JD LT166 (B&S 16HP) won't start!

[bmu]

Hello and greetings from the UK. I was hoping somebody may be able to offer me some advice on a fault I have with my JD LT166 fitted with a Briggs and Stratton 16HP engine.

When I go to start it there is just a click, but it won't fire up. When I charge the battery for a bit eventually I can get it to start and it runs no problem. This screamed battery failure to me so I replaced it with an identical and brand new one. Unfortunately this has not resolved the issue. Indeed, now I can't get it to start at all, just the clicking. Both batteries appear to have a charge when tested (they're "in the green" on my tester, not checked full output).

I've just serviced it (oil and filter change, air and fuel filters and spark plugs changed too), so I'm confident it is not a fuel-flow issue.

Has anybody had any experience of anything like this before? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ben

 

[reynoldston]

If your starter is good I would say you aren't getting full amperage to the starter. Check all battery and cable connections, battery cables, starter solenoid. If that is all good the starter is the last on the list. Good way to test the starter is to take some jumper cables and hook it up direct to a good battery.

 

[BlazNT]

I had a mower that had bad ground connection. Removed paint from connection point and fixed it. Took forever to figure it out.

 

[bmu]

Thanks for your responses Gents. I can't get it to start at all on the new battery, but put the old one on charge for a while and it started no problem. I think this means the starter is good so I'm thinking that maybe the battery I've bought has been sat there a while - will try charging that and going again.

Will check the connections and cables too - thanks for the suggestion :thumbsup:

 

[gregjo1948]

The clicking is probably the solenoid. It sounds like that may be faulty. Try jumping directly from the battery to the starter post. You could also jump the solenoid from big post to big post. Either way will let you know if the solenoid is a problem. gregjo1948

 

[Carscw]

If it will not start with one battery but will start with the second battery then we all know what the problem is.
Come on people this is a easy one.

I will give you a hint it starts with a B

 

[Fish]

Yeah, a brand new battery being bad is not unthinkable, I would take the new one back and have them swap it out with another.

 

[cdestuck]

If all checks out with he batteries and the solenoid, I'll be your valves need adjusting. If theyre too loose, they wont release enough compression to allow battery to turn over engine. Adjust to .004 Plenty of you tubes showing you how to do this

 

[Carscw]

If it was the valves why would one battery start it and one not?

 

[gregjo1948]

If it was the valves why would one battery start it and one not?

Maybe the new battery wasn't charged before installation. gregjo1948