Cub Cadet 3206, mower deck wont engage.

[rrtaft]

I've had this problem occasionally where the mower deck won't engage. I typically would drive it around on bumpy ground and turn on and off the switch until it fired up. It's gotten worse recently, and it appeared that wiggling the wires connected to the switch would get it going again. Now I have nothing at all, I can't get it going.

So naturally I assumed I should replace the switch itself. Unfortunately, the new switch did not solve it. I tested both switches with a voltmeter and they behave the same. The 3 outside pairs have continuity when the switch is off, the center two have continuity when the switch is on. So I stuck a piece of metal in and crossed the center two (blue and green wires) while it was running and disconnected all the others, and it starts the mower deck! But I can't leave it like that because the mower won't turn on the engine because it checks to make sure the switch is off before starting, and if I jerry-rig this its not going to start. I have 12V coming out of the red wire and either the blue or green when the engine is running. One pin should have 12V during ignition (wasn't able to test which, blew fuses), but the other pin I'm not sure when it's supposed to have voltage.

Any thoughts as to what might be wrong? This is clearly electrical since I can short it out and get it going.

[jk3700]

Since I am not a cub cadet mechanic, I can only speculate.

Seems to me that if you can get the deck to start every time when you get into it and disconnect other things, you have another switch somewhere that is not operating properly. What I mean is other switched act as safety switches, ie. if you are not sitting in the seat, it keeps the deck from starting.

I would check other switches that might be malfunctioning or out of adjustment.

I've had this problem occasionally where the mower deck won't engage. I typically would drive it around on bumpy ground and turn on and off the switch until it fired up. It's gotten worse recently, and it appeared that wiggling the wires connected to the switch would get it going again. Now I have nothing at all, I can't get it going.

So naturally I assumed I should replace the switch itself. Unfortunately, the new switch did not solve it. I tested both switches with a voltmeter and they behave the same. The 3 outside pairs have continuity when the switch is off, the center two have continuity when the switch is on. So I stuck a piece of metal in and crossed the center two (blue and green wires) while it was running and disconnected all the others, and it starts the mower deck! But I can't leave it like that because the mower won't turn on the engine because it checks to make sure the switch is off before starting, and if I jerry-rig this its not going to start. I have 12V coming out of the red wire and either the blue or green when the engine is running. One pin should have 12V during ignition (wasn't able to test which, blew fuses), but the other pin I'm not sure when it's supposed to have voltage.

Any thoughts as to what might be wrong? This is clearly electrical since I can short it out and get it going.