Remove Battery & have a local Auto Parts Store load test Battery, this should be of no cost to you. Inspect all wiring for being tight & secure, thanks, Mark
The parts store must love you
Another toss parts at the problem before you diagnose it
99% chance your problem that you have just spent $ 300 not fixing is nothing more than the valved being out of adjustment which is a no cost fix
I get at least 5 of these a year
#4
StarTech
Party agree. Got to diagnose the problem before spending tons money guessing at the problem.
But the mower came with the Kohler CV460S series engine which has hydraulic lifters so no adjustment for the valves.
Now considering the age of the LT160 it can be a worn out starter dragging which these inertia starter wears out the top bushings. But the op already replaced that.
He also mentions he replaced the ignition switch but did he check the terminal in the ignition switch connector? Probably not and these Packard terminal are known to break their spring contacts and lose contact from heating.
It does sounds like a voltage drop problem due a low charge battery or some bad connection. Just because battery reads full 12v charge voltage doesn't it is fully charged as that may only be a surface charge. I had last week that showed it was fully according to my battery charger that still failed under load test. Automatic chargers are the worst at this which is why I depend on a 40 yr old charger most times.
Plus he needs make sure all grounds are clean and tight. Loose engine mounting bolts can cause problems.
This engine has hydraulic lifters like another user mentioned, so we can eliminate that as a possible issue. Very first thing I would check is the cranking amps (CCA) of the battery. I know it’s new, but you’re description sounds like a dead battery. Think of it in terms of a garden hose. The voltage is the size of the hose, and the cranking amps is the pressure force of the water. So, you can have a battery showing full charge, 12 volts, which will light a light bulb, but if the cranking amps aren’t there, the battery won’t power the starter. I am eliminating wiring, grounds, etc because it starts fine when jumping from a car battery. If there was a wiring issue, jump starting from a car wouldn’t make any difference, assuming you’re connecting the jump cables to the battery. Please update with your results. Thanks and good luck!
I'm having a similar issue on my LT160, but fairly certain it is not the battery. The flywheel does not spin well. When I take the spark plug out, the engine moves much better. Any suggestions?
I'm having a similar issue on my LT160, but fairly certain it is not the battery. The flywheel does not spin well. When I take the spark plug out, the engine moves much better. Any suggestions?
Appreciate your quick response. I will check grounds, but that shouldn't affect the flywheel being hard to turn by hand would it? As preciously mentioned, the engine has hydraulic lifters, so cannot adjust valves.
#10
StarTech
Remove the spark plug and see how the engine turns. This will remove the compression loading.
Took the plastic engine cover off and can confirm that the starter works. It engages the engine but stalls because the flywheel is difficult to turn. What should I look at next to try to figure out the issue? Feels like the engine just doesn't release enough pressure to turn when the spark plug is in.
Pull the oil stick. Smell for fuel. Wondering if you have a trickle of fuel getting into the cylinder causing hard starts. Should pump out with the plug/s out.
Either you have compromised + and - cables, weak ground, weak starter or the same on the solenoid. Something is suspect. Didn't do this when new. Only things that happened are wear and tear and the like.
