Craftsman DGS 6500 - clicks but won't start

[JP98]

Hi. First off, stop throwing money away replacing perfectly good parts. Next step: apply parking brake and put a voltmeter on the connection to the starter terminal and turn the key to the start position. What is the voltage reading? Given that your solenoid is engaging to send power to the starter, there are no issues with any of the parts you have replaced. Your safety switches, ignition switch, PTO switch are all working as they should. The issue is either low voltage going to the starter or a bad starter. You must have a voltmeter to diagnose the issue(s). The most puzzling issue here is why did the engine suddenly stop running? There is a fuel shutoff solenoid on the carburetor, listen closely while turning the key from the off to on position repeatedly and listen for a clicking at the said solenoid. does it click?

Yes, the solenoid clicks. I can feel it engage when I put my hand on it. The mower starts when I jump/bypass the solenoid.

The most puzzling issue here is why did the engine suddenly stop running?

Same question I have. It's like I got off the seat while it was running. Could the seat safety switch be bad? How can I test it or bypass it?

 

[JP98]

Throwing parts at the problem can get expensive.

Since this die during mowing I would checking the battery voltage. might a case where the electric clutch drained the battery during the mowing dropping out the fuel solenoid.. May not have enough voltage to fully pull in the starter solenoid contacts.

Starting the ignition switch test for voltage at the "S" terminal with switch held in the start position. Next test the PTO switch for both in and out voltage. Then next check at the clutch/brake switch for both in and out with the pedal fully depressed. And finally check at the trigger terminal of the starter solenoid.

Now of course you need a helper to do this tests.

On a side note those Delphi terminals can look good and still not be making good contact due broken hinge spring contact.

View attachment 69050

This is great stuff!! Thank you!!

 

[Bertrrr]

There are 2 large terminals on the Solenoid , jumping across those will send 12 volts directly to the starter and it should spin,,,,,,,this only tells you the starter is good ,,,,,by jumping 12 volts to the small contact on the solenoid should make it engage and spin also ......if it does spin at this point you have a good solenoid and it's not getting the signal from the key switch.

 

[JP98]

There are 2 large terminals on the Solenoid , jumping across those will send 12 volts directly to the starter and it should spin,,,,,,,this only tells you the starter is good ,,,,,by jumping 12 volts to the small contact on the solenoid should make it engage and spin also ......if it does spin at this point you have a good solenoid and it's not getting the signal from the key switch.

There are 2 small contact connections on the solenoid. Which one should I jump or does it matter? Will I screw up the solenoid if I jump the wrong contact?

 

[Bertrrr]

One is probably the ground, the other one is wired into the key switch - use a test light on the plus side of the battery and see which one makes the light come on, that will be the ground , now put 12 volts on the other smaller one , this will bypass all the safeties,,,,,ignition switch etc and make the solenoid respond if it's a good one, if it does not ,,,,,it's bad.

 

[JP98]

One is probably the ground, the other one is wired into the key switch - use a test light on the plus side of the battery and see which one makes the light come on, that will be the ground , now put 12 volts on the other smaller one , this will bypass all the safeties,,,,,ignition switch etc and make the solenoid respond if it's a good one, if it does not ,,,,,it's bad.

Will do! Thanks.
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Update: I did exactly what you suggested. Solenoid is good. In fact, before I even did this test, I put the ignition switch on while my hand was on the solenoid and felt it engage. It's definitely not the ignition switch. As I mentioned in my original post, I had replaced it a couple of months ago. Just for kicks, I took the ignition switch from my Poulan Pro mower and swapped it with this one. My Poulan mower started, no issues. Crafstman mower, still nothing.

So, solenoid is good, starter is good. Can I assume the foot brake switch is good switch since I set it before I turn the ignition on and I hear the clicks. If I don't set it, no clicks. What do you suggest is my next step? Thanks.

 

[RevB]

You're right on the money. All of the above is exactly what happens. The starter solenoid is brand new. Now I'm wondering if they sent me a bad one. I didn't try to bypass it because I assumed it's good. I'll try that tonight. In the meanwhile, I'm going to order a replacement for it in case it's bad.

Yeah, I tend to throw parts at it to find the fix. I have Amazon Prime. One of the perks is I can return anything I buy, no questions asked. They get enough business from me and my wife that I don't feel bad taking advantage of this perk. That's why I pay that Prime membership.

Get a Volt/Ohm meter.....all of $10 on Amazon.

 

[rhkraft]

When you checked for corrosion were you looking at the solenoid connections or the battery posts. This sounds like corrosion on the battery posts. Remove the battery cables and clean away all corrosion. Use baking soda in water (tablespoon in a half cup and dissolve) to immerse the battery cable ends. You can pour a little on the battery posts, let it boil, then flush with clean water. Do it over and over until the post is clear of corrosion. Be careful not to let any of the baking soda water to enter the battery. Keep the cell caps on and tight. When the corrosion is gone use a wire brush to polish the metal clean and shiny. That usually solves solenoid clicking. This is not a voltage issue, it is corrosion reducing amperage at the starter. It works on your car too.

 

[JP98]

FIXED!!

It was yet another bad starter solenoid! 2 brand new solenoids from the same seller and both were bad. Damn these cheap Chinese crap. To be fair, I guess they're all from China. Quality control is non-existent. I gave the seller a bad rating for causing me this much headache and lost of time.

I bought another one from a different seller, installed it and started right off the bat. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[ILENGINE]

FIXED!!

It was yet another bad starter solenoid! 2 brand solenoids from the same seller and both were bad. Damn these cheap Chinese crap. To be fair, I guess they're all from China. Quality control is non-existent. I gave the seller a bad rating for causing me this much headache and lost of time.

I bought another one from a different seller, installed it and started right off the bat. Thanks everyone for your input.

Had a case of Briggs OEM solenoids a few years back that would start the engine exactly 3 times before burning out the engagement coil and not longer engage to start the engine.