Lawn Mower will crank fine, but not start (city, water, spray)
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Hello all. First of all, I am glad I found this forum! Looks like a very nice place to stay and browse a while.
Now onto my problem....
A few weeks ago our rider (A simplicity rider probably 10-15 years old or so) would start fine but the blade wouldn't engage. It turns out some of the wiring (and I assume a ground wire) had gone bad and was rotted. After connecting all of the wire again in a not so safe/neat fashion the blade would then engage just fine. The wires I had to fix were the ones that happen to lead to the headlights.
Everything was fine for a week or two up until about a week ago. Now out of the blue the mower will crank but wont fully start. It just spins and spins no matter what. After doing some reading on these forums actually, I decided to check a few things.
I checked the throttle cable and it is opening and closing the throttle exactly as it should be.
I checked and changed the spark plug because the old one was....old, a little black and off center.
The new one is properly gaped and good to go!
Checked wiring again and all seems good.
I have noticed that after a bit of starting if I remove the plug it is wet with fuel so I know fuel delivery is good. Also, the spark plug wire boot has a very small tear in it at the elbow which I patched with some electrical tape. To be fair though, that tear wasn't there in the beginning when this problem started so I don't think that's it.
Ideas? I don't do much small engine work so I am at a loss here.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Check for spark. With the plug out of the head, wire attached, hold the threads against the head. Have someone else sit and crank it while you watch for a spark. Wear a glove and hold on the wire boot to avoid a shock, though I'd guess there will be none. Check also the wiring and switch to the seat safety switch, normally under the seat and visible, that stops it running when no one is on it. You may also have a switch that prevents starting when the blade clutch is engaged that could be faulty.
Check for spark. With the plug out of the head, wire attached, hold the threads against the head. Have someone else sit and crank it while you watch for a spark. Wear a glove and hold on the wire boot to avoid a shock, though I'd guess there will be none. Check also the wiring and switch to the seat safety switch, normally under the seat and visible, that stops it running when no one is on it. You may also have a switch that prevents starting when the blade clutch is engaged that could be faulty.
I think you have this pretty well under control! I would suspect the safety switch/s. But it doesn't hurt to check the spark. Let the OP get back to us and see what they have to say. Like you cautioned about the sparkplug wire; he should be careful he is not shocked. There is enough voltage in that wire to literally knock you to the ground if you touch it to the tip of your nose by accident - I know!
They stated they had fuel. But they could also check for water in the fuel. See if they remember hitting anything really hard. Recheck the OP's wiring to see if it could have created a short - but that would probably only apply if the light switch was on. They should also look for mouse bedding around the cowling. There are other things they can also check; but let's hear back first.
I have a riding mower for my large yards; one day I ran out of gas while mowing, I filled the tank from my gas can, tried to start the mower and it refused to start, did everything yours did. I pushed it up the ramps onto my truck and took it in for repair. They know me at the mower shop and they are fair and honest with me, the man who looked at my mower noticed that my blade engaging switch was still engaged and told me to disengage it and see what happens. I hopped on the mower in the back of my truck, pushed in the switch and my mower started up just fine. May not be your problem, but just a suggestion.
Check for spark. With the plug out of the head, wire attached, hold the threads against the head. Have someone else sit and crank it while you watch for a spark. Wear a glove and hold on the wire boot to avoid a shock, though I'd guess there will be none. Check also the wiring and switch to the seat safety switch, normally under the seat and visible, that stops it running when no one is on it. You may also have a switch that prevents starting when the blade clutch is engaged that could be faulty.
Looking under the seat all of the wires seem to be intact. I will check again this evening and I will check the plug for spark. Seems like a good starting point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDragonslayer
I have a riding mower for my large yards; one day I ran out of gas while mowing, I filled the tank from my gas can, tried to start the mower and it refused to start, did everything yours did. I pushed it up the ramps onto my truck and took it in for repair. They know me at the mower shop and they are fair and honest with me, the man who looked at my mower noticed that my blade engaging switch was still engaged and told me to disengage it and see what happens. I hopped on the mower in the back of my truck, pushed in the switch and my mower started up just fine. May not be your problem, but just a suggestion.
