Murray 12/38 huge eletrical draw

jacked399

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Hey guys,
First time post and its a dandy. Working on my grandpa's mower, its a Murray 12HP/38" cut, serial # 38608x92c. Putting the original motor back in after a failed experiment with another engine.

The wire was cut for the magneto, so i put a butt connector in. Forgot to hook up the yellow wire for the magneto ground. When i went to hook up the battery it was sparking like crazy, almost like it had a dead short some where. I traced the draw to the black wire running to the magneto.

I have since hooked the yellow wire back up and it still has a draw when i attempt to hook the battery up. The motor does run, but now it does not shut off with the key either.

Did i roach the magneto not having it grounded at first? Where do i begin?
 

Rivets

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Small black wire on the magneto is a kill wire and should go to the switch. Just guessing that the yellow wire is your charging wire and should go to the battery, normally hooked up to the large terminal on the solenoid going to the battery. If you applied battery power to the magneto, it is now probably toast.
 

jacked399

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According the wiring diagram at this link..

Murray lt Parts Diagram Index for 38608X92C

The black wire from the switch is supposed to go the magneto, which is what i did. The yellow wire they show as "magneto gd", so that wire i grounded to the motor. Correct or no?
 

Rivets

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I thought you were talking about engine wires, not tractor wires. Reverse the wire colors I posted earlier. Have you checked the wiring under the shroud to make sure where they go and are in good condition?
 

jacked399

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So you are saying i should run the yellow wire from the tractor to the black wire coming directly off the magneto, and run the black wire from the tractor to ground. Correct?
 

Rivets

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If your wiring colors are the same as the diagram listed in post #3 the yellow wire will be attached to the magneto ground, which is your kill wire for the unit. The black wire is your charging wire and will be attached to the plug on the other side of the engine. Remember, that's if your have the same wires on your unit as the wiring diagram.
 
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