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I've got a older murray mower that I've been trying to fix up. Mower runs great once you start it, though you have to jump it off of the starter to get it to run. I've recently replaced the ignition switch, battery, and solenoid but the mower will still not even try to start via the key. It will turn over when jumping the terminals on the solenoid. Any ideas?

Edit: I've also checked the brake, seat, and PTO switches and they seem to be in working order.

Do you have 12v at the small terminal on the solenoid, If not then you are going to have to trace the wiring back to the key switch through the safety switches to find the problem.

If the solenoid has two small terminals, the safety switches will be on the small terminal opposite the one from the key switch. Must have continuity to ground to operate.

Check the fuse under the steering wheel where the metal square with two screws.

If ILengines suggestions don't result in success, try this troubleshooting procedure.



Electrical* problems can be very easy or very difficult, depending on four things.
1. * How well you understand basic electricity.
2. *What tools you have and know how to use.
3. *How well you follow directions.
4. *You don't overlook or assume anything and verify everything.

Remember we cannot see what you are doing. *You are our eyes, ears and fingers in solving this problem. *You must be as accurate as you can when you report back. *The two basic tools we will ask you to use are a test light and a multi-meter. *If you have an assistant when going through these tests it would be very helpful. *These steps work the best when done in order, so please don't jump around. *Now let's solve this problem.

First, check the fuse(s), check battery connections for corrosion (clean if necessary) and *voltage - above 12.5 volts should be good.*

Second, check for power from the battery to one of the large terminals on the solenoid. *One of the wires is connected directly to the battery and has power all the time so one of the large terminals should light a test light or show 12 volts on a meter at all times.*

Third, *check for power at the small terminal of the solenoid while depressing the clutch/brake pedal and holding the key in the start position (you may need an assistant to sit in the seat to override the safety switch). If your solenoid is a four wire solenoid, check both small wire terminals as one is ground and the other is power from the ignition switch. *If your solenoid is a three wire solenoid, make sure the solenoid body is not corroded where it bolts to the chassis of the mower as this is your ground path back to the battery. *If in doubt, remove the solenoid and clean the mounting area down to bare metal. *If there is no power to the small terminal then your problem is most likely a safety switch, ignition switch or in the wiring.*

Fourth, check for power on the other large terminal of the solenoid while holding the key in the start position (you may need an assistant to sit in the seat to override the safety switch). *If you have power what is the voltage?

Fifth, check for power at the starter while holding the key in the start position (assistant again). *If you have power what is the voltage?

Sixth, check your ground circuit back to the battery.

After you have gone through each of the above steps, let us know what happened when you did each step. *At that point we will have great info to tell you how to proceed. *Remember you are our eyes, ears, and fingers, so please be as accurate as possible.

Be as specific as possible with voltage readings as this will help diagnose your problem quicker. *If you do not know how to perform the above checks, just ask and I will try to guide you through it. *Youtube also has some videos and as you know a picture is worth a thousand words.

Okay so heres the update.

Today I finally got the mower to turn over. Not sure what it was that I did different than yesterday, other than I jiggled the tranny lever just for the heck of it.

Now it will turn over, but very slowly for about two little kicks, then it will make a full spin. Rinse and repeat. Eventually the starter started to smoke as well. (Smelled terrible too)

You are in the process of burning the starter motor out, if you have not done so already. Sound like either your battery is not fully charged or you need to do a valve adjustment.

Prior to attempting to start it today, it read 13 volts with my multimeter. So is a valve adjustment something a novice can do? And what tools may be required?

There are you-tube videos showing how to do it. Take a look at them and see how confident you feel after that. Also, post all your engine model numbers and I will see if I can a manual.

So I adjusted the valves a bit. I did not have a feeler gauge so really I just tightened them a bit. I have the feeling one is a bit too tight and one is a bit too loose, however the mower turns over fine now. Now I'm getting too much fuel, or so it appears. Gas spits up out of the air tube on the carb. Is this from adjusting the valves incorrectly? I did not find a model number on the briggs itself, but the Murray model is 425014x92.

Edit: I've also taken the carb off and cleaned the bowl and blew it out with air and starting fluid. The float appeared to be moving freely, and there was no gunk on the needle.

If you feel that you can adjust valves by how they look and feel, without feeler gauges, tells me it is time to get out of this thread. Adjusting valves to within .001" just can not be done that way. You're lucky that it didn't start, as you could have done serious damage. It would take my students a week of practice on different engines to learn to do it right consistently with feeler gauges. Sorry I can't help you any more, good luck.

Rivets said:

If you feel that you can adjust valves by how they look and feel, without feeler gauges, tells me it is time to get out of this thread. Adjusting valves to within .001" just can not be done that way. You're lucky that it didn't start, as you could have done serious damage. It would take my students a week of practice on different engines to learn to do it right consistently with feeler gauges. Sorry I can't help you any more, good luck.

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After watching videos I just guessed how much the arms moved when the tech did it after adjusting versus how much mine moved after adjusting. That being said, I had ordered feeler gauges, they just hadn't come in yet. I'm going to try and readjust with the gauges today, and hopefully you, or someone else can help after I see what happens there. Being the first mower I have ever worked on, of course I'm going to make rookie mistakes. No need to imply that I'm an idiot. :laughing: