Electrical overheating melting wire covers

[Smokeeater]

I picked up a guys MTD Gold with a Kohler SV530S (SV530-0029). He said he was just driving it and it stopped. He replaced the battery, starter, spark plug, ignition module before he called me. When I got there the battery was disconnected, so I attached it, and it cranked over which is more than he had happen. I left the battery attached and put it on trailer. About a mile down the road I saw there was some smoke coming from seat area. The battery cables (pos and neg) both melted the covers on them!
I got it here and made new cables, installed them with his old ignition module cause it was damaged too. I noticed the wire from armature had bubbles on it and the fuel solenoid was melted at end. I replaced solenoid and now...
I go to start it and I can see the starter gear spin, but doesn't lift up to engage flywheel. And the battery cables get very very warm so I disconnected them again. Volts in battery are still good and volt at starter is good

Any ideas what's cauing these issues?

Thanks guys...electrical has never been my forte

 

[Mower King]

I picked up a guys MTD Gold with a Kohler SV530S (SV530-0029). He said he was just driving it and it stopped. He replaced the battery, starter, spark plug, ignition module before he called me. When I got there the battery was disconnected, so I attached it, and it cranked over which is more than he had happen. I left the battery attached and put it on trailer. About a mile down the road I saw there was some smoke coming from seat area. The battery cables (pos and neg) both melted the covers on them!
I got it here and made new cables, installed them with his old ignition module cause it was damaged too. I noticed the wire from armature had bubbles on it and the fuel solenoid was melted at end. I replaced solenoid and now...
I go to start it and I can see the starter gear spin, but doesn't lift up to engage flywheel. And the battery cables get very very warm so I disconnected them again. Volts in battery are still good and volt at starter is good

Any ideas what's cauing these issues?

Thanks guys...electrical has never been my forte

Could you have hooked the battery cables up backwards? ......Sometimes a battery has posts opposite of what was taken out.....seen it happen! Starter will even spin backwards....seen it!

 

[Smokeeater]

Could you have hooked the battery cables up backwards? ......Sometimes a battery has posts opposite of what was taken out.....seen it happen! Starter will even spin backwards....seen it!

No it's not that, I keep double checking it everytime I've removed it.

As well as an update..I removed battery and did continuity checks all through including main cable to Ignition module and from module to starter. Looked for grounded wires and didn't find anything exposed.

Could the starter he put in cause too much draw?

 

[StarTech]

I even seen a few batteries where the polarity is actually reversed so Positive becomes Negative and vice versa. Best to actually check the battery polarity.

 

[Smokeeater]

I even seen a few batteries where the polarity is actually reversed so Positive becomes Negative and vice versa. Best to actually check the battery polarity.

Polarity is fine

 

[Mower King]

Polarity is fine

I have also seen Black battery cables on + side, at the battery and or the solenoid and Red cables on the ground or all Black or all RED....just double check with both, your eyes and follow them with your hands to see where they go!

 

[Smokeeater]

I have also seen Black battery cables on + side, at the battery and or the solenoid and Red cables on the ground or all Black or all RED....just double check with both, your eyes and follow them with your hands to see where they go!

I had to replace the battery cables cause the original ones melted. They are correct

 

[Mower King]

I had to replace the battery cables cause the original ones melted. They are correct

You said in original post, you can see the starter spin but doesn't lift to engage the flywheel,....does the starter spin the right direction? Do you know which way it should spin?

 

[shadeytree]

The starter not moving the gear forward means either the starter solenoid is bad or not getting power to it.
The battery cables melting means something is dead short.
Could it be that the key switch is bad, sending power to the solenoid all the time which burned out the silenoid?

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I had to replace the battery cables cause the original ones melted. They are correct

Do you know why they melted?