country clipper only clicks when i try to start it

wec

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  • / country clipper only clicks when i try to start it
We have a 2013 Country Clipper Jazzee and love it. A few days ago I went to start it and it only clicked. Tried to charge battery with no luck. Replaced Starter solenoid and took starter off and had it checked out and it still just clicks-------------anyone have any suggestions? Are there some hidden fuses somewhere? Any help is appreciated.
 

Catherine

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  • / country clipper only clicks when i try to start it
:welcome:

I'm going to move your thread over to our mower and equipment operation section to see if we can find you an answer.
 

dcgrazier

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  • / country clipper only clicks when i try to start it
First, I would remove the cables at the battery and clean the battery posts and terminal connectors. If that does not help, I would try jumper cables from a good battery. If that starts the engine, then you need to load test the battery and see if it needs to be replaced. If it starts, you may also need to check to see if the charging system is working properly. A 3 year old battery should have some good life left in it.
 

sidemouse

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We have a 2013 Country Clipper Jazzee and love it. A few days ago I went to start it and it only clicked. Tried to charge battery with no luck. Replaced Starter solenoid and took starter off and had it checked out and it still just clicks-------------anyone have any suggestions? Are there some hidden fuses somewhere? Any help is appreciated.

I wonder if the PTO is disengaged...
Yes, it could be that simple.
Or maybe you need the brake to be off or on, or the clutch pedal needs to be pushed in...

Unless you want to drop it off somewhere and have it sit in someone's shops for weeks on end, it's usually been my experience, problems like these will waste your morning but in the end most can be tracked down and fixed by most half-knowledgeable diy'ers... The first thing I would do is JUMP the two solenoid poles with a fat piece of metal / steel, I've learned to do this before even replacing it. If the starter cranks upon this short-circuiting of the solenoid, then it's likely your solenoid (oh I know you've replaced it but I would still jump it for sanity's sake).

However, another possibility is the two wires that send the signal TO the solenoid could be at fault as well... Where the two fat wires almost battery cable thickness, these carry the heavy voltage from the battery direct to the starter but there's also two skinny wires that receive a 12v signal from the ignition switch (and in some cases maybe just one skinny wire, then the solenoid grounds to the frame), it is these skinny wires I'm concerned with.
The easy way to test these is with a voltage tester, if when you put the key in the crank position if these two wires are coming up active on 12v current then the fault lies between that and the starter, again most likely the solenoid IF it's getting the signal.

If there is NO signal getting TO the solenoid, then we know the fault lies upstream of the solenoid, at this point it could also be a safety switch.

For example, if a seat or brake safety switch isn't working anymore (or if a cable or connector come off) then the circuit is designed to not activate the starter.
On that same note I would check and make sure the PTO is disengaged.

I can't speak for all Zero turns but at least one of mine does have a 30a fuse in the wiring, the location can vary greatly but I just followed the wiring until I found it... The trick here is to follow and inspect the wiring not just to look for said fuse but also trace along and see if you can find any connections come loose or undone, that would be another good step to undertake.

Another member's suggestion to inspect and clean your battery terminals is very solid as well, might even do that before going through the wiring.

This one involves more work but you might (carefully) pull the ignition switch and inspect the hookups to it, could be a terminal come off or the wire broke...

I know it all sounds very complicated but it's usually something along these lines...
Some wire come off, a switch gone bad, a connector's got loose or unhooked, corrosion in the terminals, a bad fuse, or even a simple part of the normal starting process getting overlooked, it's somewhere in there and it's one thing, one simple thing, the trick is to find it.

Hope you find it before long, the good news it's nowhere as complicated as say a car.
 

bertsmobile1

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For example, if a seat or brake safety switch isn't working anymore (or if a cable or connector come off) then the circuit is designed to not activate the starter.
On that same note I would check and make sure the PTO is disengaged.

THE SEAT SWITCH HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CRANKING & STARTING CIRCUITS. LEAVE IT ALONE or it will fall off & you become a girl
 

bertsmobile1

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Before you start, pull the spark plug & try to rotate the engine by hand.
No use checking the electrics if you have a hydraulic lock, seized engine or jambed belt overloading the stater motor.
Assuming the engine turns freely.

