Mountfield 1228H ride on mower electrical problem (2008 model)

R

Rockjoc

Forum Newbie
Hoping someone out there can help me get back to cutting my grass.
I have just replaced the starter motor and starter solenoid on my ride on mower complete with a new battery. When i switch on the ignition the light comes on the when i start the engine nothing happens. Keeping the switch fully 'on' the ignition light begins to flash 'on' and 'off' until i release the key back to 'ignition on' the the light is constantly lit until i switch 'ignition off'
I have checked the voltage across the starter solenoid actuating coil when attempting to start the engine but this shows zero volts. the motor turns over when i short across the starter solenoid main terminals(not the actuating coil) . Hope this makes sense.
Any ideas wold be gratefully accepted.
Thanks
Jeff
 
Mark, Thanks for your advice, it turned out to be a faulty micro switch under the seat. Engine now starts.
However, if i can dare to ask another question;
I replaced my old Voltage regulator with a new one, and on checking the earth connection from the regulator back to the Ground there is a voltage leak of 0.26v when the motor is switched off and key removed.
I'm sure this will drain the battery while the machine is standing idle, can i say to the seller of the Voltage regulator it is faulty as there shouldn't be any leakage.
Thanks again for your time.
 
Hello R.,

Was the old voltage regulator not working?

I take it that you are measuring for a voltage drop from ground to ground?

Is the body of the voltage regulator properly grounded? Try running a temporary ground wire from the battery to the voltage regulator body and see if the reading goes to 0V. If so, the battery to body or engine ground connection is corroded or loose.

Next: Have you tried unplugging the key switch? Some key switches will create a "bleed over" voltage issue with age and wear.
 
Auto Doc's said:
Next: Have you tried unplugging the key switch? Some key switches will create a "bleed over" voltage issue with age and wear.
Click to expand...
Won't do any good as the regulator is directly connected to the battery via a fuse per the schematic so the voltage regulator is hot all the time.
 
thanks for the reply to my post. The body of the Voltage regulator is mounted on a non grounded surface. a separate black 'ground' wire is attached to the body of the regulator and back to the chassis
I changed the old regulator because it was showing 2.65V between the regulator metal body and the chassis with the black ground wire detached.
I ran a temporary ground wire from the battery to the Voltage regulator body and the reading was still 0.26V
Hope this makes sense.
Thank you all
Jeff
 
What kind of meter are you using and are you finding this by doing a voltage drop test with power applied to the wire being tested?
 
I was going to measure the voltage with the power applied. I'm using a cheap bog standard

600V AC/DC Manual Ranging Digital Multimeter which I've had for 25 years.​

Thanks
Jeff
 
Without knowing the amp draw it is nearly impossible to know what the ground circuit resistance is but it is in the milli ohms and without a specialized meter. All wire has resistance. The voltage reading a ground circuit depend it resistance vs the total circuit resistance. And there will be some amperage flow in an active circuit; how depends on the total resistance.

All I can say is that a quarter of a volt isn't that bad when compared to 2.5v. As the .26 is only 1/48 of 12.5v so 47/48 of 12.5v is across the regulator and its lead in wire. Most regulators do use a voltage divider setup to regulate the voltage and part of that circuit is always hot and drawing a very small amount current when the circuit is active.

And the circuits are config that regulator is hot all the time except when the fuse is blown or the battery disconnected.
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Hi, Star Teck.
The wiring diag is a great help, which i can use if future issues arise should an electrical problem occur.
You've put my mind at rest regarding the Voltage regulator. I have just measured the voltage across the batt terminals with ignition OFF and key removed, fully connected, and it measures 13.0V which it did 2days ago.
So is it safe to assume that i can forget about the regulator?; i cut my grass every week (not winter and early spring) and this takes about 45mins, during which the battery will be charging up. Over winter and early spring I charge my battery with battery charger every 3/4 weeks to keep it in condition (I hope). Incidentally, the old battery which i replaced was 18years old, but not holding its charge over the last 2months.
I feel a lot better now and would like to thank all for your comments, advice and support.
Cheers and happy grass cutting.
 
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