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I have a John Deere L111. Purchased used about 2 months ago. Started mowing grass today and engine (v twin) sputtered. Disengaged PTO. Engine seemed to stabilize but eventually stopped. When I tried to restart engine it wouldn't turn over, click, nothing. After some thought, I jumped the solenoid (like to 1950's Fords) and the engine spun like usual - but would not start. Does the solenoid on a JD mower supply power to the starter AND the ignition system? Does the ignition switch supply power to the starter through the solenoid AND supply power to the ignition system? Might I need to replace the ignition switch, the solenoid, or both the ignition switch and the solenoid? Your input would be very much appreciated.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/a6/a60a1a66-ef16-48d8-8798-687a7f81c63e.pdf see pages 40 & 41 troubleshooting guide, do not just start changing parts out. Check air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs for replacement. Check in line fuse between ignition switch & solenoid for being blown. Check all wire harness connections by hand for being tight & secure, including all safety switches & relays. Make sure gas is fresh. If engine has oil filter & oil is black I would change oil & filter, make sure to use OEM parts. Post all numbers from engine data plate.

Re: Need some help - imput.

mannyrs234@gmail.com said:

I have a John Deere L111. Purchased used about 2 months ago. Started mowing grass today and engine (v twin) sputtered. Disengaged PTO. Engine seemed to stabilize but eventually stopped. When I tried to restart engine it wouldn't turn over, click, nothing. After some thought, I jumped the solenoid (like to 1950's Fords) and the engine spun like usual - but would not start. Does the solenoid on a JD mower supply power to the starter AND the ignition system? Does the ignition switch supply power to the starter through the solenoid AND supply power to the ignition system? Might I need to replace the ignition switch, the solenoid, or both the ignition switch and the solenoid? Your input would be very much appreciated.[/Q

I'm not interested in swapping out parts. That's why I'm asking and trying to understand how my mower works. Before my 1st post I checked many of the wire connections mentioned; I checked the 20 amp fuse - appears to be fine; I wondered if there were some safety switches but honestly do not know where they might be or what to check; gas is fresh; oil is clear; gas filter appears clear but not full; have not checked spark plugs yet. I'm puzzled by the fact that nothing happens when I turn the key and yet when I jump the solenoid the engine turns like "normal" but engine will not start, which led me to my initial questions.

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Usually the charging system ( the battery ) and the ignition system ( spark plugs ) are totally independent.
However on some of the more modern systems there is circuitry that controls the spark timing and this needs battery power, not much but some power just the same.
Also there is a fuel cut off solenoid under the carb and most new ones need 10V or more to open & allow fuel to flow into the engine, so a dead flat battery will oft not be able to be jumped in the mower.

The L series are current so if this is a new mower, take it back for a warrantee repair.
Do not start to pull anything apart nor touch anything that is not in the routine maintenance section of the owners manual or good chance the warrantee will be voided.

If this is an old ( out of warrantee ) mower then go to the deere web site and look at the manual on line or better still buy a hard copy.
The free repair manual is not fully down loadable, you have to do it a few pages at a time, to encourage you to buy a copy, but is well worth the money.
It explains how each section works, what goes wrong, where each bit is located on your mower and also where each bit is located on the wiring loom.
Better still it details in step by step how to test the system and the order to test it.
It also breaks down the loom into individual sections for testing
So you have a set of tests for sparking and another set fr cranking then another for charging then another for powered accessories ( where fitted )

Now I could type 50 pages here, paraphrasing the manual but it still would not be as useful as the real item.
I know "go read the book" is not what you were hoping for but in the case of JD there is no better advice I could give.
If ou get stuck or have troubles understanding what you have read, feel free to ask for help.
Not every one can read nor understand simple circuit diagrams and a lot of males are colour blind to varing degrees so this does not help either.