I have a 2016 (?) Hustler Raptor with a Kohler KT735 strapped to the back of it. When I bought it, the guy recently had Hustler give it a tuneup and they mentioned that the starter was going to die in it soon. Sure enough, about 6 months later, it stopped starting. Off to eBay I went and once the new starter was bolted on, the thing ran like a champ.
That is, until this year.
At the start of mowing season, I would get a "click" when turning the key and absolutely nothing else. I wasn't getting any voltage to the starter and figured it was either the battery or the starter solenoid. I jumped the mower by adding power directly to the starter and it ran. I was also getting good readings from the battery, so, I was back on eBay and after bolting on a new starter solenoid, we were back in business.
That is, until recently.
A few weeks ago, I would get weird sounds coming from the starter solenoid and sometimes, smoke. Now, it looks like it's all-together dead. I'm experiencing the same thing I did before swapping out the starter solenoid; except this time, when I add power directly to the starter, sometimes, it'll start for a second or two, then, it won't start again until I let it sit for a while. Sometimes when trying to jump the starter, it'll just crank and crank and crank but never turn over.
I figured replacing the starter solenoid (again) would get me back up and running, but obviously, there's something else wrong that is causing the issue to recur. What troubleshooting steps should I take to find the root cause of this? Or is it because I bought a cheap chinese replacement off eBay and was destined for it to break?
That is, until this year.
At the start of mowing season, I would get a "click" when turning the key and absolutely nothing else. I wasn't getting any voltage to the starter and figured it was either the battery or the starter solenoid. I jumped the mower by adding power directly to the starter and it ran. I was also getting good readings from the battery, so, I was back on eBay and after bolting on a new starter solenoid, we were back in business.
That is, until recently.
A few weeks ago, I would get weird sounds coming from the starter solenoid and sometimes, smoke. Now, it looks like it's all-together dead. I'm experiencing the same thing I did before swapping out the starter solenoid; except this time, when I add power directly to the starter, sometimes, it'll start for a second or two, then, it won't start again until I let it sit for a while. Sometimes when trying to jump the starter, it'll just crank and crank and crank but never turn over.
I figured replacing the starter solenoid (again) would get me back up and running, but obviously, there's something else wrong that is causing the issue to recur. What troubleshooting steps should I take to find the root cause of this? Or is it because I bought a cheap chinese replacement off eBay and was destined for it to break?