Won't start John Deere 317, 1982 model

[Cool hand luke]

Hello everyone,
The mower had the Onan P218 swap early on, and its a great mower. But one day about month ago I was mowing and it went dead. I suspected the battery connections and all I did was wiggle the ground and it started back up. The other day my wife was pulling it into the barn and it went dead, however this time no luck with wiggling the cables. But when you turn the ignition you can hear the starter engage the motor but that's it, wont turn over. So I replaced both cables, sanded down where the ground connects, and still I get nothing but the starter engaging the engine. No visible wires broken, and all connections seem to be tight. And I know the battery is good. Any suggestions???

 

[bertsmobile1]

Press down on the debris screen with your palm & try to rotate the engine
If you can not do 2 full revolutions remove the spark plug & try again .
Try it both directions & get back.
Don't crank the engine at this stage
Also worth slipping off the blower cover and lookig at the top of the stater to see if it has jambed
If so loosen the mounting bolts DO NOT HIT IT WITH ANYTHING
the case is very thin & the magnets inside very brittle
Onan starter are big $$$$

 

[Deleted member 97405]

317 is shaft drive with horizontal crankshaft. No way to remove the blower housing without removing the engine on this series. I would recommend taking out the spark plugs so you're not fighting compression, remove the front grille, and put a wrench on the PTO clutch bolt and gently rotate it to see if you can turn the engine. Dont put too much pressure on the bolt. We don't want to loosen it. We just want to see if the engine moves. It should take much effort unless something is stuck. Or put a pipe wrench on the driveline under the tractor between the engine and transmission and see if you can turn it that way. Once you verify the engine isn't locked or bound up, we need to diagnose your starter circuit. I've seen a worn starter bendix get bound up against the flywheel ring gear, but from your description, you may have something else going on. We just need to make sure the engine isn't stuck first. I know in the 318's, which have Onan engines, you have to pull the engine to get the starter off. I'm thinking the same may be true with the 317 as well since it's similar to the 318, but without power steering. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Cool hand luke]

317 is shaft drive with horizontal crankshaft. No way to remove the blower housing without removing the engine on this series. I would recommend taking out the spark plugs so you're not fighting compression, remove the front grille, and put a wrench on the PTO clutch bolt and gently rotate it to see if you can turn the engine. Dont put too much pressure on the bolt. We don't want to loosen it. We just want to see if the engine moves. It should take much effort unless something is stuck. Or put a pipe wrench on the driveline under the tractor between the engine and transmission and see if you can turn it that way. Once you verify the engine isn't locked or bound up, we need to diagnose your starter circuit. I've seen a worn starter bendix get bound up against the flywheel ring gear, but from your description, you may have something else going on. We just need to make sure the engine isn't stuck first. I know in the 318's, which have Onan engines, you have to pull the engine to get the starter off. I'm thinking the same may be true with the 317 as well since it's similar to the 318, but without power steering. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Cool hand luke]

Thank you for your suggestions. I have verified that the motor is not locked up. So the solenoid is under the battery tray. I put my volt meter on the post with the cable coming from the battery and got right at 12 volts. Then I put the lead on the cable post leaving the solenoid and I got between 6 and 7 volts when I turn the ignition switch. Shouldn't it be a full 12 volts leaving the solenoid?

 

[sgkent]

With a conventional starter and starter solenoid - if it is a STARTER solenoid we are discussing it would have zero volts on the cable out to the starter unless the key is in the start position, then in the start position it would have the same voltage out as in unless the solenoid had corrosion in it. If the key is in the RUN position and this is a starter solenoid, and there is voltage present to battery ground, you could have a bad ground between the engine and frame, or between sections of frame, or the battery ground or a ground cable that is rotted internally.

 

[Deleted member 97405]

Thank you for your suggestions. I have verified that the motor is not locked up. So the solenoid is under the battery tray. I put my volt meter on the post with the cable coming from the battery and got right at 12 volts. Then I put the lead on the cable post leaving the solenoid and I got between 6 and 7 volts when I turn the ignition switch. Shouldn't it be a full 12 volts leaving the solenoid?

You are correct. Voltage going out should be the same as voltage going in. If your grounds are good, the contacts in the solenoid may be oxidized/corroded. Replace solenoid.