Hello new member here and I am hoping someone has seen this problem before so I may get lucky enough to fix this issue on my own. Here it is.
I decided to spray down my MTD (Huskee) rider w a Briggs and Stratton 12HP engine with a garden hose a few weeks ago because it was dirty and hadn't been washed in years. After washing it, I started it up, drove it to the shed, and parked it for the next week until I needed to cut the grass again.
Fast forward to the next week and the battery is completely dead. I charged it up again (battery is only 1 year old) and upon trying to start it, nothing. No clicks, no nothing. While scratching my head wondering what is wrong all the sudden I hear "click.. click" from the solenoid, on its own.... with the key OFF.
Here's the funny thing, the solenoid clicks every minute like clockwork BY ITSELF with the key off (this is what caused the battery to drain no doubt).
This is hopefully the thing somebody will notice, and be able to pinpoint where the short is occurring. I believe it is somewhere in the wiring, but the repair shop said it could be as much as $200 to replace the wiring harness. I just can't afford that right now. I could go out and buy a wiring harness and do it myself, but to my knowledge there is more than just one wiring harness where the problem might be coming from.
What I did
Cleaned all connections, battery ground to chassis, etc. Sprayed contact cleaner inside the wiring harness for the ignition, and any others I could get to. No help.
Jumped the solenoid with a screwdriver and the engine turns over, but no spark (yes, key was on).
Replaced the ignition switch, no help
Replaced the solenoid, no help
Battery is charged fully at 12.8V
Once again,
MTD Huskee
12HP Briggs and Stratton engine
That is a circuit breaker clicking off and on and running down the battery because of a direct short you have in the electrical system. The complicated part is to find the short and fix it. You should not need a new harness.
