Good Evening, I am a newbie to electrical diagnostics so please bear with me. This mower has 12.6V on battery. I have continutity checked the ign switch, brake switch, left and right lever switches, and seat switch. The starter solenoid is confusing to me. I have hot from batter ok. There is a tiny glow from center prong from the checker when I apply power to the solenoid. Should there be more than a tiny glow? The solenoid does click on an off. The only grounds I can find seem to be going to the engine surround.
I have the schmatic from the owners manual but that is so vague. Neither battery or the starter are shown. Sorry for being an ignoramus, but I am trying desperately not to spend 500.00 to send it off to be fixed. They charge 100.00 to pick up unit even though the shop is 1.9 miles away. Thank you to all who have the patience to help.
#2
Scrubcadet10
check for power either on the solenoid post the cable from the starter hooks to, or at the starter when the key is in the Start position.
The solenoid is a heavy duty switch, when you turn the key, voltage is applied to the small trigger wire that plugs to the solenoid usually with a blade connector, sometimes a nut holds it on, that causes the switch to contract inside the solenoid and make a connection so the voltage from the battery can power the 2nd cable that leads to the starter. On most mowers there are 2 small wires on the solenoid, 1 is the trigger wire the other wire is from the safety switches.
Do you have a digital multimeter or are you using a Test light?
Hi Scrubcadet10, I have a Klein multimeter. But I did use a test light for these solenoid diagnostics. To my recollection, there is power at the post that the battery hooks to on the solenoid, naturally. There is no power to the post that the starter hooks to, never. With the key in the start position, there is a faint light on the trigger wire blade connector. I will print out your directions and take them with me tomorrow and follow your instructions and see what happens.
When I was fiddling with it yesterday, I did get the solenoid to click. But not today.
Good Morning, Scrubcadet10. There is no power at the starter post of the solenoid or at the starter whatsoever. I have 12.46V showing at the battery. I now disconnected the battery altogether to remove the solenoid safely. Keep in mind, I am clueless.
I have removed the solenoid and will try to figure out how to bench test it. I am also going to try and figure out how to test the starter, it seems pretty well enveloped under/into the engine cover with not much sticking out except the one post that the solenoid cable connects. Any advice would be most appreciated. Are these off the shelf solenoids? I would like to get one locally if possible, if necessary. Thanks again, Lyd
#5
Scrubcadet10
You did check for voltage with the key in the start position, right? Not on, but Start.
Yes. Checked for voltage in the start position. If key not turned all the way to start and held, no voltage will get to starter. I am learning! I am heading down to the barn now to test the starter and the solenoid. I checked with local tractor and they have one in stock for 11.00. If the starter works, I will go get the solenoid.
Quickest way to test the starter is to jump around the solenoid. IOW, jump the battery side to the starter side. If the starter turns over, the starter is likely not the problem. The next thing I'd do is remove, clean and reconnect the wires at the battery, solenoid, and starter. Also, don't forget where the negative wire from the battery attaches to the frame.
Looks like you have a 3 terminal starter solenoid. Two heavy wires (from battery and to starter) and a smaller coil wire. The diagram I looked at says the solenoid coil wire is yellow. The frame of the solenoid is grounded and that's the 4th connection(the other side of the coil). You need to put your meter on that yellow wire at the solenoid when you try and start. You should be within a volt or two of the battery voltage. Keep in mind the voltage from the battery goes through several sets of contacts before arriving at the solenoid. It goes through the ignition switch, the blade switch, the right control lever, the start relay(different from solenoid), the left control lever, and lastly through the brake switch before arriving at the solenoid. All of those intermediate devices must be in the right position when you move the key to start in order to get the power to the yellow wire to pull in the solenoid. If any of those are defective and causing a voltage drop(or no voltage passing through at all), the solenoid won't receive enough 'juice' to pull in. You can test by removing the yellow wire, and jumping that terminal to the heavy wire going to the battery. If the solenoid pulls in and the starter operates, the solenoid is good and you have to troubleshoot that line of devices and see where the voltage is dropping. Make sense?
Thank you, Telesis! I performed all of your instructions and determined that the solenoid was defective. I spent the 12.00 and got a new one. I installed it after much wire brushing of the battery cable. I dielectric greased what needed to be. I reassembled it all and it started!!!! Yippee. After about 40 minutes, the blade engagement stuttered a few times, came in and out and they totally quit.
I will remove the PTO switch tomorrow and reinstall, maybe I did't make sure the connections were secure. I do remember that it was very difficult to make the connection on that switch. Thank you all and I will keep you posted. Lyd
If it does that again, check the battery voltage.
Most electric clutches quit at around 9 to 10 V
If the alternator is not charging the battery will run down and cause the PTO to quit
It can also cause the carb solenoid to shut down as well.
Following up on Berts recommendation, the quick and easy check of the alternator is to measure the battery voltage with the machine completely off. You measured 12.6 before which is as expected. Now start the unit and run at full throttle; measure the battery voltage while running. If it's charging, the value will be higher than 12.6, likely 13-15vdc. If it's still 12.6 or less, then you have a charging circuit problem.
[FYI, from the same diagram, the path the voltage takes to the PTO clutch is as follows: Voltage is routed from the battery through a 20amp fuse, through the ignition switch, through a 7.5amp fuse(strictly for the PTO clutch), finally through the PTO or blade switch(specifically terminals A and D of the switch) to the PTO clutch]
Thank you both! How can I check the voltage at full throttle if I am off of the seat? How do I bypass that seat switch?? Just unplug it?? I am heading to the barn to follow your directions today! I appreciate your help. Ok, I checked voltage at full throttle and got 14.10V. The PTO switch appears ok still. I get continuity on two blades when closed and two dfferent blades when closed.
Ok. so I replaced the PTO switch with a new one and still nothing. I found a set of two green wires going down to what I think is the electric pto unit. This does not seem to be a plug in situation, it seems these wires feed directly into the unit.
There are two plugs leading to this unit. I put 12V to the plug closest to the unit and nothing.
