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I have a 54 inch cub riding mower. cannot figure out what is wrong. I am getting no power to start. I have replaced solenoid, new battery, checked fuse by battery under dash. When turning on the key I have also no power to instruments. I cannot even get the solenoid to cross with a screw driver to get power. Thanks I am stuck. It is a:
cub cadet series 1000
Model LT1024
24 HP
Thank You
Steven

follow the voltage path with a volt meter or test light. Where it disappears is your problem. Could be as simple as a wire that is broken, or a mouse chewed something.

Example - test between chassis ground and the battery + terminal. If there is voltage there under load then check where the battery + wire goes to. Check at each switch or relay along the way. If say there is no voltage between chassis ground and the battery then check your grounding strap etc..

OK thanks, I will let you know how it turns out.
I did forget to add I seen a fellow on Yotube that checked a ignition switch and PTO switch like mine, removed mine and followed his steps and both of mine works fine. I am also working on testing the Brake peddle safety switch but have yet found a way to get it out. None of my wrench, or sockets will fit into the narrow pathway. can I bypass the brake peddle safety switch by cutting the 2 wires connected to it and wiring them to each other? Good advice or Bad advice? I do not see why it is needed.

Can you bypass the brake switch by clipping the 2 wires and then wiring them back together again to same colors?
I still have NO power to dash lights or starter solenoid from wire on starter switch to solenoid. I have ( new battery, solenoid, and starter).
Nothing is hot. I am stuck!
Please Advise
Steven

That is not your problem. You have a bad connection, blown fuse, or bad ignition switch. A bad connection can be in either the positive or negative leads.. A bad connection can be either in the positive lead or negative lead.

Thanks, now I am back at my starting point. because I have no wire testing hot going to my starter solenoid (small wire) from switch key where do you suggest I start checking as to why it is not a hot coming from ignition?
When I shecked my witch key on a video from youtube, (I attached the link below),mine checked out as good. where do I start? I printed out this same wire diagram my last check was the brake peddle switch but no toole I have gets in that small area so there is no way to change the switch. Thanks for helping me but do you see why I am stuck?
Advice is appreciated
Steven

Start by checking for voltage at the key switch “B” terminal. Should have 12+ VDC. Then have someone turn the key to start and test for voltage at the “S” terminal. Should have 12+ VDC.

Maybe you should take it to the shop. If you look at the wiring diagram down at the bottom, you will see a battery. The negative side of the battery goes to ground. The solenoid case also goes to ground and the starter case also goes to ground. If you applied 12V to the starter, or properly jumped the solenoid, and the starter did not spin either the battery is dead or you have a bad connection or ground. That is really one of the simplest things to understand in a circuit, and if you can't get your head around it then get a shop involved. Think of it like you ran a wire to one side of a good light bulb and another wire to the other side. If the light doesn't glow then you don't have voltage getting to the light bulb. The battery only has two poles, + and ground (-). One of them or the battery is bad.

Thank you I am going out to try it now. Thanks

OK, I did voltage check as you said. from (B..RED) battery on starter switch to solenoid i have 12 volts on each connection.
On switch the (S..orange wire) i have 12 volts and orange to solenoid at solenoid (when I press key on start) I have 12 volts.
BUT with new or old solenoid I cannot jump across red wires to make starter turn over and key on.
I checked the 20 amp fuse in harness beside battery and it is good.
now what?

Ok we know the switch is working. Your problem is eith a broken wire or safety switch between the switch and solenoid. I would start by checking the seat switch, then the brake switch and finally the PTO switch.

Rivets said:

Ok we know the switch is working. Your problem is eith a broken wire or safety switch between the switch and solenoid. I would start by checking the seat switch, then the brake switch and finally the PTO switch.

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Bet they are all bypassed, LOL. If they are, get them working again. Wire them up as a new mower would be.

ALSO - Be sure you read the voltage on that red + wire when you try to jump it like you did before. If you got 12V, then set the meter down, and tried to jump it, the battery can go to 1 or 2 volts if it is bad, then recover to near 12V under no load. You have to monitor the voltage WHILE you are trying to start it.

sounds like a bad connection at the starter or a bad starter. Put your volt meter probes between the 12V+ at the starter, and chassis ground, then turn the key. Does it show 12V? If yes try it again with the postive (red probe) on the starter case and the negative (black) probe on the chassis ground. It should not read voltage. This would mean that the starter is grounded ok, and that it is getting 12V ok too. But if the starter case shows 12V (rare) it would mean a bad ground between the starter and chassis.

If you get a good ground on the starter, and a solid 12V at the starter, then it sounds like a bad starter. Do try to pull it thru by hand to be sure the engine is not frozen stiff or hydro locked.

OK, thanks for you helping me with this.I will report back after I do what you said. For the record for others who read this, I installed a new Battery, starter, Solenoid,(original equipment) and mower ran fine for several days. after couple days I went to start it to cut grass and nothing, no power at all that is what started my quest for help.
All wiring is original nothing was ever added to.

I installed a new Battery, starter, Solenoid,(original equipment)

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I don't know how the battery charges on your mower, but on automotive alternators there are diodes in the circuit and if one goes bad it can drain a battery. Also cables can break or corrode internally and have high resistance. A new part can go bad, or have been one someone else had trouble with and returned. Unfortunately, I run into that all the time with parts bought online.

sgkent said:

I don't know how the battery charges on your mower, but on automotive alternators there are diodes in the circuit and if one goes bad it can drain a battery. Also cables can break or corrode internally and have high resistance. A new part can go bad, or have been one someone else had trouble with and returned. Unfortunately, I run into that all the time with parts bought online.

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Would not hurt to learn the electrical systems on mowers. In this the engine is Briggs that most likely still using the dual circuit stator. And as the Cub Cadet design wiring it is impossible for the mower to drain when the ignition (assuming a good switch) is off; unless, something has been rewire or wired in. Leaving it in the run position will drain the battery all the way to flat.(zero charge) The only it can drain the battery other than leaving the ignition on is to have internal short in the ignition switch.

Lots of new parts thrown at it. You will need to test all of them too. New doesn't mean new these days.

slomo said:

Lots of new parts thrown at it. You will need to test all of them too. New doesn't mean new these days.

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Actually I say to my customers new don't always means good. And just throwing parts at it can get expensive fast.

Check the Starter with a known good battery. + cable to starter terminal, - cable to Starter bolt.
If starter engages, work backwards to battery. There is an 8-10 volt connector near the Ignition switch. Unplug it, spray with Battery Terminal cleaner then Brakcleen and reconnect.

Three words of advice from someone who does auto electric troubleshooting, firing the parts cannon should not become an option. Very expensive. When checking electrical connections, do not use only a meter. The high input impedence will show the worst connection as good. Use a test light, not LED, to verify that the connection or switch is indeed good. A high resistance connection will look fine with a meter, but unable to light even the smallest light bulb. And also, start your testing with clean and tight battery connections. Again a corroded battery terminal may look good from the outside, but underneath there may be high resistance that would steer you back toward that parts cannon.

Ranchito said:

Three words of advice from someone who does auto electric troubleshooting, firing the parts cannon should not become an option. Very expensive. When checking electrical connections, do not use only a meter. The high input impedence will show the worst connection as good. Use a test light, not LED, to verify that the connection or switch is indeed good. A high resistance connection will look fine with a meter, but unable to light even the smallest light bulb. And also, start your testing with clean and tight battery connections. Again a corroded battery terminal may look good from the outside, but underneath there may be high resistance that would steer you back toward that parts cannon.

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This is why I do voltage drop tests under load. The bad connection usually will read voltage across it when it should be reading near zero volts if the just a connector or contact involved.

And I had a few battery terminal connectors to be bad internally too.

Thank you Mr Sgkent,Mr Ranchito, and the others with there great advice. I did what you said, I had 12V at Solenoid, 12v down at starter. So I started at the negative battery cable checking connections. At the first connection Cub Cadet had the negative cable wired into a connection into wiring harness. Feeling it, I was stuck by a wire, I untapped the connection and the wire fell out of the connection and onto my garage floor. I purchased a new connection, the soldered it and cramped both ends and taped around it all to weather protect it.
Started it up and it runs good, PROBLEM SOLVED, Thank you for the great advice.
Just to recap for someone else with the same problem do this:
Check battery for 12V, then check to see you have 12V to solenoid, Then check for 12V where it is bolted into started while the key is turned to start.
If that all checks out check negative connection at battery, then go down wiring harness and un-tape any bulges in the wire and check for loose connection. That is how I fixed mine.
Thank You All,
Mr. Steve

good job. As you have discovered, sometimes it is a bad negative return path to the battery, and not always the positive supply side when things electrical die. I always start my troubleshooting at the battery posts then work outwards from there trying to find where the defect is.