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First, fix that blue wire, second reattach all safety switches. LawnRanger and I put together this procedure to troubleshoot starting problems. Follow it carefully and report back. Then we can tell you how to proceed. Do not skip any steps and work slowly.



I wrote this procedure with tractor style mowers in mind but this works on zero turn mowers as well. For a zero turn mower, the steering levers must be out, parking brake engaged and the PTO switch in the off position. Some mowers have an operator presence switch in the seat and you may need an assistant to sit in the seat while performing the following tests.

Electrical problems can be very easy or very difficult, depending on four things:

1. How well you understand basic electricity.
2. What tools you have and know how to use.
3. How well you follow directions. Ahem.
4. You don't overlook or assume anything and test/verify everything.

First you need to check every wire and connection, making sure they are not dirty, corroded, broken or loose. *Failure to do this can lead to inaccurate reading or tests down the road.

Remember, I cannot see what you are doing. You are the eyes, ears and fingers in solving this problem. You must be as accurate as you can when you report back. The two basic tools I will ask you to use are a test light and a multimeter. If you have an assistant when going through these tests it would be very helpful. These steps work the best when done in order, so please don't jump around. Now let's solve this problem.

First, make sure the parking brake is engaged and the PTO switch is in the off position. Physically remove the negative battery cable first and then the positive battery cable and clean both the battery terminals and cable connectors with a wire brush. Reinstall cables after cleaning starting with the positive first and then the negative. Next, turn the key to the run position, check all fuses with a grounded test light should light on both sides of fuse. Check battery voltage - above 12.5 volts should be good. Believe it or not, this first step will take the most amount of time, usually around five minutes and the rest of the steps can be accomplished in under a minute.

Second, check for power from the battery to one of the large terminals on the solenoid. One of the wires is connected directly to the battery and has power all the time so one of the large terminals should light a test light or show battery voltage on a meter at all times.

Third, check for power at the small terminal of the solenoid while depressing the clutch/brake pedal and holding the key in the start position (you may need an assistant to sit in the seat to override the safety switch). If your solenoid is a four wire solenoid, check both small wire terminals as one is ground and the other is power from the ignition switch. If your solenoid is a three wire solenoid, make sure the solenoid body is not corroded where it bolts to the chassis of the mower as this is your ground path back to the battery. If in doubt, remove the solenoid and clean the mounting area down to bare metal. If there is no power to the small terminal then your problem is most likely a safety switch, ignition switch or in the wiring. You should have battery voltage on this small solenoid wire when the key switch is held in the start position.

Fourth, check for power on the other large terminal of the solenoid while holding the key in the start position (you may need an assistant to sit in the seat to override the safety switch). You should have battery voltage on this terminal when the key is held in the start position.

Fifth, check for power at the starter while holding the key in the start position (assistant again). You should have battery voltage during this test.

Sixth, check your ground circuit back to the battery. Just like the battery, make sure connections are clean and tight. Very Important!

This procedure is a simple starting point and there is more to it so after you have gone through each of the above steps, let me know what happened when you performed each test. At that point I will have great info to tell you how to proceed. Remember you are the eyes, ears, and fingers, so please be as accurate as possible. Some lawnmowers use a relay in the starter control circuit so keep that in mind.

Be as specific as possible with voltage readings as this will help diagnose your problem quicker. If you do not know how to perform the above checks, just ask and I will try to guide you through it. I prefer to use voltage drop tests but some people get too confused over this subject so in an effort to keep it simple, for now, just follow the procedure and report back with your findings.

This is a picture of how a starter relay works.
Circled in Red = Batter voltage all the time.
Circled in Purple= Battery voltage when the key is in the start position.
Circled in Green = Ground. This one can be different. Some mowers this is ground all the time. Some mowers it is switched with the key to only have ground when in the start position.

Seat switch normally has nothing to do with the starting circuit. Brake, neutral, and PTO are in the starting circuit. So you need parking brake on, transmission in neutral, and PTO off to start. If you have a Zero Turn you have to have steering handles out.

