Jumping starter

[Warlord]

Trying to diagnose a no start on a riding mower I got today. I have a clunking solenoid but when I cross the terminals nothing happens. When I hook a jumper straight from the battery to the starter nothing happens either. Does this mean the starter is definitely dead? Surely it should turn with a straight shot off the battery.

 

[Trav]

Charge the battery and clean the terminals before going any further.

 

[Warlord]

Battery is charged, I swapped out a new battery from one of my other mowers to eliminate the battery as an issue. I’ve cleaned and tightened every terminal, plug, ground on the machine and no improvement. I’ve never actually had a dead starter. It’s always been something else but this time I think I’ve eliminated all other possibilities.

 

[nomas]

Hook up some jumper cables to another vehicle .Take a rubber mallet and smack the hell out of the starter . Try to crank it again .

 

[samven]

Do you have a safety switch that is not active. Brake pedal, seat, mower engagement or other. Many of these are on the gnd side and jumping to the starter wont get around them.

 

[Brian123]

Trying to diagnose a no start on a riding mower I got today. I have a clunking solenoid but when I cross the terminals nothing happens. When I hook a jumper straight from the battery to the starter nothing happens either. Does this mean the starter is definitely dead? Surely it should turn with a straight shot off the battery.

Do this mower have a PTO Switch? if it does unplug it and clean the contacts.

 

[Warlord]

I’ve disassembled and cleaned the pto switch and all other safety switches. I took the starter off the mower and jumped to it directly from the battery. All I get is some burning smell and the occasional whirring sound internally. Pretty sure it’s a goner.

 

[Brian123]

I’ve disassembled and cleaned the pto switch and all other safety switches. I took the starter off the mower and jumped to it directly from the battery. All I get is some burning smell and the occasional whirring sound internally. Pretty sure it’s a goner.

What is the make and model of this Riding Mower?

 

[Warlord]

It’s a Toro LX500 with a Kohler SV720.

 

[Brian123]

It’s a Toro LX500 with a Kohler SV720.

This is a twin cylinder engine, can you take the cover off the engine and spin the engine by hand? Maybe there is a chance you have a stuck valve or something.

 

[Warlord]

This is a twin cylinder engine, can you take the cover off the engine and spin the engine by hand? Maybe there is a chance you have a stuck valve or something.

The engine turns over fine. I’ve taken the starter completely off the mower and I still can’t get it to spin. If it was a good starter it should spin when jumped right off a battery I would think.

 

[nomas]

If you have put 12 volts directly to the starter and get nothing , I think you have found the problem .

 

[samven]

Agree ^^ if the starter is out of the tractor and jumping it causes a burning smell you pretty much found the issue.

 

[Trav]

The engine turns over fine. I’ve taken the starter completely off the mower and I still can’t get it to spin. If it was a good starter it should spin when jumped right off a battery I would think.

It sounds like the starter is a crispy critter.

 

[Warlord]

Thanks for the ideas folks. I ordered a new starter. Hopefully it isn’t delayed like everything else I’ve ordered on Amazon in the past 6 months.

 

[bchannell]

If you jumping power directly to the starter, then safety switches don't matter, they don't come into play. take jumper cables and ground the starter case, and touch the hot cable to the terminal on the starter, if it runs, you have other problems, if it does not, then the starter is bad.

 

[CleanSump]

This is not hard.
You put power directly to the motor and it just make an "electrical smell".
The motor is dead.
Replace it.
Cut grass.

 

[nomas]

If you jumping power directly to the starter, then safety switches don't matter, they don't come into play. take jumper cables and ground the starter case, and touch the hot cable to the terminal on the starter, if it runs, you have other problems, if it does not, then the starter is bad.

We're past that point . He ordered a new starter .

 

[Warlord]

Received my starter already. Wildly fast shipping!

 

[Warlord]

Purring like a kitten now.