Craftsman tractor electrical issue - stumped

Status
Not open for further replies.
jeepman3071

jeepman3071

Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
9,615
Location
Connecticut
I'm ready to light this thing on fire.
mad.gif


2007 Craftsman LT2000 with a Briggs 17.5hp Intek

Model: 917.287031

This tractor is a friend's. I was sharpening the blades and changing the oil for him. It ran perfect, until I had the bright idea to wash it. Now the starter won't turn over, I just get one solid click from the solenoid every time I turn the key to the start position.

Here is what I know:

-Battery is good
-Starter is good (jumper cables from battery directly to starter will crank the engine no problem)
-All safety interlock switches were working fine, and none are currently engaged
-Replaced the fuse with a new one just in case. The old one was fine.
-Replaced solenoid with a new one
-I've tried starting the machine with the brake on, while sitting on the seat, and holding the mower deck lever down to make sure the safety switch for the engagement lever is pushed all the way down.

Here is the strange part:

-With the key off, I get power to the first post on the starter solenoid from the battery.
-When I turn the key to "run" the test light remains on, and I can hear the fuel solenoid on the carburetor click open
-When I turn the key to "start" the solenoid makes a single solid click sound, and the test light will go off. Neither of the posts on the solenoid have power in the start position after the click. If I turn the key back to run, the test light goes back on. It is almost like the solenoid is grounding the current from the battery wire somehow in a path quicker than my simple test light to ground setup.


The part that confuses me is the solid click sound from the solenoid. If I unplug any of the safety switches, acting like they are engaged, the solenoid will not click at all and neither will the fuel switch on the carburetor. Could the solenoid still be the problem? This problem has thrown me for a loop. All connections are tight, the wiring doesn't look hacked up in any way. I'd jump the safety switches, but they aren't the simple open/closed connection type switches with only two wires. These have 3 or more wires on each switch.
 
unplug and spray every connector and switch with wd-40.

Check continuity and make sure the wires from the solenoid to the bat and to the starter are not frayed or shorted anywhere. I'd turn the key on and have someone jump the start as you did and see if it will run, maybe some heat will help dryout whatever the water got in. I'd be suspicious of the seat switch as foam could hold water.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: spasm3
unplug and spray every connector and switch with wd-40.

Check continuity and make sure the wires from the solenoid to the bat and to the starter are not frayed or shorted anywhere. I'd turn the key on and have someone jump the start as you did and see if it will run, maybe some heat will help dryout whatever the water got in. I'd be suspicious of the seat switch as foam could hold water.


Thanks I'll definitely try that.

To clarify, this happened two days ago and the machine has been stored in a dry garage since. It was blown off with a leaf blower afterwards. Hopefully things have dried out a bit but I'll definitely try unplugging everything and spraying WD-40 tomorrow morning.

Also, the seat switch works with a metal portion of the seat and a spring. When you sit down, a metal bar presses the button, so the switch doesn't have contact with any seat foam. The wires coming from the battery and to the starter are in good condition as are the connections.

I think a switch might be wet still somewhere, because it seems something is grounding the power from the hot side of the solenoid once I turn the key to "start".
 
Do you have a DMM? If the solenoid is pulling in then the switches are okay and the starter has voltage.
There is no reason to look at the switches because there is nothing between the solenoid activating and the starter getting power.
Now if its enough or not....
If you can hold it in start and get a meter of the voltage at the starter terminal that would be the first step.

Either its a dead battery, or poor connection to the starter or from starter to ground. Which it grounds to the case of the engine which is bolted solidly to the frame. So it would be the ground from the frame to the battery in that case.
 
Last edited:
Just for good measure, i'd take the key out and blast the ignition switch with wd-40 as well. Blast every switch, even the clutch/brake and pto.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Do you have a DMM? If the solenoid is pulling in then the switches are okay and the starter has voltage.
There is no reason to look at the switches because there is nothing between the solenoid activating and the starter getting power.
Now if its enough or not....
If you can hold it in start and get a meter of the voltage at the starter terminal that would be the first step.