How is it ONLY Rivets and I are the only ones to notice the CUT in the BLUE WIRE right above the fuel filter ..????

With your limited knowledge of how the starting circuit works and no assistant, this is going to be a tough nut to crack on your own. I'll try my best to explain what to do, but I'm not very confidant we can get it done. First, you have a three post starter mounted solenoid. Large post, red wire, is positive from battery. Large post, braided wire, transfer wire from solenoid to starter. Small spade post, blue wire, solenoid power wire coming from key switch. You should have a small red wire coming either from the battery post on the solenoid or the positive post on the battery, going to the key switch. This wire powers your system and most times has a fuse inline somewhere. You've never said if you found or checked the fuse. You also did not follow the procedure directions to the letter, which makes it difficult to interpret your answers. Remember we are not standing beside you and your must paint us a very clear picture of what is happening. Also, during this procedure you will only use the volts setting on your meter. Please, repeat the procedure, with no assuming we know or your think anything is good without checking or testing.

I shouldn't say this, but from what you have told us so far, I think you have two problems, which will make this problem even harder to solve. First, with this system, you should not be able to start the engine by jumping accross the two large terminals on the solenoid. If it does start and run this way, your starter bendix is stuck in gear and can cause major damage to your unit if run this way. Second, it does not sound like you have any power to or from the key switch. This is why you have no power on the blue wire or to the clutch.

Don't doubt your ability to solve this problem. You can read and are willing to try, makes a big difference, just slow down and DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING. An assistant would also be a big help, as you only have two hands and short leads on your meter. I've been doing this for way too many years and more than once it will take me more than a day to solve these type of problems. Good luck and let us know if you have more questions. If you do report back, please include the tractor model and serial numbers located under the seat, so we can fid a wiring diagram for your unit.

Boobala said:

How is it ONLY Rivets and I are the only ones to notice the CUT in the BLUE WIRE right above the fuel filter ..????

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Because when a person I know is competiant is answering a post that I also know how to fix, I just skim through it.
If it is something new I watch carefully so I can learn something.
Too much advice confuses people as we all do the same thing differently.
The OP is having a tough time so no need to confuse him by telling him how to do something 4 different ways.
The blue wire is only a trigger and will work quite fine if only 1 or 2 strands of wire are intact.
But good spot just the same.
When it is over remind him to bind it up to prevent it breaking.

Rivets said:

With your limited knowledge of how the starting circuit works and no assistant, this is going to be a tough nut to crack on your own. I'll try my best to explain what to do, but I'm not very confidant we can get it done. First, you have a three post starter mounted solenoid. Large post, red wire, is positive from battery. Large post, braided wire, transfer wire from solenoid to starter. Small spade post, blue wire, solenoid power wire coming from key switch. You should have a small red wire coming either from the battery post on the solenoid or the positive post on the battery, going to the key switch. This wire powers your system and most times has a fuse inline somewhere. You've never said if you found or checked the fuse. You also did not follow the procedure directions to the letter, which makes it difficult to interpret your answers. Remember we are not standing beside you and your must paint us a very clear picture of what is happening. Also, during this procedure you will only use the volts setting on your meter. Please, repeat the procedure, with no assuming we know or your think anything is good without checking or testing.

I shouldn't say this, but from what you have told us so far, I think you have two problems, which will make this problem even harder to solve. First, with this system, you should not be able to start the engine by jumping accross the two large terminals on the solenoid. If it does start and run this way, your starter bendix is stuck in gear and can cause major damage to your unit if run this way. Second, it does not sound like you have any power to or from the key switch. This is why you have no power on the blue wire or to the clutch.

Don't doubt your ability to solve this problem. You can read and are willing to try, makes a big difference, just slow down and DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING. An assistant would also be a big help, as you only have two hands and short leads on your meter. I've been doing this for way too many years and more than once it will take me more than a day to solve these type of problems. Good luck and let us know if you have more questions. If you do report back, please include the tractor model and serial numbers located under the seat, so we can fid a wiring diagram for your unit.

