OK, my first time to post here so cut me a little slack if I unintentionally go astray . My cub cadet has served me well for 5 years, but have an issue this Spring . Last week my mower started an ran fine all afternoon, no issues noted . When I came back the next day to complete the job, the mower wouldn't start, crank over, anything . I check the under seat fuse (25 amp) and it was blown . I replaced the fuse, and it started and ran fine that afternoon . I was still concerned about blowing a 25 amp fuse . Now, the fuse is not blown, but won't do anything again, even the headlights won't come on . I couldn't hear the starter solenoid click, and it being a cheap part, I replaced it with a new one . After installing it I had gained nothing . With the switch on, I have power to both small terminals and of course the feed wire from the battery, but it never makes up to send fire to the starter . I shorted out the 2 bigger cables to crank the engine over, and it indeed did that but didn't sound healthy at all . The switch is working as I can hear the fuel solenoid click . Out of curiosity I checked the wires (1 red,1 green) going to the headlights, and both show to be hot with switch on . I figured the green should have been a ground IDK, but they don't light up . Let me shut up wondering and turn this over to you guyz for questions . Thanks for any helpful suggestions .
Electrical Issues LX42KH
- Thread starter RolandB
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bertsmobile1
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You start diagnosing electrical problems with the wiring diagram
Yours should be some where here .
General stuff
1 run a jumper from the battery - to a good ground on the mower engine
Problem goes away = bad ground connection .
2) you can put a switch anywhere that you like in a circuit ,
It is usually on to power feed ( + ) side but it can also be on the ground side as well.
If on the ground side , both wires will read as hot .
3 ) the bulk of the wiring on mowers use ground switching not power switching
Yours should be some where here .
General stuff
1 run a jumper from the battery - to a good ground on the mower engine
Problem goes away = bad ground connection .
2) you can put a switch anywhere that you like in a circuit ,
It is usually on to power feed ( + ) side but it can also be on the ground side as well.
If on the ground side , both wires will read as hot .
3 ) the bulk of the wiring on mowers use ground switching not power switching
I did not find a wiring diagram for my mower (LX42KH) on that link . I found one on a parts warehouse site, but it's unreadable The jumper to the engine didn't change anything . I've been trying to check out folks that have had similar issues and it seems if it was a safety switch problem their headlights & hour meter still functioned as normal . Neither of those items work on my mower, as both leads to them show hot . IDK . I pulled the solenoid back off and ran a bench test, and it cycles fine when one of the small wires is a ground, but like most everywhere else they are both hot when installed on the mower . I did find that I needed a new starter . I had stated that when I jumped across the solenoid that it cranked over, but sounded crappy . Well the starter drive was hung in the flywheel ring and didn't/wouldn't release, plus lots of bearing slop . Anyone want to recommend a favorite parts supplier ? .........and should my headlights/hour meter be working if the problem is a safety switch ? I've completed a primary survey of most of the wiring harness and haven't found anything that looks to be damaged on it, I also took apart all the connectors and cleaned them . The ignition switch seems to be supplying electrical as called for, and the coils are hot with switch on . I had to take time out to cut grass with a different mower yesterday, plus I'm in my 70's with a bad back, so things are moving slow on this repair, but with your help, I feel we will succeed . Thanks Again to all .
bertsmobile1
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No only power side is fused
Sorry for the dud link, I should have checked so shame on me
And yes I could only find that same bad reproduction .
Hopefully some one with dealer access will come up with a better one
But to do that they will need the model number off the tag under the seat .
The number should start with 13 and look like this 13APA1CS330 from the afore mentioned web page .
I can sort of plod my way through it because I have a good idea about how mowers are wired and most are wired very much the same .
But getting you to understand it without a diagram to follow is not going to be an easy task .
Sorry for the dud link, I should have checked so shame on me
And yes I could only find that same bad reproduction .
Hopefully some one with dealer access will come up with a better one
But to do that they will need the model number off the tag under the seat .
The number should start with 13 and look like this 13APA1CS330 from the afore mentioned web page .
I can sort of plod my way through it because I have a good idea about how mowers are wired and most are wired very much the same .
But getting you to understand it without a diagram to follow is not going to be an easy task .
bertsmobile1
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Thanks Star but it is the same unreadable diagram as we have already found
Can you make any sense of it ?
Looks like the magneto is controlled by the seat & brake switch relays so not grounded via the key
and the cranking circuit is a std key -> PTO -> Brake => solenoid -> ground
But I can not make out any of the wire colours
can you ?
Can you make any sense of it ?
Looks like the magneto is controlled by the seat & brake switch relays so not grounded via the key
and the cranking circuit is a std key -> PTO -> Brake => solenoid -> ground
But I can not make out any of the wire colours
can you ?
bertsmobile1
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Roland
This is going to be a bit tricky depending upon how good your understanding of DC electronics is
And further to this, the wiring diagram they you & star has found shows an electric PTO
However the parts diagrams I could find all show a manual PTO so it may or may not be the same wiring
The headlights for instance are tied to the carb solenoid so energised when ever the key is in any of the on positions .
The power goes from the battery + through the key switch to the headlights, through the elements then to ground
If you disconnect the plug so both globes are not connected then one side of the plug will read + to ground and the other side will read nothing to ground .
If you back tested the socket while the globes were still connected then both sides will read + to the frame
The seat & brake switches are double switches and connect flat to flat
With the plunger up one side will be closed and the other open.
This should reverse when the plunger is down if the switch is in good condition
The cranking circuit goes from the key switch through the PTO switch through brake switch then to the solenoid trigger wire ( small ones at the base )
Your solenoid should be part No # 925-05013 with 2 small wires at the base
One of these wires must be ground and the other is switched power to start the engine.
On some looms the ground wire is a short wire which goes from one of the mounting screws to the ground tab and I have seen people accidentially put this wire on the starter side top cable in place of the mounting screw in which case the solenoid can not be triggered .
Easy test is to use a couple of short wires with a female terminal on one end
Hook them up to the trigger terminals, touch one to the battery cable & the other to the mounting screw
If the solenoid is good the engine should attempt to crank
Polarity does not matter
Now we come to problems & identity crisis
The parts book shows the # 925-05013 seat switch as being fitted
This switch is usually fitted to a plug with an internal shorting strip to prevent the mower being used with the switch disconnected ( you can thank face book fools for that ) and usually when that is done the cranking circuit passes through the seat switch.
The diagram above shows the cranking circuit only passing through the PTO & brake switch so we have sortof hit a brick wall till we can determine exactly what you have .
This is going to be a bit tricky depending upon how good your understanding of DC electronics is
And further to this, the wiring diagram they you & star has found shows an electric PTO
However the parts diagrams I could find all show a manual PTO so it may or may not be the same wiring
The headlights for instance are tied to the carb solenoid so energised when ever the key is in any of the on positions .
The power goes from the battery + through the key switch to the headlights, through the elements then to ground
If you disconnect the plug so both globes are not connected then one side of the plug will read + to ground and the other side will read nothing to ground .
If you back tested the socket while the globes were still connected then both sides will read + to the frame
The seat & brake switches are double switches and connect flat to flat
With the plunger up one side will be closed and the other open.
This should reverse when the plunger is down if the switch is in good condition
The cranking circuit goes from the key switch through the PTO switch through brake switch then to the solenoid trigger wire ( small ones at the base )
Your solenoid should be part No # 925-05013 with 2 small wires at the base
One of these wires must be ground and the other is switched power to start the engine.
On some looms the ground wire is a short wire which goes from one of the mounting screws to the ground tab and I have seen people accidentially put this wire on the starter side top cable in place of the mounting screw in which case the solenoid can not be triggered .
Easy test is to use a couple of short wires with a female terminal on one end
Hook them up to the trigger terminals, touch one to the battery cable & the other to the mounting screw
If the solenoid is good the engine should attempt to crank
Polarity does not matter
Now we come to problems & identity crisis
The parts book shows the # 925-05013 seat switch as being fitted
This switch is usually fitted to a plug with an internal shorting strip to prevent the mower being used with the switch disconnected ( you can thank face book fools for that ) and usually when that is done the cranking circuit passes through the seat switch.
The diagram above shows the cranking circuit only passing through the PTO & brake switch so we have sortof hit a brick wall till we can determine exactly what you have .
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Go to Messick's and you can zoom in on the wires. Sorry that the best I can find. Both Cub and MTD are bad about providing schematics. Even then wires colors are not always the same as what is present.
https://messicks.com/CC/118466?sectionId=264820&diagramId=818812
Click the link to the Electric Schematic - Electric PTO.
bertsmobile1
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Thanks for that Star much better at least I can read wire colours on this one.
Now we just need Roland to come back to confirm which PTO he has so we now if the wiring diagram is in fact correct
The parts book I down loaded show it as being a manual PTO but there are a lot of models listed as LX42KH so we really ned the MTD model number
Now we just need Roland to come back to confirm which PTO he has so we now if the wiring diagram is in fact correct
The parts book I down loaded show it as being a manual PTO but there are a lot of models listed as LX42KH so we really ned the MTD model number