Hello from a newbie! I'm here becuz I'm currently in the fuse blowing mode w/my Craftsman 24hp, 42" deck riding mower. Something is causing the 20 amp fuse for the mower deck/blades to blow quite frequently now. Fuses are for mowing 1.5 acres are getting expensive. Anyone have any ideas as to the cause of this?
"fuse man" (for now)
Sent from willieksc using LMF
#2
Briana
Hey there - WELCOME to LMF!
I moved your thread to the Small Engine & Mower Repair Forum. :smile:
#3
reddragon
fuses blow because of shorts in a circuit.....something connected to that lead is shorting before it completes its proper circuit.....look at all your wiring for burnt insulation or nicks and cuts that can contact the metal on the engine or frame etc............can you take pictures of your wiring?
fuses blow because of shorts in a circuit.....something connected to that lead is shorting before it completes its proper circuit.....look at all your wiring for burnt insulation or nicks and cuts that can contact the metal on the engine or frame etc............can you take pictures of your wiring?
Thanks for the reply, I started that process this afternoon for the easy to get to areas. I found one spot & taped it good, but it apparently wasn't the problem or the total problem. I'm now headed to the more difficult to access areas, i.e, underneath the engine. Thanks again.
It's hard to tell if it's getting hot because of the electrical problem or from the ambient temp from the mower itself or outdoor temp. It is definitely hot when it blows, but not so hot I can't change it comfortably. I'm really wondering about the PTO on the mower. Is the PTO powered such that it could cause this? I'm obviously not a mower repair expert so I appreciate your willingness to help!
#7
reddragon
to go further...go head and give us the model /serial numbers of the mower and the model/serial numbers of the engine :smile:
Fuses will also blow from a high amperage load, meaning that if an electrical part starts to fail
internally it uses more electrical current than its designed to thus snapping the fuse. Sometimes it will work for awhile and then snaps the fuse and sometimes it has a direct short like reddragon explained and blows instantly. Also check for dirty connections in this circuit I've seen dirty connections build a lot of
resistance that the circuit gets so hot and blows the fuse. Next make sure there aren't any other circuits
being protected by this same fuse too. they could be at fault too. Maybe the pto will get so bad that it will
start blowing the fuse instantly then you'll know for sure.....cubby
I'd disconnect the wiring to the clutch and see if it starts and runs through all functions without blowing a fuse. If everything works fine then the clutch is most likely bad. If the fuse does blow, I would unplug as many other features as possible then start up the mower and plug them back in one at a time till you find the culprit.
All good advice. I'll chime in that I like to use a Dremel tool with a soft brass brush to clean up all of the terminals, make sure they are nice and tight, and put either a dab of dielectric grease or a dab of No-alox or equivalent on it before reassembly. A q-tip makes a handy applicator in case you can't reach easily.
Problem solved! After tracing the wiring & putting electrical tape around remotely suspicious looking areas... turns out the PTO switch was bad! I guess it was in the process & caused overloading of the fuse. Go figure! Thanx to all for the responses.
