I have an 06, Troy-bilt Horse riding mower, and have had countless problems, and failures with it.
The most recent problem is, the solenoid just below the battery, melts every time I try to start the mower.
What happens exactly, is I turn the key a few times, it sounds like its going to start ever time, but instead, after
about the 6th partial turn-over, I hear a clicking. And my solenoid has melted. I've replaced the battery, the spark plugs and
gapped the valves. I'm at the end of my rope, and have no idea whats wrong. Some people told me I needed to take apart the crank case,
others said, I have a short. Local shop fee is $75 an hour, and I really can't afford that. Any input is helpful!
First you need to replace the solenoid. I recommend using one that was used in the old Chev and Ford. Make sure you get the one that has the same amount of terminals (2 large and/or 1 or 2 small terminals) as your old one. Make sure that the integrity of your ground connections are sound as well as your positive connections. A bad ground connection will draw a lot just trying to make connection and fry your solenoid. If you have ever noticed that if you take a 100 foot 20 ga extension cord and power a heavy draw motor, the extension cord will get very hot. Using a 12 gauge cord will draw less and stay cool. The point is, that a bad connection is like a small cord making only a small connection in your machine
#3
TheCaffeinatedOne
I'd also clean the battery terminals and check or replace the battery cable ends, for exactly the same reasons. If the cable ends get filled with gunk and corrosion, their connection to the cable strands becomes compromised little by little until it's a real problem. You're drawing a huge amount of amperage trying to start the thing, which is why it's melting solenoids. The largest diameter cables are going to be handling the heaviest current, so the battery ground cable has to be checked or tested, the positive battery cable, and the cable that runs from the solenoid to the starter motor (unless your solenoid is mounted to the starter). If any of these is compromised, you'll have the equivalent of a big resistor in line and everything will heat up.
If those are ok, then I would suspect the starter itself - again, pull the thing and bench test it, or take it to a repair shop to get tested. If it's wearing out or a bearing is defective, that could be the source of the high current draw. That's not a very old tractor, but still... there's gunk in the wiring somewhere.
