John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)

thanh

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
Hello guys, I'm not sure what keywords to search for that relates to my problem. I have searched, but it seems everyone has a John Deere that cranks but wouldn't start.

The problem I'm having is that it won't crank at all. Turning the key would do nothing. I checked one of the fuse (not sure how many there are) and battery is less than a year old.

The mower stopped working last fall, but I never got a chance to look at it. I was mowing in a small ditch and was reversing out, then I suddenly noticed that I was losing power in reverse even with the RIO engaged. Then the mower stalled a few moments later in reverse. I tried to start it back up, but the mower showed no sign of life.

I researched that it might be the PTO switch, but the D110 has a lever for a PTO and I'm not sure where the sensor is located.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Would hate to spend hours troubleshooting the wrong thing in my unheated garage.

Thanks again in advance!
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
John Deer, Husqvarna , MTD, Murray, makes no difference, they are all basically wired the same so the trouble shooting is the same technique.
Below is a bit I wrote & saved cause I got fed up writing the same thing 50 times a week.
Also I very strongly recommend buying the JD Technical Service Manual which will also have the same proceedure printed in it but with the exact locations where each bit is that needs to be tested & how to test it with a standard multimeter.
The PTO switch is under the turret, lift the hood, stick your head in and work the PTO lever.
It will stick out like goats gonads .

The solenoid will have 2 small wires at it's base.
These are the trigger wires.
One will be + & the other - when the solenoid closes to energise the starter motor
One might be switched or both might be switched.

There are subtle differences but basically all work the same.
A power feed wire come off the hot terminal on the top.
This goes to a fuse then to the various switches & back to the + trigger at the bottom
Circuit is
Fuse to B on ignition switch
B to S on ignition switch
S to PTO ( safety switch or electric PTO switch )
PTO to brake / clutch switch
clutch switch to solenoid.

This is a 12V + circuit so you can test it with test lamp hooked to a ground, or a mulitmeter measuring volts.
Back probed by stuffing the electrode up the back of the plug.
It will be helpful to grow a 3rd & 4th hand or make a short jumper with a spade at each end.
Once you have confirmed that the ignition switch is working, pull the plug off the back and jump the plug which will save you having to turn the key to S every time

It is prudent to remove the blower housing and remove the kill wire from the magneto because if you accidentally send 12 V down that wire for the briefest period you have fried the chip in there

Most safety switches are double switches which have a power side and a ground side
When looking at the switch the pairs are flat to flat not edge to edge.

Basic wiring information can be found in a Briggs book called the repower guide which should be in every ride on owners shed https://www.vanguardengines.com/content/dam/briggsandstratton/na/en_us/Files/FAQs/alternator_replacement.pdf
 

thanh

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
A lot of great information to take in. I'm going to try to dissect everything before trying to troubleshoot the lawn mower this weekend. I have access to my workplace's multimeter so it should make the job a lot easier.

Also i found a John Deere D110 Technical Service manual on eBay for $40, so hopefully that arrives before this weekend.

Thanks again for taking the time to response back. I'll report on the outcome when I have a chance.
 

reynoldston

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
Start small, Cables and connections. I find most repairs that come into my shop for that repair are just dirty battery cable ends in which a little bit of sand paper repairs.
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
A lot of great information to take in. I'm going to try to dissect everything before trying to troubleshoot the lawn mower this weekend. I have access to my workplace's multimeter so it should make the job a lot easier.

Also i found a John Deere D110 Technical Service manual on eBay for $40, so hopefully that arrives before this weekend.

Thanks again for taking the time to response back. I'll report on the outcome when I have a chance.

STOP
Wrong thing to do.
Leave everything alone .
The only thing to disconnect is the battery so it does not go flat before you get to do the testing.
The circuits need to be in place so you can do the tests.

That $ 40 was the best investment you will have made for a long time.
In the mean time download the link BAKERG gave you and read the section about testing electrical circuits.
Your mower should be fairly well similar.
If you are not proficient with circuit diagrams then ignore them, you don't need them if you follow the test proceedures in the manual exactly as written, in the order written.
 

DDO63

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
STOP
Wrong thing to do.
Leave everything alone .
The only thing to disconnect is the battery so it does not go flat before you get to do the testing.
The circuits need to be in place so you can do the tests.

That $ 40 was the best investment you will have made for a long time.
In the mean time download the link BAKERG gave you and read the section about testing electrical circuits.
Your mower should be fairly well similar.
If you are not proficient with circuit diagrams then ignore them, you don't need them if you follow the test proceedures in the manual exactly as written, in the order written.
I suffered from the same issue with my D110, in the middle of mowing, lost power and stalled. It would barely restart and die, seemed like the battery died. I did notice that the start was very hot.
Any insight?
 

DDO63

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  • / John Deere D110 - Won't crank or start (Battery is good)
Problem Found and Solved.

After some reading, I decided to check the valve adjustment. I removed the valve cover and noticed that the intake valve rocker was VERY loose. I tried to adjust BUT in order to properly set the valve clearance it adjuster not had to be bottomed out. I then notice that the post that the adjuster nut is screwed into and supports that rocker had backed out about 1/4 inch. I tightened the post with a deep well socket and then set the valves.

Runs like a champ.....
 
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