craftsman high amp amperage draw not charging

i have an older craftsman 18hp briggs garden tractor with 44" deck. The problem is the diode ***'y and the wire going to the inline fuse the runs to the battery side of the starter solenoid gets hot. the amp meter pegs negative as soon as the key switch is turned to the run position with out the tractor running. The original diode ***'y was burnt up so i replaced that and also found the stator to be burnt up so i replaced that with a new one. if i disconnect the single wire coming from the stator it's fine no amp draw and wires dont get hot. as soon as i connect it, there a spark and the wires start to get hot and the amp gauge pegs. i can't find a short in the system anywhere. I've unplugged the deck clutch, deck switch, the positive wire at the starter, and wire ***'y going to a relay ( believe it's for the deck), headlight wire at the switch, and safety switches. I don't have an ACV meter but when i hook up my ohm meter red to the wire coming from the stator and ground the black to the engine block it reads .000. it seems to me there's a dead short not just a slight amp draw. anyone have any suggestions? any help would be appreciated. thanks the engine model # is 422707-1243-01 and the mower is about a '92 year model.

What was the source of the diode and is it installed to pass current in proper direction?? Seems like there should be some marks on the package or the component itself. Also aren't they rated for power? You can check the diode on a DVM, I think.

i'm a lil novice when it comes to electricity sometimes. not sure what source of the diode means. but if was a bettin man i'd say "where is it getting it's current from", which should be the stator. the stator is straight wired to the diode assm'y (one wire) then is branched into two wires which carry current through two small diodes. one diode put current to the headlight system and one carries current to the key switch. from the key switch current is carried to the amp meter then through a 30 amp fuse to the battery side of the starter solenoid. the diode assm'y is pre-built with a different style of connectors on each end. i checked the diode with a DVM that has a diode setting and like the diode should, it's only letting current pass in one direction. reads infinite and then .618 when the DVM leads are switched. i just changed the key switch and same thing, turn the key on and the amp meter pegs. if i use an OHM meter on the stator(one output wire) and put one lead touching the output wire and the other touching the metal where it bolts tot he block it reads .000, shouldn't this be infinite?

I would check the acv on stator wire. It is normal to get 0.00 when ohmed to ground.

What is the voltage at battery when running and are the light bright?

ok i'll get a DVM that reads AC and see that tells me. this "short" only occurs when the stator is hooked up and set on the engine. if i turn the key to the run position, plug the output wire into the charging harness, as i set the stator on the block it starts arcing and sparking. appreciate the help by the way. this thing has really got me stumped. just doesn't make sense

I see, is the diode on red wire good?

the voltage at the battery, fully charged is about 13. the lights don't work. not sure if this is because the stator isn't puttting out or if they just simply don't work for some other reason. diode on the red wire is good. and so is the one on the orange. if i pull the stator wire off while the engine is running it shows about the same in DCv. red DVM probe to stator wire and black DVM probe to engine block.

Okay, I would get that new tester then test it. Sounds like it's bad though.

ok will do. im going to go back to the supplier tomorrow also and see if they have another stator to compare against