Cub LT1050 dead in the water.

[dugin]

Well here is the problem I see referencing the schematic and the solenoid picture. The schematic indicates what most refers to as a three pole solenoid. Three pole solenoids are grounded thru their mounting flange where the four pole are not. On four pole solenoids you must either has a safety system that provide the grounding wiring or you must provide a jumper to ground from one of the smaller terminals.

Since the OP has indicated which solenoid has at hand.

Personally I think the OP is in over his head on this one and should let a local shop fix the problem. It would save a lot of time and headaches as it could be as simple as a bad wire terminal. But I will have to admit most shops don't know what they are doing here locally either as I had to straighten out several their techs hatchet jobs. Matter of fact I just straighten one out last week where they completely removed the engine's coil kill harness. All over a bad connector at the seat switch. They were depending on the fuel solenoid on the carburetor to shut down the mower which failed. When the customer called them about the engine not shutting down they simple just run it out of gas. Well the customer had a full tank of 4 gallons which took several hours to run out.

Hello star tech, you bet I'm in over my head, that's why I'm asking for help. Anyway more backround, bought the mower last year, brake is not working, the linkage is disconnected and I'm ok with that as the mower ran fine, yes I'm challenged using multimeter!!! So please help me learn, I'm A young 80 yr old can you teach an old dog some new tricks??? Its an old backup mower but worth fixing. So try to bear with me on this. Thanks

 

[dugin]

Then why is this relay doing in the wiring harness? Its there in all four different harnesses.
View attachment 69568

You call it a relay, I'd call it a fuse block, just terminology??

 

[dugin]

At this point I use this procedure to locate the problem.

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.
4. You don't overlook or assume anything and verify everything.

Remember we cannot see what you are doing. You are our eyes, ears and fingers in solving this problem. You must be as accurate as you can when you report back. The two basic tools we will ask you to use are a test light and a multi-meter. 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, check the fuse(s), check battery connections for corrosion (clean if necessary) and voltage - above 12.5 volts should be good. Check and make sure the chassis ground is clean and tight.
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 12 volts 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.
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).
Fifth, check for power at the starter while holding the key in the start position (assistant again).
Sixth, check your ground circuit back to the battery.

After you have gone through each of the above steps, let us know what happened when you did each step. At that point we will have great info to tell you how to proceed. Remember you are our eyes, ears, and fingers, so please be as accurate as possible.



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. Youtube also has some videos and as you know a picture is worth a thousand words.

Hello rivets, thanks for this info. I'm very busy with "life" at the moment, besides keeping 6+ acres mowed!! Its gonna take me a while to go through the list so bear with me, this heat isn't helping either. Will get back when I have info to share Thanks for.your help. PS I believe what happened was I was in the woods mowing trails and a branch got into engine compartment and dislodged both sm. solenoid sm. Wires ????? Crazier things have happened right!!! The mower kept running till I shut it off. Towed it home started to check things, that's when I found two loose solenoid wires connected them but that didnt fix things. So back to your trouble shooting list when I get the time. Thanks

 

[dugin]

Just remember the brake and PTO switches are also in the starter solenoid + 12V path. And I would not rule out a loose wire terminal since these connectors uses F56 terminals.

OK, so we know the pto switch is ok so on to the brake switch next..thanks Star tech.!!!

 

[dugin]

Okay, first, your fuse is okay since your pto clutch will turn on. Next; Does it "Click" when you turn the ignition to the start position? Strange the wires were not on the solenoid...I wonder how it was able to start prior to finding that issue? So, does the machine make a "click" when you move it to the start position?
"

Kbowley, My guess is the two sm. wires became dislodged while I was mowing trails in the woods, because if I understand you there is no way the mower would start with them both disconnected, rite??? But would run until shutoff??

 

[Rivets]

Start by tracing the wires according to the schematic Star provided. When you are sure that everything is hooked up according to the schematic then start going through the procedure I provided. DO NOT REVERSE THIS STEP. NO need to do any testing until you know the wiring is correct. Doing in this order will take time, but could easily save you a lot of headaches down the road.

 

[kbowley]

Then why is this relay doing in the wiring harness? Its there in all four different harnesses.
View attachment 69568

Well, a couple of weeks ago I spent two days chasing ghosts in the harness of an LTX1046VT, and it shows a relay. Of course, he had been tinkering with it and threw new aftermarket Amazon everything at it and made a mess. He even put a new PTO clutch on it! I pulled the whole tractor apart, including removing the fuel tank (PITA) to get at the harness on the steering tower, and still no relay was found, and yet it shows in the diagram. So, it must be well hidden, as I also pulled the fender pan. The diagram shows the relay in the PTO circuit but no sign of it. However, there is a "click" sound in the warning light system that plugs in to the hour meter, and I assumed that it must be part of that circuit. I usually have zero issues finding wiring issues but that one had me totally stumped. I ended up bypassing a couple of grounds (not safety switches) to get it up and running. I gave him a call a couple of days ago, and he said it is running great. Today he called having the same issue. Coming back tomorrow...not looking forward to it.

 

[kbowley]

Kbowley, My guess is the two sm. wires became dislodged while I was mowing trails in the woods, because if I understand you there is no way the mower would start with them both disconnected, rite??? But would run until shutoff??

You are correct in your question. Now, check the ohms to ground on the green wire that connects to the solenoid with the parking brake on and the key in the run position. It should have zero ohms of resistance. Next, check the voltage on the orange wire to ground while placing the key to the start position. It should read close to the same as the battery with a slight drop because of slight resistance in the long length of wire. For example, if the battery voltage reads 12.5, the orange wire may read 12.3. Regarding your question about the paint/corrosion on the solenoid mount, irrelevant, it is grounded via the green wire.

 

[StarTech]

Well, a couple of weeks ago I spent two days chasing ghosts in the harness of an LTX1046VT, and it shows a relay. Of course, he had been tinkering with it and threw new aftermarket Amazon everything at it and made a mess. He even put a new PTO clutch on it! I pulled the whole tractor apart, including removing the fuel tank (PITA) to get at the harness on the steering tower, and still no relay was found, and yet it shows in the diagram. So, it must be well hidden, as I also pulled the fender pan. The diagram shows the relay in the PTO circuit but no sign of it. However, there is a "click" sound in the warning light system that plugs in to the hour meter, and I assumed that it must be part of that circuit. I usually have zero issues finding wiring issues but that one had me totally stumped. I ended up bypassing a couple of grounds (not safety switches) to get it up and running. I gave him a call a couple of days ago, and he said it is running great. Today he called having the same issue. Coming back tomorrow...not looking forward to it.

It is there you just got to know what you are looking for.

Late model

Early model

So here is the relay

 

[dugin]

It is there you just got to know what you are looking for.

Late model
View attachment 69599
Early model
View attachment 69600
So here is the relay
View attachment 69601

Ok guys, I had some time to work on the lT 1050. Found the relay # HFV6 it is quote, 20amp-12vDC then directly below that it says 10amp-12vDC it is 5pin it has 1green wire, 1white w green stripe, 1red, 1white, and ,1yellow w black stripe. Do we have schematic for lT, 1050? Or don't it matter? Anyone want to walk me thru checking out this relay?? help!!!!