I like to start from the starter motor and go backwards .
Do the following 5 tests, regardless of the results from an or all of them as there can be more than one problem and you want to isolate where the problem lies.
Elimination of individual parts is important so you know by the end, the battery, solenoid & heavy power circuits are all in good order.

1) try to jump the starter motor directly from your car or truck.
Starter turns = starter good

2) do the same directly from the mowers battery
Starter turns = mower battery good
No turn = duff battery, recharge it & try again.

3) check for voltage ( + 12V ) at the solenoid trigger wire with the key in start position
3a) same with ground trigger wire ( 4 wire solenoid ) or body of solenoid ( 3 wire solenoid)
( I like to test V from the battery hot terminal to ground terminal rather than ohms as they give funny readings )

4) leave ground jumper in place ( from step 2 ) & try key start.
Starter turns = power connection good but ground connection suspect ( most common )
Confirm it by trying again, extra ground removed
I run a secondary ground from the grounding bolt to one of the starter mounting bolts & paint over both with liquid electrical tape.

5) Remove the trigger ( thin ) wire / wires from the solenoid.
Ground one & bridge from the hot terminal to the other.
Starter cranks = solenoid good.
Solenoid is not polarity sensitive, BUT THE WIRING IS so make sure you remove the thin control wires.
Note a thinner wire on the hot terminal is not a control wire. It is the main power feed to the mower.


From here on things become very mower dependant as starting circuits are getting changed all the time.
Basically the power goes in a loop from the hot side of the solenoid ( saves wire, no other reason ) through the fuse to the B terminal on the key switch then to the PTO switch then to the parking brake switch then to the solenoid trigger switch , easy peasy after you grow the 3rd arm. Use a test lamp and follow the power.
However a lot of mowers with a 4 pole solenoid, run a secondary ground control circuit to the ground solenoid wire through the lap bars.
Then to stop this interfearing with the normal safety function of the ground kill, it goes to a relay with the ground as the switched connection.
These are a PIA as the + control wire to the relay comes from the power loop above and the ground side of the control comes via the normal cut out functions of the lap bars.
Be very careful because if you have a system like this and accidentally send 12V down the ground loop you can fry the magnetos on some circuits.
 

sidemouse

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THE SEAT SWITCH HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CRANKING & STARTING CIRCUITS. LEAVE IT ALONE or it will fall off & you become a girl

I know what you're thinking, but on one of my ztr's the engine will positively absolutely NOT crank if the seat switch is 'open.'
Guaranteed, it will NOT crank unless that seat switch is closed.
I can take a video of it if you want.
And if the switch is defective or if a wire comes off, the engine won't crank despite all appearances being 'go.'
 

bertsmobile1

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I know what you're thinking, but on one of my ztr's the engine will positively absolutely NOT crank if the seat switch is 'open.'
Guaranteed, it will NOT crank unless that seat switch is closed.
I can take a video of it if you want.
And if the switch is defective or if a wire comes off, the engine won't crank despite all appearances being 'go.'

If that is the case, some one has tampered with it or t was wired up wrong from the factory.

I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO START THE MOWER WITHOUT BEING IN THE HOT SEAT IN ORDER TO SERVICE THE MOWER
 

sidemouse

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If that is the case, some one has tampered with it or t was wired up wrong from the factory.

I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO START THE MOWER WITHOUT BEING IN THE HOT SEAT IN ORDER TO SERVICE THE MOWER

Well yeah that's why you first have to figure out if the switch is normally closed or normally open...

On a normally closed switch you simply unplug one of the wires.
On a normally open switch you unplug both and tape them together.
And if you still can't figure it out you can just unplug one and if that doesn't bypass it then tape them together...
That bypasses the switch for troubleshooting purposes, there you can try and start it now.
Because if the mower works now and it didn't before?
It's your switch!

Could be any number of them, there's usually one around the clutch / brake, another sometimes checks for transmission neutral / park...
You may want to, when a mower only 'clicks,' go through and test each and every safety switch.
Don't forget there might be a safety switch on the bail, some of the fancier pieces might even have one for the seat belt, who knows but look for these and test them, a service manual might help locating them.
Piece of troubleshooting electrical problems I learned about.
Something a service technician might want to know.
I call it a process of elimination.
 
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