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2008 LT1040 350 hours
Went to cut the lawn yesterday, turn the key and nothing. No starter but power to lights and dash. Load tested battery, 12.9v. Tried to jump starter with battery and would engage and turn engine maybe 1 inch. Took starter off and works fine with battery. ( and I can turn the engine by hand) Next, located the brake pedal safety switch and wiring and unwrapped them. How do you test or bypass the switch ?
Any Ideas or things I should look for ?

Will

The safety switches are either normally open or closed , you'll need an ohm meter to test , there are several ,
One on the seat , one on the brake and possibly the clutch pto. maybe a couple of others ,
How did it run last time you used it ?

Used it 2 weeks ago. Ran fine. Disabled the seat switch long ago. The brake safety switch is difficult to access. I don't know how to get to it. I do have a Klein tool multi meter. Brake safety switch has 4 wires. Yel to mag, yel/wht to seat switch, org/blk to key switch. org/blk to not sure.

Ok well if I understand correctly , this engine will turn over as it is with a jumper cable hooked up, this tells me you have a starter problem not a safety switch issue, if a safety switch is holding you out from starting , the jumper wouldn't help. If you pulled the starter and it spins good on the bench, it should actually almost jump off the bench, if it only starts spinning without jumping as I described, you still have a starter problem.

I should have mentioned when I jumped the starter the pos cable from the battery was still attached and the starter was sitting on the foot rest. If the pos cable wasn't attached the torque would have sent it across the garage.
When I got home from work today I went out and tried to start the mower. Turns out the jumper cables were getting hot and it wouldn't turn over, so threw those cables away. Grabbed my good cables, hooked them to the starter and ground and the battery and it fired right up. So I need to find a way to get to the brake safety switch to test it. ( I can barely see it, let alone get a hand in there ). I would like to bypass it all together. I can see the switch is getting depressed, but nothing happens.

Thank You,

Will

Has to be a way to get at it , Most only have 2 wire plug , see what yours is

Can't find a plug. There is 4 wires that come out of the switch and they all terminate in different spots. I really cannot figure out how to get the switch off.
I can get 1 screw out. The 2nd screw is surrounded by the frame and the seat/fender footrest stamping. I have tried a 1/4" drive short socket, deep socket, swivel, open end and box wrenches. Cannot get them in close enough to grab the screw.
Wednesday I put it back together and jump started it because the lawn needed mowing. Went out this morning just to see, and it turned over with the key just fine. I messed with that thing for hours. Maybe just the wiggling and moving things fixed it. For now.
I hate chasing electrical problems. If you have anything else, I'm all ears.

Thanks for your help.

Will

Vulnavia said:

Used it 2 weeks ago. Ran fine. Disabled the seat switch long ago. The brake safety switch is difficult to access. I don't know how to get to it. I do have a Klein tool multi meter. Brake safety switch has 4 wires. Yel to mag, yel/wht to seat switch, org/blk to key switch. org/blk to not sure.

Click to expand...

The other orange/black wire goes to the PTO switch then on the other side is the orange/white wire going to the starter solenoid. First thing make sure the PTO switch in the off position.

Thanks

Have had a few PTO switches cause this type of problem. Toggling them on\off a few times may get it to start. Check the switch with an ohm meter to verify good contact in both positions. Sounds like your in need of the schematics of the wiring and the harness. Typically, they are found in the parts manual on-line.

I have traced the wiring ( I finally found the proper wiring diagram) and will test the switch.

Thanks for the advice.

I had a similar problem and it turned out to be a loose negative battery cable at the engine.

I will check and make sure it's tight.

Thanks,

Will