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Hi everyone, My sister was pulling a yard trailer around the pool and the trailer whent into the pool and my 30" Murray (model# 309000X8A) rider jumped in to try and save the trailer but, the mower whent down running. Now, I have drained all the water out of the engine, carb. and fuel tank. The mower has no fire at all, I can't find any kind of brain box (ign. module). I did see on the parts page there is a diode in the line, is there a possibility the diode may be burnt out to keep the ignition dead or, is there a bigger problem? Thanks for all the help!

Very little moisture can cause the magneto to fail to fire... and having been completely submerged it is likely that it still has a little moisture.... Try drying it with a hair dryer ... good flow of Over 100 degree heat for quite a while... Same with the key switch, it only takes a little leakage to shut down the magneto....

Too bad you didn't have pictures to post... It would definitely be something most have not had the opportunity to see... :smile:KennyV

Thanks very much for the info, I will try that. Hopefully that will do it. I thought there would be a module and that the circuit board might have gotten fried. I did want to get pics but I could not find the camera, honestly, that was the first thing I thought after I saw she was alright.

rron1229 said:

Thanks very much for the info, I will try that. Hopefully that will do it. I thought there would be a module and that the circuit board might have gotten fried. I did want to get pics but I could not find the camera, honestly, that was the first thing I thought after I saw she was alright.

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While your looking for camera, keep an eye out for those water wings :wink:

You might want to spray some fogging oil down the spark plug hole and pull things through a couple of times until you get it running again. Things rust up pretty quickly.:frown:

Sorry couldn't resist- You sure it isn't flooded????

Duffer72 said:

Sorry couldn't resist- You sure it isn't flooded????

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With your username, I would expect something about "look out for those water hazards" while mowing. Where I live, any inground pools have to be surrounded by a fence to prevent any situations like this, as well as keep kids out of your pool.

The pool was inside a privacy fence. She was just passing through.

rron1229 said:

The pool was inside a privacy fence. She was just passing through.

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Sounds like a close call. I hope she's OK. I'll bet if she's like my sister she was very apologetic.
Was she on the mower when it went it?

Duffer72 said:

Sorry couldn't resist- You sure it isn't flooded????

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I have really got a good laugh out of this whole ordeal.Humor helps. Duffer 72 thanks but, yes it is flooded because it does not have fire, I can hold the plug wire in my hand and, nothing.

rron1229 said:

I have really got a good laugh out of this whole ordeal.Humor helps. Duffer 72 thanks but, yes it is flooded because it does not have fire, I can hold the plug wire in my hand and, nothing.

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Don't worry about it, with the help from thses guys you will "keep your head above water". We just need to "pool" our ideas until we get it running again.

I personally would look at the pto or clutch nuetral switch as they are somewhat sealed and may have goten water inside of them causing the problem, you could try jumping them to see if it helps any.

Mower manic said:

Don't worry about it, with the help from thses guys you will "keep your head above water". We just need to "pool" our ideas until we get it running again.

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Love it, thanks.

Duffer72 said:

Sorry couldn't resist- You sure it isn't flooded????

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Thanks! for the (pun) help.Maybe I can get her to reenact the ride.

Duffer72 said:

I personally would look at the pto or clutch nuetral switch as they are somewhat sealed and may have goten water inside of them causing the problem, you could try jumping them to see if it helps any.

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I did not think about that. I will check that out tomorrow. Thanks

Mower manic said:

Sounds like a close call. I hope she's OK. I'll bet if she's like my sister she was very apologetic.
Was she on the mower when it went it?

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Oh yea, she was on it and , I won't let her live it down. I am having fun with this.

Tell her that is what she gets for multi tasking!!!

Was there any damage to the pool?
I dont know much about pools (I would never have one). But it seems to me that once the surface of the bottom of the pool is compromised......it gets expensive.

Mower manic said:

Don't worry about it, with the help from thses guys you will "keep your head above water". We just need to "pool" our ideas until we get it running again.

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"Lead Troll"...??? Is that what they call people here who have no really useful input on the subject? I may be new here but I can think of numerous causes for his no start that none of you jokers seem to be able to furnish !!!!

Well if you have ideas lets hear them !!

rron1229 said:

Hi everyone, My sister was pulling a yard trailer around the pool and the trailer whent into the pool and my 30" Murray (model# 309000X8A) rider jumped in to try and save the trailer but, the mower whent down running. Now, I have drained all the water out of the engine, carb. and fuel tank. The mower has no fire at all, I can't find any kind of brain box (ign. module). I did see on the parts page there is a diode in the line, is there a possibility the diode may be burnt out to keep the ignition dead or, is there a bigger problem? Thanks for all the help!

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How well does it crank now? Are you SURE the plug wire and plug cap are making a good connection? Are you sure the plug is ok? Test the plug, or at least temporarily install a new one into the plug lead and see if that gets a spark. Is it possible your battery got wet enough that it diluted the acid and now it does not have much cranking power?

JEEZ...I am new here and the description of your problem is next to useless!!!! No wonder nobody seems to have any input. How old is the mower? What engine? Single or twin? Briggs, or whatever? How do you help someone who is so reluctant to provide any detail?????

Duffer72 said:

Well if you have ideas lets hear them !!

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SO READ THEM!!!!!!

Take easy guy, your 2nd msg wasn't posted when I read your first one, I'm not sure what you are so twisted about, haven't heard anyone make a comment to you. Rather you have called people responding jokers, I have over 30 yrs working on small engines what are your qualifications, your profile only says you are a homeowner.