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I checked the two fuses I have with a ohm meter they tested good. What procedure did I not follow to the letter? I checked everything I was instructed to check, that I knew how to check. As you can see it the photo I posted there is no model number on the seat. All the info I have on the tractor I put in my first post ... 2135 tractor with Kohler engine CH13S 22508 there is a model number and serial number on the transmission, but I think that's the info for the transmission. 618-3081model ... 061280 SN. I will test the key switch. Going by a youtube video.

Please don't get mad at me, but I am not standing next to your unit. I can't see what you are doing and that is why I ask you to reread the last two paragraphs of the procedure. Unless I or the other techs on this forum have a good picture of what you are doing and the results of each test, we are only guessing how to proceed. Electrical troubleshooting MUST be done in an exact order, if not done that way you just keep going in circles. Second, you must solve the starting problem first before you can solve the PTO problem. Stick to one job and don't jump between the two. At this point I am getting more confused as to what is wrong, because you keep jumping around and if you can't help me with a better picture, I won't be able to help you. Please start over and let's solve this the right way together.

I'll be right to the point, I asked for test results! The procedure says to post back the test results from each test and without them I don't know if you even did the test. You said the unit started on it's own, what test were you doing, did it do it only once??? Photos are good, but they only tell me the setup for your unit, not really info I can use. Finally, I don't feel you understand how the three electrical systems ( starting, ignition and PTO ) work together and separately on your unit. That means it is even harder for the two of us to communicate. You want me to say this part is bad or give you a quick solution, electrical problems normally don't work that way. They fight you to the bitter end. I'm at a loss as to what else I can suggest you do, other than what I have said earlier. How would you like me to proceed? I'll help if I understand what is happening.

Sorry, I am not going to be able to help you solve this problem, because at this point I don't know what the problem is at this time. Your original problem was no current at solenoid, but now you state your unit starts each attempt. Problem solved. You say that you have provided answers to the info I requested. It must be in a form I do not understand and there is not one link I can find (besides photos) that tells me where to look. Because we definitely are no where close to understanding each other, I am going to back out of this thread, and I hope there is someone else out there who can see you through this. Good Luck.

Whole wiring harness looks to be available here-- http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/A...Id=14101&langId=-1&storeId=10051#/s/CUT/2135/

I have looked for a wiring diagram with no luck. It may be easier and faster to replace the entire wiring harness than to try to troubleshoot every connector.

As you seem to have little understanding of mower electronics start by downloading the Briggs & Stratton "Engine Alternator Replacement Guide" from the briggs & stratton web site as a free download.
This will explain clearly how ALL MOWERS ARE WIRED and in particular how IGNITION SWITCHES are wired and how they connect internally.
Basically all are the same save a few who pop in a relay or three just to confuse you

The switch in your photo is not a Cub Cadet switch and your wiring looks like it was one by Ben the Butcher's apprentice.
The wiring from the engine plug to the various parts connected to the engine is a Kohler item and is explained in the Kohler Service manual available from Kohler as a free download.

Cub wiring diagrams for the 2000 series are bit thin on the ground.
The late model 2000 service manual has wiring diagrams for latter models which are almost the same as yours but use a different switch,
This is also available on the Cub web site as a free download.
The plug for your switch is a Cub part and not available except as part of a new loom and to be truthful, that is the way I would go with your mower.
Those Cubs are excellent mowers being a full on commercial build and will last for decades.

Some old school auto electricials will have assortments of plugs, but in the "just swap out parts" days they are getting thin on the ground.

Once you have read the Briggs manual you will see why some wires have power and some wires do not.

Getting at Cub wiring is difficult, you have to remove the floor & rear fenders to get at the brake switch properly and remove that mesh grill to get at the rest unless you sleep in a coffin and can hang upside down from the rafters for hours.
I service a lot of these Cubs and have been actively buying, rebuilding and selling them as guaranteed used mowers for the last 3 years and every single one I have bought had butchered wiring.
And every single one I sold has the wiring restored to original with the exception of the output wire from the rectifier and the power feed to the PTO which both get fuses.
Your mystery fuse will most likely be the alternator feed wire which will only show power when the alternator is generating.
The tiny voltage is back feed through the rectifier and while not good , is fairly normal.
With the corrosion on those terminals. I am surprised it ran at all.
These were professional level mowers designed to be used by professionals who understand what routine maintenance is, a concept which seem to be beyond the intellectual capacity of all domestic users.

