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Good Afternoon,

I have been working on my tractor for the last several days trying to get it back up and running. I have a YTH24V48 with a Briggs and Stratton Engine.

Backstory:
I finished mowing the lawn last week, and parked the tractor in the garage with out issue. When going back in to start it this week to mow again, I just hear a click and can see the Hours Meter flash the number of hours that I've been using it, but it fails to engage the starter, moving the key from the first click to the starting position produces nothing. Here are the steps I took to troubleshoot.

Engine Information:
Model: 44N877
Type: 0003G1
CODE: 180808YG

1) Checked the battery, and initially it had been depleted. I have since charged it and retested, with the same result.
2) Checked the Starter Solenoid with a multi-meter and the readings looked correct. (I have since replaced the solenoid just for good measure) - Still not starting
3) Checked the voltage from the solenoid to the Starter motor, and conducted a voltage drop test, by turning the key and determined that there was less 1/2 a volt drop between the batter and the Starter motor
4) I actually went out and purchase a new Starter motor and installed that, thinking the starter motor was toast for some reason, and the status of starting the tractor remains unchanged.

I am looking for any advice or help that can get me back out, and cutting the yard, that is quickly turning into a jungle!

Thank you in advace

- Aaron

Before you do anything check that you can turn te engine 2 full revolutions by hand , then .
Get some booster cables
1) Jump from battery - to a good ground point near the starter the try the key
2) leave the - attached and run from the battery + to the power wire on the starter ( best done starter first & battery second )
3) jump from the battery side of the solenoid to the trigger wire at the base of the solenoid.
If there are 2 small wires there with push on terminals the other one is ground & also needs to be jumped either way they are not polarity sensitive .
4) double check if all of the above fail to crank the engine by repeating with a known good battery luke your car or truck

How did you test the battery with a volt meter or a load tester. A battery can read 12 volts and when you put a load on it will fall flat on its face. I have seen the pto switch cause this problem.

Which is exactly why I posted the above.
People over 40 tend to understand how things work & realize in most cases numbers are just there for sales reps to confuse customers with.
Over 40 and you are in the calculator age where the "right" number is more important than understanding what the number means.
All you need to test a mower is a set of booster cable ( Jumpers to people who speak correct eEnglish ) and some patch cables.
A volt meter s handy for checking charging circuits but you can do it quite easily with some wire & an old headlamp with a blown element

Thanks for the advice, I'll give the steps a try as soon as I am able, and report back. For what its worth, tested the voltage drop from the battery starter solenoid to the starter motor post, and then turned the key, which showed only a few tenths of a volt drop once the key was turned.

I appreciate the advice, and as stated will report back as soon as I am able. With that said, I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed that I am over 40 or not ?!

I've got the same mower. A couple of years ago, mine acted the same way. After "fussing" with it for a couple of hours, I discovered that I had inadvertently pulled the "attachment clutch switch"...which engages the deck clutch/drive. I pushed the button back down and it fired right up. Perhaps that switch has gone bad??? Also, mine won't start unless I depress the parking brake pedal fully forward....there's probably a switch on that. too.

Update:

Before you do anything check that you can turn te engine 2 full revolutions by hand , then .
- --- I am able to rotate the engine the 2 revolutions with out issue

Get some booster cables
1) Jump from battery - to a good ground point near the starter the try the key
--- Negative to a good ground point near the starter and turning the key didn't produce any thing
2) leave the - attached and run from the battery + to the power wire on the starter ( best done starter first & battery second )
--- Negative at the original ground, and added the positive to the starter post. Added the opposite positive to the battery, and other than a spark upon connection, no change.



3) jump from the battery side of the solenoid to the trigger wire at the base of the solenoid.
If there are 2 small wires there with push on terminals the other one is ground & also needs to be jumped either way they are not polarity sensitive .
--- still working on this one, its a tight space to get the booster cables into
4) double check if all of the above fail to crank the engine by repeating with a known good battery luke your car or truck
--- I will also be testing this with a known good battery as shortly

deminin said:

I've got the same mower. A couple of years ago, mine acted the same way. After "fussing" with it for a couple of hours, I discovered that I had inadvertently pulled the "attachment clutch switch"...which engages the deck clutch/drive. I pushed the button back down and it fired right up. Perhaps that switch has gone bad??? Also, mine won't start unless I depress the parking brake pedal fully forward....there's probably a switch on that. too.

Click to expand...

I have switched the PTO / drive button up and down several times, and worked on pressing the brake all the way in. I may consider just replacing the brake switch just in case, since its only a few $

You should be able to measure the resistance with an ohm meter between the terminals of the brake switch with the wires removed, and the brake pedal depressed. Or just jump the two wires together to see if it will start when bypassing the switch.

lbrac said:

You should be able to measure the resistance with an ohm meter between the terminals of the brake switch with the wires removed, and the brake pedal depressed. Or just jump the two wires together to see if it will start when bypassing the switch.

Click to expand...

I did test the resistance, and also picked up a new switch. Connected the new switch and now we have a starting lawn tractor!... I wish I would have checked this switch before replacing the starter and starter solenoid. The next trick is to figure out how to remove the old switch. I figure that it would slide out after depressing the sides, but thats not the case. It appears that I need to figure out a way to removed the switch from the bottom of the mower. I'm hoping I can do this with out having to pull off the deck and everything else underneath just to get to it.