I have a Scott's By John Deere riding mower I purchased from Home Depot many years ago ( between 6-9 years ). 42 inch deck with a 17.5 HP Kohler gasoline engine ( I believe that is the HP rating ). It has performed perfectly throughout the years. Until recently.
I didn't post in a manufacture specific forum because I believe this is more of a general motor/electrical related issue. Here's my story:
I was using the mower and it ran out of gas. I didn't have any gas left in the can and waited till the next day to fill it up. Filled it up and tried starting it. No luck... I left the key on and the battery died. Put it on a charger, stated her up and off I went mowing the lawn as usual.
About 20 minutes into mowing the mower died. Tried starting it off the mower and nothing. Found a blown fuse. Replaced it and back to mowing. About 15-20 minutes later... dies again. Fuse is blown. No additional fuses so I put it away and put a charger on the battery, thinking maybe the battery wasn't fully charged and it is causing an issue.
Next day I got another fuse and started her up. Started no problem... died 5 minutes later, blown fuse. Now I know it is something else... I do some checking with a multimeter for high draw. I hear something clicking in the bowl of the carb that I never heard before, but I never listened for it so it may have always been there.
The lights are not on when the fuse blows. The fuse does not blow unless the engine is running. I could turn the key on and the light on and it doesn't blow until the engine is running.
Do you think that maybe because I left the mower on and drained the battery it could be causing a problem while trying to charge the battery? I have had to jump start the unit after long periods of sitting but I never left the key on to drain the battery.
This unit has worked flawlessly for years and the above story is everything that happened. When it died the first time it was simply because I ran out of gas.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
I didn't post in a manufacture specific forum because I believe this is more of a general motor/electrical related issue. Here's my story:
I was using the mower and it ran out of gas. I didn't have any gas left in the can and waited till the next day to fill it up. Filled it up and tried starting it. No luck... I left the key on and the battery died. Put it on a charger, stated her up and off I went mowing the lawn as usual.
About 20 minutes into mowing the mower died. Tried starting it off the mower and nothing. Found a blown fuse. Replaced it and back to mowing. About 15-20 minutes later... dies again. Fuse is blown. No additional fuses so I put it away and put a charger on the battery, thinking maybe the battery wasn't fully charged and it is causing an issue.
Next day I got another fuse and started her up. Started no problem... died 5 minutes later, blown fuse. Now I know it is something else... I do some checking with a multimeter for high draw. I hear something clicking in the bowl of the carb that I never heard before, but I never listened for it so it may have always been there.
The lights are not on when the fuse blows. The fuse does not blow unless the engine is running. I could turn the key on and the light on and it doesn't blow until the engine is running.
Do you think that maybe because I left the mower on and drained the battery it could be causing a problem while trying to charge the battery? I have had to jump start the unit after long periods of sitting but I never left the key on to drain the battery.
This unit has worked flawlessly for years and the above story is everything that happened. When it died the first time it was simply because I ran out of gas.
Thanks for any help you can provide.