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Replaced wiring harness, starter turns over when jumping solonoid but acts if the battery if half. Same with when jumping the starter with jumper cables directly. Removed spark plugs and engine spins like nothing holding it back. Took starter off and found corrosion and rust around the retainer brushes. Put another set of retainer brushes and no change when jumping starter. Will not turn over when using key. Got 12.4 at the hot side on the large post on solonoid. 12.4 at stud on the starter. The solonoid has 2 large and 2 small posts.

18hp L head twin Briggs
46in deck
148-818-372/F228d

i would get your battery load tested ...it may be bad even with 12.5 volts

Recharged battery and will spin just fine when jumping the solonoid. Still nothing from key switch. I have 12.5 from the switch at B and S terminal.

in that case....id say your solenoid is shot......but your starter may have lost a magnet inside if that doesnt help....sounds like you have multiple issues...id just start eliminating them in order.....most starters run about $70 for a new one....maybe you have a starter/electric motor place local that can do it cheaper.........also...load testing a battery and charging it are 2 completely different things....good luck.....tell us how it goes:thumbsup:

Starter spins fine when bench testing it. I'm not getting any voltage on the 2 smaller studded posts.

ok ....if your saying voltage "isnt" getting to the solenoid....then i guess the ignition switch is tweaked.....i never got which part of the harness you replaced ?

I replaced the whole harness. Found out that someone put a 2 spade solonoid on instead of a one spade.

so ..has the starter weakness disappeared since the charge up?

Yes

Here's pics on its wired up with new harness that put on it.

those types of ignition switches cost from $14-$9....im sure you have a multimeter to test the switch.......

reddragon said:

those types of ignition switches cost from $14-$9....im sure you have a multimeter to test the switch.......

Click to expand...

I'm not anything off the switch except when the key is turned to I get unstable voltage on the "S" terminal then it stops on 10v. I already tried a new switch and same results.

i would check all your grounds and that fuse deal [ before and after] .....go ahead and disconnect the battery and run continuity tests thru the harness to make sure its not a lemon.....its got to be simple...its just trying to hide itself:confused2:

reddragon said:

i would check all your grounds and that fuse deal [ before and after] .....go ahead and disconnect the battery and run continuity tests thru the harness to make sure its not a lemon.....its got to be simple...its just trying to hide itself:confused2:

Click to expand...

That fuse deal is the replacement MTD part number for the circuit breaker. I'm supposed to have a single spade solonoid but someone put a 2 spade on it.

ive used universal solenoids with the more spades with no problem.....but if your not getting proper voltage to the ign. switch in the first place...then its irrelevant...tell us what your findings are

I can take top red wire thats on the spade and touch the hot wire that goes to the pos battery and the engine will turn over.

I was on phone with Dixie tech support since I bought harness from them. They told the top red wire with eyelet that had on top spade terminal goes the pos terminal on the battery because it provides power to the key switch through "B" terminal. So I did that. They told that funny lookin terminal on the other red wire slides/presses on the spade terminal so that goes on the top spade on the solonoid(they assumed I had 1 spade solonoid). So did that. So move all the tools off the flywheel then turn the key and it spins over with key switch now.

Still not certain if the blades will come on since I dont have seat with built in seat switch on it though.

its good to hear!......figured it was a simple fix....on the seat switches..its often a case of having both closed and open parts to it...you just got to make sure which is which........out of curiosity,what year is this rig?

Not really sure what year it is. I wanna guess 1980's mtd/hechinger 46in, 18 L head twin briggs.

It just died on me. Now when I turn the key all I here is the clicking sound from the solonoid but starter wont spin. Jumping it wont spin the starter either. I assume that means bad starter or solonoid?

you should feel the the solenoid thump when you turn the key.....of course you use the multimeter to see if the voltage is too low..........i would still get the battery load tested...just to get that question out of the way....you'll need to charge the battery before getting it load tested...i like to give a good 12 to 24 hours when charging a battery.....could you take a picture of the whole tractor?....id like to see which front end its got on it.......thanks:wink::thumbsup:

I can jump the starter with jumper cables and it spin with no problems. I got 12.73 at the battery. 12.36 at the spade terminal. 12.72 large post that has the red cable going to the starter. 6.50v on the hot side of the solonoid the drops to .04 when I turn key and here the click sound.

Here's the pic of the hechinger. This before I repainted the grille, hood and front fenders.

thanks for the picture!....those are good ole tractors.....id try another solenoid and get that battery load tested:frown:

Fixed. had a loose cable on the hot side on the solonoid.

well......murphy's law comes in all forms, doesnt it?:laughing:

The hechinger is a 1988 model according to parts tree. Id keep it or the sears gt tractor if I could find snow for one of them along with wheel weights and chains.