Craftsman T150, 46 inch riding mower, Hydrostatic
Made 12/2018.
Craftsman Model - CMXGRAM1130041
Part #954-04219
Made by the MTD division - 13AL79XT093
Serial Number - 1L128B10384
Briggs and Stratton 19 hp overhead valve engine
Engine model number
33R877 0033 G1
181127ZD
We have 3 acres of property. We have several out buildings and 100 yards of deep ditch with one side being for a dam to a pond. When I mow the grass, it takes about 6 1/2 hours if I do everything at once. It is a well used mower.
About May 2025 I had some problem with my riding mower. I disconnected some wires and somehow put something together in the wrong order. I smoked the Strator! Ruined it. Got the replacement, installed it, and everything has run fine till recent.
October 2025 was when the compression cam problem happened. I let a local small engine repair person handle that. Since he worked on it, It seems to crank better than it has for several years now!
I’m in South Alabama, 65 miles from the coast. We don’t have a long “off-season“. The mower is used to blow and mulch leaves or to haul limbs to a burn pile. It doesn’t sit idle for several months, never being cranked.
At the end of June 2026 the mower quit working. It was electrical. I found a great video that explained where to start checking and how to work through each section of the wiring harness as you went along. I found something had caused the fuse holder to get really hot! The fuse had been tripped/blown, but got so hot that it came apart. The fuse holder looked like it was ready to melt. I have NO idea when that issue happened! In looking at the fuse holder, I wonder if it got hot but the fuse had not interrupted the circuit, then the mower kept running until a loose wire finally broke causing the engine to stop. I spliced in a new fuse holder. The mower cranked and I continued using it.
August 5, 2026 I had been cutting grass for at least two hours when it suddenly stopped. Suggestions were to check the carburetor. I thought I should check the fuel shut off solenoid on the bottom of the carburetor first. I went to disconnect the wires but at the plug I saw what looked like a melted, bubbly black mass. It was very difficult to pry off with a screwdriver. It took a great deal of effort to remove the plug from that solenoid. The plug did have a burned electrical smell. I tested the solenoid and it does not work. I do not have another solenoid, but I do have a carburetor that I got a year or two ago, i’ll put that on.
All this to get to the question – could it be that when I torched the Strator I caused all of these electrical problems to begin? Or when the engine was removed for repair did they cause some issue that is causing these problems?
I’m open to checking anything so that these electrical problems do not continue. We do not have the money to go out and buy another mower. I do have time and willingness to chase problems and hopefully correct them!
I GREATLY appreciate all of your time! I GREATLY appreciate all suggestions and help that is offered!
Made 12/2018.
Craftsman Model - CMXGRAM1130041
Part #954-04219
Made by the MTD division - 13AL79XT093
Serial Number - 1L128B10384
Briggs and Stratton 19 hp overhead valve engine
Engine model number
33R877 0033 G1
181127ZD
We have 3 acres of property. We have several out buildings and 100 yards of deep ditch with one side being for a dam to a pond. When I mow the grass, it takes about 6 1/2 hours if I do everything at once. It is a well used mower.
About May 2025 I had some problem with my riding mower. I disconnected some wires and somehow put something together in the wrong order. I smoked the Strator! Ruined it. Got the replacement, installed it, and everything has run fine till recent.
October 2025 was when the compression cam problem happened. I let a local small engine repair person handle that. Since he worked on it, It seems to crank better than it has for several years now!
I’m in South Alabama, 65 miles from the coast. We don’t have a long “off-season“. The mower is used to blow and mulch leaves or to haul limbs to a burn pile. It doesn’t sit idle for several months, never being cranked.
At the end of June 2026 the mower quit working. It was electrical. I found a great video that explained where to start checking and how to work through each section of the wiring harness as you went along. I found something had caused the fuse holder to get really hot! The fuse had been tripped/blown, but got so hot that it came apart. The fuse holder looked like it was ready to melt. I have NO idea when that issue happened! In looking at the fuse holder, I wonder if it got hot but the fuse had not interrupted the circuit, then the mower kept running until a loose wire finally broke causing the engine to stop. I spliced in a new fuse holder. The mower cranked and I continued using it.
August 5, 2026 I had been cutting grass for at least two hours when it suddenly stopped. Suggestions were to check the carburetor. I thought I should check the fuel shut off solenoid on the bottom of the carburetor first. I went to disconnect the wires but at the plug I saw what looked like a melted, bubbly black mass. It was very difficult to pry off with a screwdriver. It took a great deal of effort to remove the plug from that solenoid. The plug did have a burned electrical smell. I tested the solenoid and it does not work. I do not have another solenoid, but I do have a carburetor that I got a year or two ago, i’ll put that on.
All this to get to the question – could it be that when I torched the Strator I caused all of these electrical problems to begin? Or when the engine was removed for repair did they cause some issue that is causing these problems?
I’m open to checking anything so that these electrical problems do not continue. We do not have the money to go out and buy another mower. I do have time and willingness to chase problems and hopefully correct them!
I GREATLY appreciate all of your time! I GREATLY appreciate all suggestions and help that is offered!
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