even
replaced the drive disk with a bigger one so that the mower will run faster.

I checked all the wiring for any bare places except where it goes through the big pipe which connects the front steering frame to the rear engine frame. I also checked all the wires with a multimeter to make sure that current can flow from end to end. I replaced the old original starter solenoid and ignition switch but all I got were clicks from the starter solenoid and the carburetor solenoid before the fuse was blown again.

I think I am going to order a new ignition wiring harness from Partstree.com which will get rid of all the spliced wires and mean that everything has been replaced except for the frame.

I know this entry is long but I thought it might be interesting and informative, especially my dealing with water getting into the engine.
 

Rivets

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  • / Blowing fuse in ignition circuit after dealing with water in the engine
When you replaced the key switch, are you sure you got the correct one. Many switches look the same, but you must check the back of the switch to see if the terminals are in the same location.
 

Jsnap7

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  • / Blowing fuse in ignition circuit after dealing with water in the engine
When you replaced the key switch, are you sure you got the correct one. Many switches look the same, but you must check the back of the switch to see if the terminals are in the same location.
I compared the old switch and the new switch using using a multimeter and the terminals were the same. When I got the new wiring from Partstree, I replaced the old wiring running from the ignition through the big pipe to the engine. After doing this the fuse did not blow and the engine started and ran with no problems. I do not fully understand why the engine ran with no problems after flushing out the water but started blowing the fuse after hooking up the mower deck. Whatever the reason I am now a happy man with a running Snapper riding mower. Now I am preparing to replace the No. 3 engine wiring harness for the alternator in my Lexus LS400 because of the buildup of corrosion in the harness. I think sometimes electricity can get weird because these things called electrons get confused.
 

Rivets

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  • / Blowing fuse in ignition circuit after dealing with water in the engine
They are not the only one who gets confused. Even experienced techs get confused, especially when they get distracted. When working on electrical problems I always work by myself, no one around. On tough nes I’ve even put on earmuffs, to eliminate as must noise as possible.
 
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