Troy Bilt Pony - starter won't engage

[Carlwolfe3]

I have a Troy Bilt 17.5 HP 42 inch cut mower. Last night I got it started but was having trouble keeping it running. This morning I went out to start it and the starter won't engage. Any ideas? Maybe a safety switch? thanks

 

[sgkent]

check the battery under load to see what the voltage is.

 

[Rivets]

Most times I’ve experienced this it is either bad battery or bad starter bendix.

 

[SpammsMcghee]

I think I'm having the same/similar issue with my Horse XP. I came here to do research, and this was the newest thread. Just my luck (good or bad, I'm not sure). I let my mower sit all winter ( I know, I know... Slap my hand.) The battery was dead, as expected. So I charged it up last night. After reinstalling it, the battery gauge on the mower shows maximum. When I turn the key, there is a rapid clicking noise coming from under the seat area. It sounds the same as the single click you hear when the battery is dead, but it continues as long as you hold the key in the starting position. Is this a bad starter, or possibly something else? I have very limited mechanical knowledge, so I am unable to diagnose problems in order to move forward in fixing them, or hiring someone else to do so.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Hook a volt meter to the battery or hook some jumpers off you car
Engine sips fine = bad battery
Volts drop below 10V = bad battery

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I think I'm having the same/similar issue with my Horse XP. I came here to do research, and this was the newest thread. Just my luck (good or bad, I'm not sure). I let my mower sit all winter ( I know, I know... Slap my hand.) The battery was dead, as expected. So I charged it up last night. After reinstalling it, the battery gauge on the mower shows maximum. When I turn the key, there is a rapid clicking noise coming from under the seat area. It sounds the same as the single click you hear when the battery is dead, but it continues as long as you hold the key in the starting position. Is this a bad starter, or possibly something else? I have very limited mechanical knowledge, so I am unable to diagnose problems in order to move forward in fixing them, or hiring someone else to do so.

You have a bad battery and need to replace it. The clicking noise you hear is the starter relay.

 

[bertsmobile1]

You have a bad battery and need to replace it. The clicking noise you hear is the starter relay.

You COULD have a bad battery The clicking noise is the starter relay
You Could have a bad ground or power cable or corrosion at either end of either cable
OR any combination of the above which is why you do tests .

 

[StarTech]

Or you could just throw parts at it and hope you got a big enough bank account.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

OP said battery went dead over the winter which i am going to guess it probably has some freeze damage. He charged it and it took some amount of charge but even though it may have showed somewhere around 12v it has almost no capacity. I see this probably a dozen times every spring. I have already replaced 4 batteries this spring that act just like what the OP described. It might be a bad connection but i would bet a nice lunch it is just a bad battery. He could do voltage drop tests on the battery cables. That would tell him if there is a problem with the battery and ground connections or not.

 

[SpammsMcghee]

After looking at a couple YouTube videos, I'm also thinking the battery is bad, despite the fact that it charged. It's the original battery and is about 6 years old. And I've never taken proper care of it. I do know better, just lazy I guess. I'll get a new battery tomorrow. Laziness is expensive, and I deserve the punishment. I'll also go ahead and use that tune-up kit I bought 2 years ago while I'm at it.

Carlwolfe3, sorry for hijacking your post. Hopefully these guys can help you out. Good luck.