circuit board

10569cole

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Just purchased used older JD model MOL225B018249 LX255, I had to jump start and then smelled electric smoke, little circuit board had a little part that was smoking. Any ideas what caused this? I checked 2 fuses 15amp both ok. Circuit board is located above battery opposite lighted battery,and mower light. also board has a green light, and red light both working.
 

frogtownusa

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Same Here---Went to start mower, acted if battery was dead. After several turns of the key the starter was rolling and it started right up so i cut the grass. The next week same thing. Wouldn't start so I jumped it. I made 1 pass about 70 ft and the blades were shutting off. Also blades would not stay on in reverse while pulling up the nob to back up. Smelt electrical smell, shut it right down and flipped the hood open, Smoke was coming from a capacitor on the key switch circuit board. Afraid to to just replace board. Cant find specs or exploded view online to ohm out voltage regulator or stator .I'm thinking a completely dead cattery (no good) caused the problem jumping it off and running it. What do I need to check besides just replacing the board? Could I have fried anything else? Need diagrams and specs. Thanks
 

Ladder107

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PLEASE TELL ME THE OUTCOME. I JUST SMOKED MY CIRCUIT BOARD THE EXACT SAME WAY TODAY. JUMP STARTING THEN THE BOARD STARTS SMOKING. HELP!
 

mechanic mark

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You guys with John Deere equipment need to purchase a Technical Service Repair Manual, they are expensive maybe $150, but they cover everything. Manual will pay for itself in no time if you are troubleshooting & making repairs. A big plus here especially when handing down equipment to family, son, grandson, etc. or selling equipment for profit add $150 for manual. John Deere provides a small amount of information for their equipment online. You can save quite a sum by purchasing manual as well as your family time also.
 

bertsmobile1

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Mark took the words right out of my mouth.
I get near $ 500 above the going rate when I toss in a technical Service manual with a used Deer.
The boards are easily repairable by any one with enough electrical nouce to wire up a crystal radio.
Had a customer do the same to his and the counter guy at the local electronics store fixed it for him for $ 50 ( Aus) on the spot once he brought in the manual I loaned him.
The boards are over $ 200 ( Aus ) down here.
 

Ladder107

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Mark took the words right out of my mouth.
I get near $ 500 above the going rate when I toss in a technical Service manual with a used Deer.
The boards are easily repairable by any one with enough electrical nouce to wire up a crystal radio.
Had a customer do the same to his and the counter guy at the local electronics store fixed it for him for $ 50 ( Aus) on the spot once he brought in the manual I loaned him.
The boards are over $ 200 ( Aus ) down here.

Appreciate your advice for the future, however I’m most concerned about the cause. Why did it cook the board? Searched all over with no answers. Not even our local dealer was interested in a solution. It’s like “you’re on your own”. No chewed or bare wires, no lose connections, etc. Replacement board on the way...but what’s the chance that won’t smoke either? New battery waiting to install....so jump starting is not needed anyway.
 

bertsmobile1

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Not for the future, for right now, before you fit the new board and fry it as well.
Resistors generate heat in operation.
If yours is generating so much heat that it smokes then it is doing way too much work.
The extra load could be because something else on the board is blown or because there is a wiring fault in the mower.

The JD manual has an extensive electrical section that tells you exactly how & where to test every part.

You are there with your mower & I am here with my computer.
All I know is you hooked up a set of jumpers & then your board started to smoke.
No where near enough information to offer any useful advice other than what I have already done.
If I had a manual for your mower I would have copied the electrical section & sent it to you however I only have the smaller 172-188 manual as I buy them as required to fix my customers mowers.

as you bought the mower used that adds another lever of complexity as neither of us have any idea what & if the previous owner has done to the wiring.
There might even be a specific method to jump the tractor, have you read the owners manual ?
They can be viewed online for free & might be downloadable
 

Ladder107

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Not for the future, for right now, before you fit the new board and fry it as well.
Resistors generate heat in operation.
If yours is generating so much heat that it smokes then it is doing way too much work.
The extra load could be because something else on the board is blown or because there is a wiring fault in the mower.

The JD manual has an extensive electrical section that tells you exactly how & where to test every part.

You are there with your mower & I am here with my computer.
All I know is you hooked up a set of jumpers & then your board started to smoke.
No where near enough information to offer any useful advice other than what I have already done.
If I had a manual for your mower I would have copied the electrical section & sent it to you however I only have the smaller 172-188 manual as I buy them as required to fix my customers mowers.

as you bought the mower used that adds another lever of complexity as neither of us have any idea what & if the previous owner has done to the wiring.
There might even be a specific method to jump the tractor, have you read the owners manual ?
They can be viewed online for free & might be downloadable


Just noting (as I don’t know what else I could add to my story) but in my current scenario, I’m the original owner. I’ve had the LX255 since 2002. Jump started the tractor with a known dead battery. Started right away and idled fine. As I put my jumper cables away, the smoke started curling. Parking brake was set. Instantly shut tractor off.

Oops, just realized I think you might be talking to the other poster here? Two of us with same issue.
 

bertsmobile1

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Yes i was
But that is good to know, yours did the same thing and yours is as bought.
Perhaps you both could have a chat with each other & split the cost of the manual between you both as it is a PDF.

I don't have it so I don't know what the circuitry actually is.
Back then JD had a habit of fitting fuseable links rather than plain fuses on the smaller LX's .
I have fitted fuses to a few of them.
They also used to short circuit the alternator so it became an electronic brake.

I rather fancy your problem will lie in on or the other or both of these.
If you jumped directly to the battery I can not understand why that would cause any problems.

However if there is a diode to prevent the alternator trying to become an electronic motor when the ignition is off and that has gone closed circuit that could be a cause, however at present it is all guess work.
 
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