All of the above can also be downloaded from http://www.mymowerparts.com/about_us.php
Click on the free manuals section in the red navigation bar then navigate to the various makers.
Don't come back & ask which ones are what, I can not remember but all of them are free

If you are still confused Toro do a wonderful manual appropriately called "The Demystification Guide", while specific to TORO, as said before, all mowers use the same basic wiring and it is written down to a 10 y/o understanding level.
It is a sad enditement on the USA Education system that simple circuits that down here are manditory for 12 y/o in junior high school are totally beyond the understanding of the average American mower owner

Don't give-up spirit, lets see if we can get you some help from the guys here !!
First , ..we need the model numbers of BOTH your mower and engine.. (see example)



the numbers should be on a sticker under the seat , (see link)
http://www.mtdparts.com/equipment/mtdparts/find-model

AND , the engine information should be on a sticker or plate ON the engine itself.

once we have this information we can determine a lot of useful info. about the mower, we can locate the correct service AND parts manuals , this will be a good starting point, and you will need the info. when you have to get parts or service the machine. ..:thumbsup: ..:smile

OH BOY ..it looks like BERT and I posted at the same time, SORRY ,these things happen , anyway I will drop off and let a smarter man than myself handle this, ( I would still get & post the info. ( it WILL help ) ...Boobala

BERT, Spirit .... just trying to move things along , NOT trying to interfere I PROMISE !!

Spirit, here is 2 links to help.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/c...a/en_us/Files/FAQs/alternator_replacement.pdf

http://cubcadet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1722/~/cub-cadet-professional-shop-manuals

OK Spirit, jumped ahead and got your owners manual and your mowers service manual, Get a comfy chair ya got a lot of reading to
catch up on ( LOL ) you should find help here , page 268 of the service manual starts the wiring diagrams, be sure you choose the RIGHT ONE for YOUR mower !!! Also I screwed up about your mower info sticker, look in the first few pages of the OWNERS MANUAL for location of info sticker, IF you need further assistance I'm sure Bert is following this thread , he's a good man !

http://www.cubcadet.info/Manuels/-Annee_inconnue/2130-2135-(--)-Owner.pdf

https://data2.manualslib.com/pdf5/1...det/2130.pdf?61b991e28284cd599cd42fcf0dce8805

Here's a parts list from 1 parts house ( pretty reputable and reliable) but always shop for prices !!
this is a bit harder to navigate than the parts manual at mymowersparts.com , WATCH YOUR SERIAL numbers !!!

https://www.partstree.com/parts/cub...214f100-cub-cadet-lawn-tractor-sn-326-006-up/

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Cub-Cadet-Parts-Manuals/Series-2000/

spirittoo said:

Boobala thank you sooooooo much for those links ... especially that service manual:thumbsup: If you would allow an old woman to give you a hug I certainly would:dance1: I found the info on the tractor as you can see in the photo.

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EXCELLENT ...YOUNG LADY !! I might suggest you keep a copy of those numbers in a safe keeping place, and if you have a printer, you might care to start a folder with printed info. of everything about your machine, if you plan on keeping it for awhile, might come in VERY handy "down the road" ...even if you plan to sell it some day. Hope you get this issue straightened out soon, keep us up-dated, OHhhh yeah a hug back !! ..:thumbsup:

without committing to weighing in here, as an electrician for over 30 years and a poor fix it myself landowner for as many. one thing ive found is that you dont really want to whip out the digital meter unless you have a lot of experience with one. a test lite will usually lead you to a problem or to a point where you can, then put a meter to it. anything that will lite your test lite good and steady , will usually suffice to do the job at the point your checking. you seem like a smart guy, step back and take a breath, youll get it.