JD L118 just quit on me

bcemail

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Feb 6, 2019
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My mower has been working fine yesterday and today. Been using it to move cart fulls of mulch around the property so lots of short drives, on and off, etc. Battery is only a week old and charger says that it is charged. Every other time it started right up without a problem. Then after a couple of times today I went to start it up and there was nothing. No clicks from the battery or trying to turn over, just silence. When I turn the key to the headlights icon I can hear a small click, but then for the ignition position I don't hear anything.

I'm guessing there's something between the ignition/starter and the battery that went wrong? I don't see anything obviously wrong but there are a lot of wires in there so I don't really know what I'm looking for. The break is on and I'm sitting in the seat so the safety switches should be engaged, but I think this is maybe what happens when they are not?

I don't know my way around the engine too well, especially not all the wires and connections. There are a couple of things that look like fuses and they seem to be intact. Anything simple that I can try and look for? If pictures of anything would help, let me know, but I didn't know what to focus on.

Thanks!
 

bertsmobile1

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Run a jumper from the battery - to a metal part of the engine and see what happens
Get back with the results
 

bcemail

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Feb 6, 2019
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Figured it out! It turned out to be the safety switch that determines if the brake is on or not. It had popped out of its bracket so it wasn't reading that the brake was on to allow the engine to start. Now that I know where it is I might just tape that button down...
Thanks!
 

bertsmobile1

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When they get a little wonky I screw a small self tapper into the end of the plunger .
Not a fan of bypassing or over riding any safety switch
Seen way too many run away mowers because some one got off without first setting the brake
Also defeats the seat switch cut out so if you should fall off for whatever reason the mower will again run away till it hits something that stops it
 
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