I wish that was the problem. I'm not sure it is the blade though in my case, sadly. When sitting on the mower with the key turned to on I can push and pull the blade switch and hear the clutch engage and disengage, it makes a nice audible clunk.
Also, thank you all very much for the quick responses!
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57744
Quote:
Originally Posted by nbarr7655
Looking under the seat all of the wires seem to be intact. I will check again this evening and I will check the plug for spark. Seems like a good starting point.
I wish that was the problem. I'm not sure it is the blade though in my case, sadly. When sitting on the mower with the key turned to on I can push and pull the blade switch and hear the clutch engage and disengage, it makes a nice audible clunk.
Also, thank you all very much for the quick responses!
Ah, but there is also an electrical switch under there that prevents starting when the blade is engaged. That switch could be bad. Oops, I just remembered that it cranks, that normally turns off the starter motor, not the ignition. Let us know about the spark. If the spark plug wire comes from under the fan shroud then the the mower runs on a Magneto.
This little guy could be the problem if no spark, but there are still other possibilities:
Last edited by Hemlock140; 10-06-2016 at 01:50 PM..
Ah, but there is also an electrical switch under there that prevents starting when the blade is engaged. That switch could be bad. Oops, I just remembered that it cranks, that normally turns off the starter motor, not the ignition. Let us know about the spark. If the spark plug wire comes from under the fan shroud then the the mower runs on a Magneto.
This little guy could be the problem if no spark, but there are still other possibilities:
Meaning that even when the clutch is not engaged, if the switch is bad does the mower think that it is engaged and therefore the blade is going to run?
1. Check for electrical battery power coming out of the ignition switch on the ignition side. There is obviously battery power going to the switch since the starter is turning. However, power out to the ignition side may have failed. I had an ignition switch go bad a few years ago on my Craftsman garden tractor. That is a very easy fix. Here it may be just as easy to check the switch for continuity at each of the switch settings. That's how I found my broken switch.
2. If the ignition switch is supplying power to the ignition side, check to make sure that it's getting all the way to the coil, i.e., no broken or chaffed wires.
5. If there is battery power at the coil, a defective coil is suspect. Coils do fail although somewhat rarely. That also is a fairly easy repair and lawnmower coils are inexpensive.
If all else fails, check to make sure the kill switch and clutch switches are working as they are designed to (with Ohms meter for continuity). Most of the time the kill switch on riding mowers is under the seat. The kill switch on my Craftsman tractor also went out once but I can't remember if the switch acted to kill the starter or just the ignition spark.
1. Check for electrical battery power coming out of the ignition switch on the ignition side. There is obviously battery power going to the switch since the starter is turning. However, power out to the ignition side may have failed. I had an ignition switch go bad a few years ago on my Craftsman garden tractor. That is a very easy fix. Here it may be just as easy to check the switch for continuity at each of the switch settings. That's how I found my broken switch.
2. If the ignition switch is supplying power to the ignition side, check to make sure that it's getting all the way to the coil, i.e., no broken or chaffed wires.
5. If there is battery power at the coil, a defective coil is suspect. Coils do fail although somewhat rarely. That also is a fairly easy repair and lawnmower coils are inexpensive.
If all else fails, check to make sure the kill switch and clutch switches are working as they are designed to (with Ohms meter for continuity). Most of the time the kill switch on riding mowers is under the seat. The kill switch on my Craftsman tractor also went out once but I can't remember if the switch acted to kill the starter or just the ignition spark.
Good luck.
Also, I am not sure if this is worth mentioning but...
For a LONG time now the mower has had a bit of a problem starting. By this I mean when you turned the key it would spin like a quarter or half a turn or so. It would make a noise like it was gonna try to start and then just silence, no movement. You then have to depress the pedal, repress the pedal and turn the key and try again. This usually happens between 1 and 3 times. After that it would spin up like normal, and then start fine.
Check that ignition switch. Possibly it has been going out for a while.
The points of contact in a riding mower ignition switch are pretty flimsy and they do get dusty, especially out here west Texas, or they can get corroded. Sometimes ignition switches go out slowly and sometimes they just go "kaput." In emergency situations, I have successfully partially opened up a switch and sprayed it with something like CRC Electrical Cleaner but they've usually required R&Ring very soon after they start acting up.
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