Parasitic draw

Well Pete, that's a remote that's less accessible. I'd check the solenoid wiring and function. Disconnect from starter, connect battery. Check for voltage at the solenoid starter terminal with key off, on, and in start. Obviously, it should only have voltage with key in start position. If it has voltage when it shouldn't, disconnect the low current(smaller) wires and check. If voltage is there, solenoid may be bad and always on. Make sure all wires are connected correctly.
 
Mark, I understand now that "remote" means the solenoid is mounted somewhere in the vicinity of the starter but not on the starter. Both Cub lawn tractors I'm familiar with have remote mounted solenoids.
The solenoid is brand new as when I brought the tractor out of mothballs, the solenoid on it was bad. The connections are all good, clean and tight. I'll make some of the checks you suggest.

What's a little strange to me is the parasitic draw which I see with a test lamp between the battery Neg post and the black ground wire goes away when I remove the red cable (from the solenoid) from the terminal on the starter. I thought I had found it and that it was the starter motor but when I removed the starter motor and bench tested it with a 12v battery it seemed to work just like it should. Maybe I should focus on that red cable from the solenoid to the starter.

Thanks, Pete
 
Definitely check on that cable, and I'd check the solenoid/ignition switch as well.

What I was talking about with the remote solenoid is that lots of them have easily accessed connectors, unlike yours. I figured you understood about remote.
 
On one that old with the problem you described, I would replace the ignition switch. They do fail internally. Make sure you match up the new switch with the old one. They make a couple that look identical, but the internal contact locations are different.
 
Auto Doc's said:
On one that old with the problem you described, I would replace the ignition switch. They do fail internally. Make sure you match up the new switch with the old one. They make a couple that look identical, but the internal contact locations are different.
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Thank you for bringing up the point of different switches. There are 5, 6, and 7 post ignition switches for mowers, etc. Matching up the numbers of post doesn’t always work. I wish I had known this in the past.
 
Come on guys when the solenoid is not active there is not supposed any way voltage/current pass through to the starter; unless, there something wired incorrectly There is suppose to be only one wire cable to the starter as they ground thru the starter cases to the engine. Now some manufactures will put a ground cable on one of the mounting bolts.

Sit back and think about how a single pole switch works and you should understand that when the switch is open no voltage or current can be present at the starter. If there is then something is miss wired.

As for the ignition switch it should be a plastic housed Delta switch. If so then the style number is melted into side of housing. They do leave off the first four digits. It should be a 6900-47 [no markings], 6900-47M [molded markings], or 6900-47P [printed markings]. Just depends if RMC module is present or not. If present it will be the 6900-47. As the M and P will have a headlamp image which can confuse some operators as MTD uses that position in the Reverse override mode.

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StarTech said:
Come on guys when the solenoid is not active there is not supposed any way voltage/current pass through to the starter; unless, there something wired incorrectly There is suppose to be only one wire cable to the starter as they ground thru the starter cases to the engine. Now some manufactures will put a ground cable on one of the mounting bolts.

Sit back and think about how a single pole switch works and you should understand that when the switch is open no voltage or current can be present at the starter. If there is then something is miss wired.

As for the ignition switch it should be a plastic housed Delta switch. If so then the style number is melted into side of housing. They do leave off the first four digits. It should be a 6900-47 [no markings], 6900-47M [molded markings], or 6900-47P [printed markings]. Just depends if RMC module is present or not. If present it will be the 6900-47. As the M and P will have a headlamp image which can confuse some operators as MTD uses that position in the Reverse override mode.

View attachment 74739
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Thanks Guys,

I've trouble shot the ignition switch using the wiring diagram and procedures in the service manual and it all checks out. I suspected the switch right off. I don't see how the wiring could be messed up as nothing has been touched since I parked it 4 or 5 years ago. I did remove and clean all socket plugs with electrical parts cleaner.

If I replace the ignition switch it will be with a Cub Cadet OEM and I might do that if they don't coast an arm and a leg. I'm going to check the cable to the starter because the parasitic draw seems to vanish when that cable is removed from the starter. Somehow that cable must be carrying current even when the solenoid (which is brand new) is not activated but the amps must be too low to activate the starter because it is not running when everything is shut off but my test lamp between the battery neg post and the ground cable lights.

Thanks again
 
Something to keep in mind is the voltage regulator will have a small parasitic load since it must have both power and a ground to operate. That could be your parasitic load, and would be normal as long as it isn't shorted. Should only pull a few milli-amps.
 
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