ZT48 XL Single click when starting

[outdoorpowermike]

Yes, test battery under load. If test low charge and retest. If still low voltage at battery replace it with correct battery. Now you still might still get a click sound but you know you have a good battery. Check for good clean grounds. If still clicks you have a broken wire harness end not making a good connection. All most all the wire ends in the plastic holders have brass ends that have a slightly bent connecting spot that makes a tight connection against the male post, this is where it has a poor connection and will always chick. Check ignition switch plug first. Look carefully at the tip of the brass ends and you might find the problem.

 

[SCAGCAT]

Gravely ZT48 XL - only single click when starting. Replaced ignition switch, starter solenoid, starter, seat switch, cleaned battery terminals, tested starter relays (they were good), battery tested showing 12+ charge. Any ideas? The only thing I can think to do now is replace wiring.

I had that issue with ferris

Gravely ZT48 XL - only single click when starting. Replaced ignition switch, starter solenoid, starter, seat switch, cleaned battery terminals, tested starter relays (they were good), battery tested showing 12+ charge. Any ideas? The only thing I can think to do now is replace wiring.

 

[butts6954]

Definitely check what everyone says, but take a close look at your ground(s). Back in the early 70's, when i was a mechanic, i ran into an electrical problem with my Moms' 1970 Chevy Malibu. Everything tested good, but the headlights would go dim whenever they wanted to! After myself, and a couple of other mechanic friends checked everything out, just out of curiosity, i unscrewed/bolted a ground wire near the battery. It looked perfectly good, but was hidden rusted underneath. I cleaned it up, put it back in, and everything came back to normal. And stayed that way

 

[bullet bob]

Save your breath here guys, the OP hasn't replied back since he started this thread. Try & help a guy..........

 

[SCAGCAT]

Gravely ZT48 XL - only single click when starting. Replaced ignition switch, starter solenoid, starter, seat switch, cleaned battery terminals, tested starter relays (they were good), battery tested showing 12+ charge. Any ideas? The only thing I can think to do now is replace wiring.

I had the same problem. Solved to buying a $22 part from Amazon. I tried to attatch a screen shot of it but it did not work. I will post this and try again

 

[SCAGCAT]

I had the same problem. Solved to buying a $22 part from Amazon. I tried to attatch a screen shot of it but it did not work. I will post this and try again

 

[outdoorpowermike]

Yes, test battery under load. If test low charge and retest. If still low voltage at battery replace it with correct battery. Now you still might still get a click sound but you know you have a good battery. Check for good clean grounds. If still clicks you have a broken wire harness end not making a good connection. All most all the wire ends in the plastic holders have brass ends that have a slightly bent connecting spot that makes a tight connection against the male post, this is where it has a poor connection and will always chick. Check ignition switch plug first. Look carefully at the tip of the brass ends and you might find the problem.

 

[davis2]

Save your breath here guys, the OP hasn't replied back since he started this thread. Try & help a guy..........

Look at all the abuse he has been given... They come for help because they aren't up on mowers and tractors. That doesn't mean they have to be belittled.
Some of them may have other skills that they could lord over us at some point. Guess I'm saying that we shouldn't be assholes unless people deserve it, not for not knowing about equipment.

 

[StarTech]

Yes a lot don't think about a person skill set. When it comes some the repairs that has to be done say lawyer would have no idea how to do them.

Personally I would have recommended the OP just take the mower to a confident repair shop. Yes I understand labor is involved but many times to problem can be simply a bad connection somewhere that make just enough contact to show voltage when not under load but drop out under load. An experienced person can troubleshoot the problem a lot quicker than someone with no experience.

I had a customer about 10 yrs ago that spent over $500 on new parts and finally gave up and brought it into my shop. It turned out to be a fifty wire terminal that had failed. Charged a half hour labor and the fifty cent part. The parts weren't brought from my shop so he was SOL getting the costs back from me.

And it is like the problem in the shop right now. Mower came in running it was supposed to be a simple engine swap with another mower and install a bigger the one the came in. Guess what the fuel solenoid is receiving it control voltage from the ECU. Probably someone in the past clip the other engine's fuel solenoid as a fix. Easy for me as I done several in last few years. But someone with no experience would be replacing the ECU. Ouch at the cost from JD.

 

[davis2]

Yes a lot don't think about a person skill set. When it comes some the repairs that has to be done say lawyer would have no idea how to do them.

Personally I would have recommended the OP just take the mower to a confident repair shop. Yes I understand labor is involved but many times to problem can be simply a bad connection somewhere that make just enough contact to show voltage when not under load but drop out under load. An experienced person can troubleshoot the problem a lot quicker than someone with no experience.

I had a customer about 10 yrs ago that spent over $500 on new parts and finally gave up and brought it into my shop. It turned out to be a fifty wire terminal that had failed. Charged a half hour labor and the fifty cent part. The parts weren't brought from my shop so he was SOL getting the costs back from me.

And it is like the problem in the shop right now. Mower came in running it was supposed to be a simple engine swap with another mower and install a bigger the one the came in. Guess what the fuel solenoid is receiving it control voltage from the ECU. Probably someone in the past clip the other engine's fuel solenoid as a fix. Easy for me as I done several in last few years. But someone with no experience would be replacing the ECU. Ouch at the cost from JD.

I appreciate the intelligent techs here, don't get me wrong. But when people come for help and get piled on, it defeats the purpose of trying to help. We don't need to have an echo chamber... I'm no great mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but understand most of what is discussed. While I don't always do it the right way, I've been set straight here. A new guy may think we're assholes , and poof, the purpose of the site was just flushed... Now, I also understand the frustration of some of y'all as well. But I think we should give newbies a chance,and some help. The good people of this site are more than capable of weeding out the riff raff!