Also if you have read all of the posts you will see he has said there is no spark, not even when he holds the plug wire in his hand, others have already suggested damaged coil from the water,

TradesmanGuy said:

"Lead Troll"...??? Is that what they call people here who have no really useful input on the subject? I may be new here but I can think of numerous causes for his no start that none of you jokers seem to be able to furnish !!!!

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Yes, I would be interested in hearing what you have to say. That is the reason I am doing all this typing, to get peoples opinions and ideas . Thanks in advance for your help.

TradesmanGuy said:

SO READ THEM!!!!!!

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We are all here just trying to help with this....
read the posts again... It is clearly stated No spark, with or without a spark plug... the most sensitive measuring device I can think of is, holding the plug wire... You will feel Any amount of spark, no matter how slowly the engine is turning over...

The description of it going into the pool & having no spark is an excellent description of what is happening with it...
:smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

We are all here just trying to help with this....
read the posts again... It is clearly stated No spark, with or without a spark plug... the most sensitive measuring device I can think of is, holding the plug wire... You will feel Any amount of spark, no matter how slowly the engine is turning over...

The description of it going into the pool & having no spark is an excellent description of what is happening with it...
:smile:KennyV

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If you are holding a BARE plug wire, perhaps you would get a jolt..I am a journeyman electrician....may I suggest OP buy a multimeter and learn how to use it and that will pinpoint the problem. The MOST sensitive measuring device is a multimeter, not your hand.

TradesmanGuy said:

....If you are holding a BARE plug wire, perhaps you would get a jolt..I am a journeyman electrician....may I suggest OP buy a multimeter and learn how to use it and that will pinpoint the problem. The MOST sensitive measuring device is a multimeter, not your hand.

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If there is any thing at the end of the magneto .... or a coil on an engine. You will absolutely feel it, if you are not 'sure' you felt it the first time... just use your little finger, against the head, to steady yourself... your next door neighbor will likely be able to tell you the voltage you encountered just by the sound, you make...

I've been in medical electronics for over 30 years... there are more sensitive measuring devices than a multimeter... however.
...If you have the "Nerve":biggrin: They are very finely tuned to detect high voltage ignition sources... and you generally have them conveniently with you...

But I do generally reach for my Beckman or Fluke meters for assistance, & there are some very nice low priced digital meters available for the occasional user.... :smile:KennyV

TradesmanGuy said:

"Lead Troll"...??? Is that what they call people here who have no really useful input on the subject? I may be new here but I can think of numerous causes for his no start that none of you jokers seem to be able to furnish !!!!

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Indeed. New ignition module, water in the fuel system, what?

KennyV said:

If there is any thing at the end of the magneto .... or a coil on an engine. You will absolutely feel it, if you are not 'sure' you felt it the first time... just use your little finger, against the head, to steady yourself... your next door neighbor will likely be able to tell you the voltage you encountered just by the sound, you make...

I've been in medical electronics for over 30 years... there are more sensitive measuring devices than a multimeter... however.
...If you have the "Nerve":biggrin: They are very finely tuned to detect high voltage ignition sources... and you generally have them conveniently with you...

But I do generally reach for my Beckman or Fluke meters for assistance, & there are some very nice low priced digital meters available for the occasional user.... :smile:KennyV

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Is the "feel" method recommended for those with weak hearts...oh yes, you of all people who claim to be in medical electronics should know I am being sarcastic here.....:laughing::laughing:

Yes, a good multimeter is a very valuable diagnostic tool, one need not spend much more than $20-$25 for a homeowner model. I am partial to the Craftsman brand myself.

never tested spark with a meter, give me a good old spark teater anyday and easier to use.

Duffer72 said:

never tested spark with a meter, give me a good old spark teater anyday and easier to use.

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I Never would use a multimeter to test ignition either... A scope maybe .... but you are right, a spark tester is a very simple and easy tester, like you say... :smile:KennyV

I recently had a starting issue with my 90 murray - checked for spark, had it - gas was there, would just refuse to start. I touched the mag wire end to get a nice solid jolt while cranking - baffeled me on its issue.
Checked air gap on mag, cleaned flywheel, mag ends, checked flywheel key, unhooked the mag kill wire - so as a last resort i dug out a good spare mag i had , bolted it down and cranked it up- fired right off.

Ive had a few of my tractors intentionally down in the swamp behind the folks house back north , water splashing everywhere - water as deep as the bottom of the carb - they always brot me out.

Id say to see if it still runs, isolate the motor and ignore rest of ign system( for now) - unhook the mag kill wire and stator wires and try starting the tractor directly with leads on the starter motor .

It should start - possibly the mag was hot, when it hit the cold water and fried it - id pick up a new magneto reguardless.

Have you checked the flywheel key? Might not hurt to take the shrouds off and see if its still in spec- i imagine being submerged running under water couldve popped the flywheel key ( water wont compress).

If it runs with the original magneto isolated, then its else where in the electrical system is the starting problem .

Don't forget WD40. That's what it was made for W=Water-----D=Displacing.:wink: I have used it many times:thumbsup:

I think you'll find it is actually Water Displacement, but no matter.:wink:

benski said:

I think you'll find it is actually Water Displacement, but no matter.:wink:

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OOOPS---That's exactly what we don't want:ashamed:--Thanks for the reply--I have edited my post:thumbsup: