Steering wheel stops tractor from stalling?

jtnewhouse

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I know what that sounds like, trust me, I know. But it's true and I have no dam idea why.

17.5 HP Craftsman 42" Mower
Automatic Tractor
Model # 917.272220

I have a small craftsman lawn tractor and at first the tractor started to stall at times after the blades were engaged. Then sporadically when they weren't engaged. Now, the tractor sputters and sounds like it's going to stall when the blades aren't engaged but it still sounds that way more often when they are engaged. A change in the grade of the ground appears to be a something that makes it worse but it's not the exclusive reason for this happening as it doesn't discriminate where it starts to sputter. Safety switches have been tested and replaced. Air filter, replaced. Carb, cleaned out very well. Ignition (key) and part of the wiring were replaced. PTO tested and it's fine. Fuse, replaced. At one point I thought that it had to be the safety switch on the seat because when it would start to sputter i'd push myself back into the seat and it'd stop it's sputtering. So then, I bypassed the safety switch on the seat and the problem remained. THEN!!! I realized something. My pushing back in the seat was still helping stop the tractor from stalling (even with the safety switch on the seat bypassed). I realized it is the actual act of me pushing myself back into the seat that did this, specifically, pushing on the top of the steering wheel that helped out. I followed the rod from the steering wheel to the tires and found one item that seemed like I found what happened. There were wires against the rod from the wheel that had rub marks on it. So, not taking any chances, I replace any parts of the wires that could've been affected by rubbing or by being accidentally grounded, taped them off and moved them away from the rod. Nothing, same exact issue. Also, the tractor was acting the same way before anything was replaced or worked on, it is not a case of me not installing reinstalling a part or the like.

The linkage on the steering wheel is a little sloppy but that shouldn't affect anything, right? I'm at a complete,100% loss. Please, for the love of God, if you have anything that might possibly work, please share.

I'm about to go cut off/grind down the pin in the fuel supply shutoff solenoid. Why? Because I think It will help? Nope. Just because I can eliminate it from being the problem. and I figured that donating a $70 part to the tractor Gods might help too. Although it wouldn't explain the steering wheel thing I am just spent and have no idea where to go from here.

Any help you guys can provide is very much appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read this too.
 

Rivets

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This boils down to an electrical problem and my guess is either a bad ground or bad (loose) connector. First, I would remove the ground cable where it attaches to the frame or engine block. Clean the connector and the metal very well and reinstall good and tight. Second, I would purchase a can of electrical contact spray cleaner (available at any auto parts store) and clean every switch, terminal, pull electrical plugs apart and clean the internal connections. Make sure every connection has good metal to metal contact. From your description pay attention to everything under the dash board. Something is moving while you are mowing and you are reconnecting it by flexing the frame. All the symptoms you are describing lead me to look for bad electrical ground connections.
 

jtnewhouse

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Thanks for your input. The electrical cleaner, take every plug, connection, etc. apart, spray/clean/wire brush/etc. I did that a few times. I was thinking the same for the bad ground but never took the ground cable off where it connects to the frame/engine block...because I couldn't find it (to be honest) but I'll go out and give it another attempt.

The issue with this tractor and locating where it's grounded is that the harness has a small section that disappears and all chances of tracing that section are lost without a significant amount of removed parts. Anyway, I'll go look for that connection again and hope I can locate it. Thanks for your 2c. I really do appreciate it a lot.


I was actually just about to go take the fuel shutoff solenoid off and cut the pin...but thought "ahh, i'll go check and see if anybody got back to me" on here first.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply. I'm hoping the ground is the issue and I can find it...
 

jtnewhouse

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Found where it was grounded. Unscrewed the bolt, wire brushed and cleaned everything very well. No change.
 

bertsmobile1

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Electrically there are only 2 things that will stop the engine.
1) lack of power to the fuel solenoid
2) grounding of the magneto kill wire.

Replace the solenoid with a bowl bolt ( or cut the plunger off ) and have a mow.
Problem goes away = power supply problem
Problem remains = grounding of kill wire problem

So in one stroke you have halved the problem.

Remove the blower housing and remove the wire to the coil.
Run a jumper from the coil up to the operators station long enough for you to ground it some where in order to stop the engine.

Go mow,
Problem goes away = safety switch circuit problem
 

Boobala

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Well it seems as though you've been through everything in the electrical section, I think I would go back to the engine area, have you replaced the fuel lines ( might have that "stuff" that collapses the inner wall of the line,) or a hard to see hairline crack, I can feel for your frustration, but I just don't understand how jostling around on the machine could cause the issue, I assume the machine is stopped as you perform your ant's in my pants ritual ..?? yep, sure is a weird one ! .. :confused2:
 

bertsmobile1

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Well it seems as though you've been through everything in the electrical section, I think I would go back to the engine area, have you replaced the fuel lines ( might have that "stuff" that collapses the inner wall of the line,) or a hard to see hairline crack, I can feel for your frustration, but I just don't understand how jostling around on the machine could cause the issue, I assume the machine is stopped as you perform your ant's in my pants ritual ..?? yep, sure is a weird one ! .. :confused2:

This is why you carry out a logical & systematic diagnosis .
The steering wheel thing may have absolutely nothing to do with the problem.
So you start by splitting the problem into fuel or ignition.

Thus the suggestion in the previous posts.
If neither make any difference then the problem is not electric and one needs to look elsewhere.
Randomly running around checking this or that does nothing but waste time and creates frustration.
 

jtnewhouse

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While i'm performing my "ain't in my pants routine"? Cute, but i don't think me "pushing up" on the steering equates to anything like that but whatever...
I did try a systemic approach to diagnose the problem but my error only occurred when i omitted an organized conveyance of such. Although, if you are able to take the single line of "I push up on the steering wheel and it stops the tractor from stalling" you very easily could rule out the possibility of it being a fuel issue.

I didn't want to cut the solenoid quite yet because then i could simply be out a $60 part. I am going to take and run a wire to the steering rod and then connect then ground the other end and try that out. If it still stalls, then i can cut the solenoid with more confidence, right?

The operative word in "logical approach" is, logical. And logical by definition would mean that, basically if you do one thing and get a result, they are related. So, logical would mean that it would be natural or sensible given the circumstances if somebody pushes on the steering wheel and the mower stops sputtering, the wheel is involved or affects it somehow - definition of logical.
If i come across as rude in any way, i don't mean to and I apologize. The wife says i do at times, at least i thinks she says that, i wasn't really listening lol.
 

Boobala

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While i'm performing my "ain't in my pants routine"? Cute, but i don't think me "pushing up" on the steering equates to anything like that but whatever...
I did try a systemic approach to diagnose the problem but my error only occurred when i omitted an organized conveyance of such. Although, if you are able to take the single line of "I push up on the steering wheel and it stops the tractor from stalling" you very easily could rule out the possibility of it being a fuel issue.

I didn't want to cut the solenoid quite yet because then i could simply be out a $60 part. I am going to take and run a wire to the steering rod and then connect then ground the other end and try that out. If it still stalls, then i can cut the solenoid with more confidence, right?

If i come across as rude in any way, i don't mean to and I apologize. The wife says i do at times, at least i thinks she says that, i wasn't really listening lol.

You DON'T HAVE TO cut the solenoid, just remove it from the carb & replace it with a "bowl-nut" found on carbs WITHOUT the solenoid, secure the wires so they don't interfere with anything.
 

bertsmobile1

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So the logical thing to do is to go back and carry out the two tests asked for in post # 5.

To put a really silly spin on things but hopefullly illustrative.
Pulling up on the wheel and moving back in the seat changes the weight distribution on the mower, combined with a slightly underinflated rear left tyre causes the mower to tilt ever so slightly which changes the angle on the float bowl allowing the float which is just fouling on a badly cut gasket to free itself and cut off the fuel at the proper height.

I could come up with a dozen or more such but I would hope just one will suffice.

Mysterious problems can always be fixed by going back to the basics.
And when going back to the basics identifies what is really causing the problem you then look at the mower to try & understand what pulling on the wheel was actually doing.
 
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