Either its a dead battery, or poor connection to the starter or from starter to ground. Which it grounds to the case of the engine which is bolted solidly to the frame. So it would be the ground from the frame to the battery in that case.


I do have a multimeter, I've never really used it so I will need to figure out how it works to be honest. I've just been using a simple test light.

The part that confuses me is when the solenoid clicks, I then get no power on either of the posts to the test light, no matter how long I hold the key to "start". Once I release the key back to "run" the post from the battery has power again. When the solenoid clicks, it has a nice strong single click.

This solenoid has 4 posts total. The two large ones, from battery and to starter. Then two small blade style connector posts. It is also bolted to the tractor on a metal plate.

I tried the battery from my John Deere which is in good condition and cranks over a V-twin fairly quickly. All connections to the battery and starter are good and clean. The ground from the battery goes to the frame and is tight.
 
Cross the two big posts on the solenoid with a screwdriver, etc. The starter should turn. That test bypasses everything except the battery, starter, and the big power and ground wires between them. Remember that grounds are just as important as the live wires.

If you lose power at the battery side of the solenoid when trying to start, it's either a dead battery or a bad connection in the main battery power and ground wires.
 
Ive had an issue with my Briggs twin where the starter wouldnt turn the engine. I had to grab the blower on top of the engine and force it past compression. It only happened once but it was very odd.

If the voltage is dropping low enough, the light will go out.
And yeah, you can just jump the solenoid with a screw driver. Keep flammables away, you will be basically welding when you first make/break contact.

Im gonna guess something is wrong with the starter at this point.
 
Turn the switch on , sit on the mower and have someone jump the hot side power from either the existing battery to the starter post. See if you can get it to run, and get hot.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Ive had an issue with my Briggs twin where the starter wouldnt turn the engine. I had to grab the blower on top of the engine and force it past compression. It only happened once but it was very odd.


That is a well-known problem. They have a compression relief bump on the cam like the little rope-start mower engines. When the overhead valvetrain wears and becomes loose, the bump is no longer effective, and the compression is too much for the starter to turn. The solution is to adjust the valves.
 
Jump start it and see what happens. It may be a stupid as weak battery.

I had similar problems in a Kohler/Simplicity. It turned out solenoid for fuel did not close and flooded engine with gas so it could not turn over easily due to hydrolock.
 
Originally Posted By: dwendt44
Pull the spark plug and so if it turns over, that way
you'll know if it's electrical or weak starter.

My 2¢


+1
 
I had an older tractor that was wired "ground switching" in that the key allowed the solenoid to ground. If you don't have schematics, trace wires and don't just assume that everything's +12V all the way down.

Turning the key "off" grounded out the coil. "On" didn't do anything specific.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Turn the switch on , sit on the mower and have someone jump the hot side power from either the existing battery to the starter post. See if you can get it to run, and get hot.

This is what I would suggest.

Also spray wd40 in the key hole you said it acted different between run and start?
 
Like said above, I jump the solenoid first to see if the engine will crank with full force, eliminating the battery out of the equation. Next, I'll jump each safety switch individually to see if one of them is the culprit. From there I'll go to the ignition switch, which can be finicky beasts on AYP/Husqvarna group built machines. MTD too. As a blind guess, I'd say the ignition switch got wet or the water pushed some contaminates in there such that it's not making proper contacts.
 
If your test light goes out when probing the battery leads at the solenoid in the crank position, you have a poor connection at the battery or solenoid. Take them apart, brush them clean and reinstall. Quick and dirty- grab the cables at the battery and try to wiggle them. Many times they'll be a bit loose and you'll get arcing between the cable and post.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
John Deere D140 Solenoid
Replies
16
Views
1K
RAVL
raaizin
Kohler 19 engine or starter issue
Replies
6
Views
702
raaizin
K
Keep blowing 20amp fuse on my scag cheetah 2 mower
Replies
10
Views
874
oldgrayman
R
John Deere D140 dead
Replies
16
Views
836
SHOZ
T
Carnage photo of years of ethanol use (sarcasm)
Replies
19
Views
2K
The_Eric
Back
Top