Scott's 1642 starts turning over when attempting to jump start with key removed.

[wolf865]

Still working fine as of today. Holding onto the solenoid I got from HD for a couple weeks just in case. Can you point me towards the procedure of testing the solenoid to see if the key switch is the problem? I'm assuming I'll have to wait till it starts malfunctioning again? Since the frame hole is threaded I'm going to resort to bolting the solenoid down from the top side when I do have to replace it. For a 20 year old mower it's been impressive. About the most I've had to do to it other than change the oil/filter is drop the transmission and replace a piece on it and replace one of the bar attachments on one of the front wheels. Just wish there was some way to put a wider mowing deck on it but JDeere said no way!

 

[Gumby83]

You don’t necessarily have to wait until it acts up again - it depends on what’s actually going on. But testing for a short should only take a few minutes.

Note: I say test light, but this will also work with a meter - just watch for battery voltage instead of the light turning on.

1) Disconnect the control wires for the solenoid.

2) Verify your test light is functional by checking it on the battery.

3) Connect test light between the control wires for the solenoid.

4) Key off, test for a short in the wiring by wiggling the harness, starting at the key switch and working towards the solenoid. While doing so, watch the test light to see if it flickers on and off - even a quick flash of light indicates a short. If the light turns on at any point, closely inspect that area of the harness for bare wires making contact. Clues of the problem are often marked by melted insulation. Repair as necessary.

5) If no problems are found, perform the same type of testing with the key in the switch. In the off position, move it back and forth and side to side to check for contact problems. What you’re trying to do is move the switch without actually rotating the key to on or start.

6) If still no problems are found, consider it fixed.

 

[wolf865]

Wife went to start the mower this morning. She said that it cranked on the first try but did not start. On the second try, it started but she could still hear the whining noise (starter?). She turned the mower off and even pulled the key out but the whining continued. She grabbed a 10mm wrench and unhooked the negative from the battery to finally get it to stop. The negative cable was very hot, I guess from all the starter antics? Decided the next step would be to replace the solenoid (joy!) Spent about 3 hours trying to get it off but think I finally came up with the battle plan for removing it properly which is... Remove the right rear wheel. Use a blow dryer on the gray plastic cap to get it to come off with ripping. Once the wheel is off, remove the metal plate that the reverse sensor is mounted on. It's held in place with just one fat bolt. After that, playing with the deck height settings and the forward/reverse lever should open up enough space to go after the upside down screws that hold the solenoid in place. I used a 4mm hex bit and some extension rods and was able to get to both of them pretty easily after that. For the new solenoid install I shortened the 2 mounting bolts (had already screwed a bunch of the end threads from previous attempts at removal), set the solenoid on top of the frame and screwed it down from the top. That will keep me from having to take the wheel and switch off in the future. Anyway, it seems to be working like it should again so I'll keep my fingers crossed until the next mowing.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The usual method is to remove the battery then the battery carrier .
Still not exactly easy but a lot less work that you are doing .

 

[wolf865]

Tried that first. Nothing to try and grab hold of except the screw threads. Finally succeeded in breaking the solenoid off by prying it back and forth. That took forever but it did give me better access to the threaded part of the screws. Tried cutting slots in the ends to use a screwdriver but that just broke one side of the screw off. Tried pliers and vise grips without success. They were on there really tight.

 

[bertsmobile1]

A litle grease on the threads of the new bolts is called for + a dedicated ground wire .

 

[Gumby83]

I’d recommend replacing the cables for the battery and starter. If they’re original and they’ve gotten hot, their ability to conduct current has certainly been reduced.