Safety system seems to be working against itself

jbeane

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Thanks, the solenoid has two posts on the bottom. I have the black from the battery and there is a 30A fuse in the taped bundle. The blue wire goes to a push on connect beside the post with the black and red wire. The other post does not have any on it but a very heavy duty uncoated wire leading into the starter. Would that be where I connect the red cable coming off the battery?
 

Hammermechanicman

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No the big wire from the battery positive goes to the other big terminal on the solenoid. Not the one that has a wire going into the starter. The wire with the fuse also goes to the big terminal on the solenoid with the wire from the battery.
 

jbeane

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That leaves me with the black wire from the battery unattached. Where would it go?
 

Hammermechanicman

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The black wire from the battery is it going to the + or the - terminal of the battery? Thick or thin wire and what kind of terminal on the end?
 

Scrubcadet10

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Post some pictures if you can. Of the black wire and how you've got the wires hooked up.
 

Rivets

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I’ve reread this thread a dozen times and I want to go back to the beginning and start over. After everything that is posted Hammer and I are on the right track, but we must ask a couple of questions and need you to not assume any wire goes anywhere. First, from what JB is posting I’m seeing fI’ve wires going to the solenoid AREA. One red wire coming from the + terminal of the battery, one black wire coming from the - terminal of the battery, a small red wire zip tied to the black wire, one small wire with a female spade connector And a green wire which I suspect has a large ring (circle) connector on it. If this is wrong, STOP, and don’t do anything until you can tell us where I am wrong. I’m also assuming that the battery terminals have the red cable attached to the positive and black cable attached to the negative. Second assumption is that no one has messed with the wiring, but from what I’m reading I think someone has.

If I’m right, this is what I’m seeing. Large red wire + is know as battery positive cable, large black wire is know as battery negative cable, small red wire is known as system supply wire, (this wire will provide 12VDC to all electri systems except ignition), spade wire is used to energize the starter solenoid And a green ground wire. Also, JB you say you have a large terminal on the solenoid that has a large braided wire going straight to the starter. NOTHING GETS CONNECTED TO THIS TERMINAL.

If everything I’ve said is correct and I was standing there with a very strong drink in hand this is what I would do, in this order.
1. Disconnect the ground - cable at the battery.
2. Trace the small red wire and green wire from the solenoid to find out where they go. I’m figuring that the red wire will end up at the key switch and the green wire will go either to a safety switch or key switch also.
3. If I’m right make the following connections.
4. Battery + cable to large terminal on solenoid.
5. Small red wire to the same terminal. Might have to cut the zip tie.
6. Wire with the female connector get pushed on the male spade on the solenoid
7. Battery - cable to an engine ground, this could be a starter mounting bolt.
8. Green wire to an engine ground.
9. Reconnect battery ground cable, any sparks, STOP STOP STOP DO NOT CONNECT.
10. Try starting unit.

If you feel uncomfortable in attempting this, you could do this first. First, contact your Dixie dealer and get us a wiring diagram for your exact unit. The one I’ve posted could easily be wrong. Second, which would greatly help us all, post pictures of the wires and solenoid/starter. Third, ask more questions using the terms I’ve posted so we all understand. Fourth, still uncomfortable, take it to the dealer, as it may be cheaper than one of us making a mistake. If we were there, with that strong drink in hand, This would probably be a 30 fix, but trying to solve electrical problems through threads can be both frustrating and overwhelming to the person with the problem. Post back with your thoughts before starting. Hammer, Star, IL any thoughts
 

jbeane

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I will go to the mower and take pictures for you to view. But the battery - wire is very short would not reach the top of the starter for grounding. The red battery + is quite long 18 to 24". Both of these have large circle connectors. The red + wire to supply the system with juice also has a round circle connector. The green wire has a small male/female push connect. The other wire that is possibly blue has the female spade connector.

So in total there are four wires, two from the battery and the two (red & blue) bundled with many other wires at the near the bottom of the starter solenoid. But I will photo and post when the rain lets up.
 

Rivets

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Couple more questions before you post back. Did you replace the starter by yourself and why did you replace it? Please provide us with the part number of the new starter, where you purchased it and a picture of the old starter. On the battery, what color cable is on the positive and negative terminals? I count 5 wires, + & - cables, small red, small green and small blue. Is this correct? For now don’t worry about the cable lengths. Has anyone else worked on this unit?
 

Rick42wood

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If you have connected the red wire from the battery positive to a grounded terminal you should have seen smoke by now. The only thing saving you might be that you have not connected the negative cable to ground, or the battery is completely dead. Get someone that can read a schematic to help you or maybe post some pictures.
 
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