I,ve got a 1978 John deere 316, with a Kohler single cyl. engine. I think its a 16 or 17 HP. It has the points and condenser, and the coil like a car has. I made a new battery cable for it , and ended up crossing the cables when reconnecting the battery. Now when I try to start the mower . it will start as long as the key in held in the start position. As soon as the key is released the engine dies. I replaced the key switch and it still does the same thing. Does anyone know what could be causing this problem ?
Don’t you just love electrical troubleshooting. Sorry, just kidding. The first thing I would check is the key switch, Remember there are different switch, which look the same, but won’t work. Give us the model and serial numbers of the unit and we can give you part numbers.
