Bypassing Lawn Tractor Shut-offs

[Pavel314]

My older lawn tractor suddenly won't start. It was running well this mornin g when I hauled the log splitter to the main pasture, but after unhooking t he splitter, it wouldn't start. No click, no whirr, absolutely nothing happ ens when I turn the key. The battery has a full charge so I suspect that on e of those safety shut-off switches went bad. This has never happened to th is 10+ year-old machine before.

There's one in the seat that turns the engine off if you get off, one in th e brake pedal so that you have to have the brake depressed to start, and a third in the lever that operates the mower deck, which is removed. I checke d the one under the seat and it has three wires going to it. If it just had two, I would try crossing them but three makes it a bit more complicated.

Anyone know any tricks to bypass these shut-offs?

Paul

[gfretwell]

Mine (old craftsman) had a bad starter solenoid. You can jumper that out to see if it will turn over, maybe start. I put something heavy on the seat to make that switch and bungee down the clutch when I am working on it. If you have a bad starter solenoid, be sure you get the right one. The ones for a car have an ignition resistor bypass instead of a ground connection on the 4th terminal (labeled "I") You can still use it, just do not connect anything to "I". It will ground through the base. Best to just get the right one.

[dadiOH]

I hadn't thought of that; I'll check tomorrow.

Check the starter too.

[slate_leeper]

That is the result when the starter solenoid goes bad on my John Deere. You can test for that by carefully jumping across the two large posts on the solenoid with something like a screwdriver. Note that one of those posts is direct battery positive. Be careful not to short to engine or anything else metal. If that is the problem, you can start the unit by this jumping method. Just make sure the key is on and that the brakes are set.

-dan z-

[hubops]

Have you checked the fuses ? Did you accidentally activate the blade engage ? Have you tried boosting it from another battery ? Always start your trouble-shooting with the simple obvious things - rather than assuming it is a safety interlock and screwing with the wiring by trial-and-error - and creating extra worse problems. A mulit-meter would help. John T.

[clare]

Jumping the solenoid that way does not check the solenoid or pin down the problem at all. Putting power from the battery side to the Pos small terminal will check the solenoid unless the ground side goes through the safety switches. If it is only a 3 terminal solenoid, no worries. If it (the solenoid) pulls in when energized, the solenoid is OK. Checking with a test light on the small terminal to ground will tel you if power is getting to the solenoid when in the start position.. If not, check on either side of each safety switch., starting at the key switch and moving down the line. If no power from the key switch, check the poiwer TO the switch. When you get to where you have power on one side of a switch but not the other you have found a bad switch. Jumper it and try again.. Just follow the power down the wire - you WILL find the problem.

[Bob]

ing when I hauled the log splitter to the main pasture, but after unhooking the splitter, it wouldn't start. No click, no whirr, absolutely nothing ha ppens when I turn the key. The battery has a full charge so I suspect that one of those safety shut-off switches went bad. This has never happened to this 10+ year-old machine before.

the brake pedal so that you have to have the brake depressed to start, and a third in the lever that operates the mower deck, which is removed. I chec ked the one under the seat and it has three wires going to it. If it just h ad two, I would try crossing them but three makes it a bit more complicated .

I have a John Deere L110 that had a similiar problem. I "shot gun" replaced the ignation switch and seat interlock switch. After each the tractor woul d work for a short period and then finally quit and wouldn't restart.

I found the starting circuit diagram for the tractor and then used jumpers to isolate the safety interlocks. This didn't identify the problem. I then started checking each of the wiring junctions, again jumping out each of th e connections. I found a bad connection down below the brake safety interlo ck. I cleaned the connections and the tractor has been running for several years with no issues.

If by chance you have a Deere L110 and need a wiring diagram, let me know a nd I could forward to you.

[Mike Duffy]

This reminds me of the guy I know who purchased one of the first VW beetles that were wired with the new safety interlocks which required everyone it sensed via seat pressure switches to put on their seat belts before the engine would start.

He tried cutting a few wires and ended up with a car where *everyone* needed to lift their ass up off the seat to start the car, regardless if they had attached their seatbelts.

[gfretwell]

If by chance it is the Craftsman 917.270742 or similar, I have that book.

[bubbacuuppcake]

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