Electronic Clutch Dis-Engages-- Need Help

[SidecarFlip]

be prepared to pay big bucks for a new clutch assembly, they aren't a cheap date by long shot.

On my cub, I managed to sever one of the wires going to the clutch so I took it off the pto end of the motor and got in on the bench and found out I had just enough wire left to attach a solder on butt connector and call ot good (did that on both leads). Then I added female butt connectors to the leads from the clutch switch and made doubly sure the wires were tucked up next to the frame, run in plastic convoluted tubing and securely zip tied to any and all tie points along the frame. No trouble since.

I was adverse to buying a new clutch in as much as a new one is around 150 bucks. I have other priorities to spend my money on.

Unless you spend an inordinate amount of time switching the clutch on and off, the air gap won't change that much. I have 7 years on my clutch and it's still just fine. engages hard and quick and disengages the same.

 

[Padroo]

On car A/C one of the tricks is to bump the clutch with something like a broom handle and see if it engages. If it doesn't the air gap is too wide. I would get a wiring diagram and follow every connection and inspect all connections and switches can be checked with an ohm meter but a voltage drop test would be the best.

 

[vern66]

You can download the repair manual for you mower from Cub, it is a free download but you will need all of the numbers off the ID tag either under the seat or behind the front left wheel on the frame rail
There are a few reasons that clutch fail
Incorrect air gap ( already mentioned ) put a charger on the battery & engage the clutch, it should stay engaged till the battery goes flat ( hence the charger )
faulty switch ( also already mentioned )
Broken wires , usually at or just inside the clutch, turn the clutch on then wiggle & pull the wires.
Bad ground contact ( voltage will be less than 12 V at the clutch plug )

This morning I spoke with Cub Cadet Technical Support and he said the original clutch is NOT the adjustable type.
I then raised front of the mower up to visually check the unit and it definitely does not have the usual 3 outside edge adjustment areas.
I then unplugged all electrical connections that were assessable and sprayed with contact cleaner -- then reconnected all.

I don't have any grass to cut now plus it reined early this morning that causing not a good time to cut. I run the unit (with PTO engaged and blades spinning) for around 15 minutes there in the shop and it did not malfunction. This (of course) is not a good test but assures that I reconnected all properly.

I will wait for dryer weather to do a proper test to see if the condition still exists. Hopefully, it was a faulty connection causing the clutch to fail occasionally.

Thanks to all for the helpful replies.

 

[vern66]

This morning I spoke with Cub Cadet Technical Support and he said the original clutch is NOT the adjustable type.
I then raised front of the mower up to visually check the unit and it definitely does not have the usual 3 outside edge adjustment areas.
I then unplugged all electrical connections that were assessable and sprayed with contact cleaner -- then reconnected all.

I don't have any grass to cut now plus it reined early this morning that causing not a good time to cut. I run the unit (with PTO engaged and blades spinning) for around 15 minutes there in the shop and it did not malfunction. This (of course) is not a good test but assures that I reconnected all properly.

I will wait for dryer weather to do a proper test to see if the condition still exists. Hopefully, it was a faulty connection causing the clutch to fail occasionally.

Thanks to all for the helpful replies.

I used this Lawn Mower this evening approximately 1.5 hours -- primarily to mulch leaves on part of the lawn. The PTO clutch dropped contact 4 times during this period which appears to be basically no change from as discussed in original post.

Evidently, the things I did to it had no beneficial effects. However, due to the cost; I do not plan to replace the PTO Clutch at this time since it (of course) is very obvious when the Clutch drops contact.

 

[MowLife]

I’m still leaning towards the PTO switch.

 

[Darryl G]

Certainly could be the switch.

Vern - Have you tried wiggling the switch while it's running? It could have a bad contact or loose wire.

 

[vern66]

Certainly could be the switch.

Vern - Have you tried wiggling the switch while it's running? It could have a bad contact or loose wire.

No I haven't done that. However, I disconnected the switch and sprayed both the male and female contacts with a good quality Contact Cleaner. It definitely appears to lose voltage to the PTO Clutch and this seems to be same when using either of the "Key positions" normal plus the reverse position.

Perhaps I should disconnect the PTO switch and add the necessary substitute (wiring) connections that will run the clutch and see if it has the same type failure. The switch positions may be different from the unit that I worked with on a Husqvarna Lawn Mower -- but if so, I will sample the connections with my meters to find the correct usage of each of the contacts.

 

[MowLife]

I’ve seen many just go bad internally. That is a good thought just to give it another source of power to see if you truly have a clutch or a voltage problem.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Because clutches are so expensive I like to run a bypass to the clutch plug.
How this is done depends upon the plug.
Where possible I run direct from the battery to the clutch.
If not I pull the clutch switch out & either jump the switch or replace it with a known good one from stock.
The switches are crude sliding contact type & subject to wear, arcing. corrosion , dirt or all 3

 

[SidecarFlip]

Because clutches are so expensive I like to run a bypass to the clutch plug.
How this is done depends upon the plug.
Where possible I run direct from the battery to the clutch.
If not I pull the clutch switch out & either jump the switch or replace it with a known good one from stock.
The switches are crude sliding contact type & subject to wear, arcing. corrosion , dirt or all 3

Good tip Bert....

Nice thing about all the electro-magnetic clutches is, most aren't rebuildable.