no start, starter motor drops 12v

[Rivets]

If you had 12+ VDC in step 2 and only 6 VDC in step four, I would suspect a bad solenoid which I would replace.

 

[Rivets]

Did some more thinking and also check the voltage at the battery with the key in the start position. If less than 10VDC you may have a bad battery.

 

[ben.cellamare]

Did some more thinking and also check the voltage at the battery with the key in the start position. If less than 10VDC you may have a bad battery.

So I did check voltage on battery when I turned it over and it was only 6volts also. The solenoid was brand new and it was a new battery also. Once I saw 6volts when the key was turned i went and got a new battery again thinking that one was just faulty. It is fixed and honestly I don't know what I did. I only had 6 volts going to starter at first. Well I put cables to starter to see if it worked and it did. I also cleaned the cable going into the starter and all of a sudden I got 12volts and it starts which is great. So I am all good there. I do have another issue though and I am trying to figure it out. When I engage the blades the engine turns off. From the research I am doing, they are saying its a good change there is a pulley that is seized?? Would this be correct?

 

[dougand3]

With engine off, rotate the deck belt and see if all deck pulleys turn smoothly. I bet they do.
Engaging deck w/o an operator in the seat kills the coil. You may have a bad seat switch, corrosion on wires or bad wiring. Pull the seat interlock switch and work the plunger. Check for corrosion on the leads. Test continuity on switch. Leads are open circuit one way and closed circuit the other way. I'd guess plunger out = closed and push in = open.

 

[ben.cellamare]

With engine off, rotate the deck belt and see if all deck pulleys turn smoothly. I bet they do.
Engaging deck w/o an operator in the seat kills the coil. You may have a bad seat switch, corrosion on wires or bad wiring. Pull the seat interlock switch and work the plunger. Check for corrosion on the leads. Test continuity on switch. Leads are open circuit one way and closed circuit the other way. I'd guess plunger out = closed and push in = open.

I bypassed the seat switch so it couldn't be that.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The safety circuits are all ground circuits so if you have a short anywhere it will not make any difference weather you bypassed a switch or not .
When you turn the blades on you do several things
1) Activate a safety circuit PTO + Seat Switch
2) Start spinning the blades
3) Open the throttle further .

So while you have the belt off turn the blades on
If the mower dies you have an electrical problem
If not it is mechanical or fuel related

NExt test is to set the parking brake and manually open the throttle by pushing the governor arm
If the engine faulters then you have a fuel problem

If both of those are negative then the problem is with the clutch itself