Cub Cadet zero turn ZT1 50" no start, just clicks and solenoid tests good.

[testdepth]

Ran battery cables from truck battery to the mower battery negative and touched the positive terminal on starter. Starter spins so according to your troubleshooting guide I need to go buy another battery. This one is dated Dec 2021.

I believe there is another problem with the alternator or voltage regulator not charging the battery so when the mower was shut off while running it would not start back up.

 

[bertsmobile1]

YEs

I think you have nailed it
A 1 year old battery should be good if the charging system is working
Down side is you have to have the mower running to test it
If you turn the mower's ignition on then jump the starter directly from your other battery it should start

Once started you can do a voltage test on the charging system
IF it is working the battery terminal should show 13 V to 15 V with the engine running full speed after a minute or two
If not then check for voltage by back probing the rectifier to ground
If it shows 13+ volts then your problem is the wiring between the rectifier & the battery
After 5 minutes or so running , turn the blades on
The engine may slow down a little but do not worry about that
Do another voltage check
If it is lower then the PTO clutch needs adjusting or the alternator requires attention.
A fully charged battery should runthat mower about 4 hours before the voltage gets so low either the PTO stops or the fuel solenoid closes and the engine stops .

 

[testdepth]

So I bought a new battery and that did not fix the or change the problem. I hooked the new battery up and continued troubleshooting. The solenoid has two posts on top and two blade connections on the side for battery voltage applied when the ignition switch key is turned to start. The other is ground. I pulled the orange wire with white stripe from the solenoid and placed red meter lead on that wire and the black meter lead to ground. I turned the key and 0V. Tracing that wire back it attaches to the wire harness connector going to the PTO switch. I tested the wiring from this switch to the solenoid and it was all good. I noticed the connector had somehow (vibration maybe) backed off of the PTO switch prongs so I reseated it tight. I then tested the voltage again while turning the key and now had battery voltage. My zero turn now runs and is repaired. The problem all along was the PTO connector being loose.

So if anyone else has their Zero turn not start after it was running just fine a few minutes ago, then I would check this connector 1st before doing or buying anything else.

 

[testdepth]

YOU YOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOU

What I do?

BTW thanks to all that replied

 

[slomo]

Couple items that can cause starting grief (clicks).

1.Valves never checked. High on the list.
2.Read you bought a new battery. Was it load tested and checked good? Could of taken your old one to an auto parts store. They would lf checked it for free as I suggested. New parts does not mean they work.
3.Remove the starter. Bench test it with jumper cables. Can also put an amp clamp on the + cable if you have one.
4.Pull out the spark plug/s. Does it start now with the key?
5.Clean/polish the + and - cable connectors all the way through to the starter. Eyeball each cable for wear and tear. Some look good and test like do-do. 2 strands of copper doing the load and the others broken off for example.
6.Solenoid clicking is either a bad solenoid, not able to pass enough current to crank the engine or a bad starter. Assuming cables are good and tight. Star grounding washers and dielectric grease can help a lot.
7.Could be control voltage from the key or something that supports starting. Solenoid not grounded if required.

Do you power wash the mower after you mow? If so stop it now. Leaf blower or compressed air is fine.

 

[testdepth]

Couple items that can cause starting grief (clicks).

1.Valves never checked. High on the list.
2.Read you bought a new battery. Was it load tested and checked good? Could of taken your old one to an auto parts store. They would lf checked it for free as I suggested. New parts does not mean they work.
3.Remove the starter. Bench test it with jumper cables. Can also put an amp clamp on the + cable if you have one.
4.Pull out the spark plug/s. Does it start now with the key?
5.Clean/polish the + and - cable connectors all the way through to the starter. Eyeball each cable for wear and tear. Some look good and test like do-do. 2 strands of copper doing the load and the others broken off for example.
6.Solenoid clicking is either a bad solenoid, not able to pass enough current to crank the engine or a bad starter. Assuming cables are good and tight. Star grounding washers and dielectric grease can help a lot.
7.Could be control voltage from the key or something that supports starting. Solenoid not grounded if required.

Do you power wash the mower after you mow? If so stop it now. Leaf blower or compressed air is fine.

Start simple first. My problem may not be everyone's problem but it sure is a lot cheaper to check the switches first. Just a different way of troubleshooting. Never power wash my mower. It just vibrated loose. It was a simple fix to reseat the plug and my mower is still running great.