older exmark zeroturn electrical issue

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crazyelite22

Forum Newbie
Hello please excuse my grammer I am typing on a phone. I have an early 2000 exmark zeroturn mower which I will include a picture if I can, no model numbers that I can find. Anyways we have an issue where it will start and run fine but then it dies almost like someone turned the key off. Now the battery was new in June of 2013, but I guess it could be bad. The thing is well charge it overnight and when I start it, it runs only a short amount of time before dying. My guess is it is a wiring issue or a switch issue but I have no idea how to diagnose this. If one of you wiring wizards can point me to some common problems maybe we can get this thing figured out...
 

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Have a few questions before we can help you with your problem. At this point we must figure out why it is quiting, so you are going to have to tell us more. 1. Does it quit while you are moving or just sitting there? 2. When it quits have you checked for spark? 3. Can you restart it right away or do you have to wait for awhile? 4. What have you tried doing to keep it running? 5. What is your electrical experience? Remember, we cannot see, hear or feel you problem, so you must give us a clear picture of your unit to help you.
 
Rivets said:
Have a few questions before we can help you with your problem. At this point we must figure out why it is quiting, so you are going to have to tell us more. 1. Does it quit while you are moving or just sitting there? 2. When it quits have you checked for spark? 3. Can you restart it right away or do you have to wait for awhile? 4. What have you tried doing to keep it running? 5. What is your electrical experience? Remember, we cannot see, hear or feel you problem, so you must give us a clear picture of your unit to help you.
Click to expand...
1. Yesturday after a charge it ran and drove for a while. First time starting in 2 months, today it dies just sitting here. Could be coincidence but dies when choke turns off. I want to emphasize that it doesn't cough out or struggle at all. It just shuts off like someone turned the key, then when we try to start it nothing, no clicks or anything for a while. Then randomly it will start again, usually after a charge.
2. No because it will not even crank after it dies.
3. Wait a while. Not sure if we have to charge it again or just wait for a switch to reset
4. Not really. I'd like to run it and keep the choke on to see if it stays running but since it died 20 minutes ago I've been charging it but the when I turn the key I get nothing, so I'm currently waiting for either the battery to charge or for the possibly broken switch to reset itself. I don't know
5. I have wired trailers, snowmobiles, a little car accessory wiring, and know how to solder, if u tell me what connection to test I can figure out a multi meter and give u my readings.
 
First thing to do is to remove and wire brush your battery connections, and where it grounds to the frame. So you don't waste a lot of time if it is just that.
Also, look at the plug on your keyswitch, and look for a lot of corrosion. do this first, and if you still have a problem, post your mower's model numbers off of the tag on
the frame, and all of the numbers off of the tag on your engine, so we can give better advice.
 
Ok. Update. I got it started since ny last post. Ran it on choke for 3 minutes then I heard the engine change running condition so I turned choke off. Stayed running. When It died eventually I narrowed it down the the two fuses below your left leg as u sit on the mower. When I jiggle them it will start again. So I may have bad gas or a gunned up carb jet but I think these fuses are my electrical problem. What do those fuses operate? Are they any way connected to the choke. Thank you
 
Fish said:
First thing to do is to remove and wire brush your battery connections, and where it grounds to the frame. So you don't waste a lot of time if it is just that.
Also, look at the plug on your keyswitch, and look for a lot of corrosion. do this first, and if you still have a problem, post your mower's model numbers off of the tag on
the frame, and all of the numbers off of the tag on your engine, so we can give better advice.
Click to expand...

will post numbers tomorrow, please read my last post maybe it will shed new light. Battery connections aren't corroded and I recently cleaned them. I will also check key switch.
 
Yeah, jiggling wires is also a way of locating trouble, one of them is likely the main from the battery going to your keyswitch, and is probably what is going on. So you should focus there. If you have an afterfire solenoid or smartspark, a power loss to either of those would kill your engine. Post the model numbers so we can put up a diagram to follow the circuits.
 
This sounds to me that you have two problems, electrical and fuel. Let's solve the electrical first. Next time it quits and will not crank to restart, take a voltage reading at the battery. You should have roughly 12.6V. If you have voltage, check the fuses. Also, check the connection between the battery ground and the chassis. I will need you to post back results so I can determine which direction to send you. This problem might be solved in 20 minutes or 10 hours, as electrical troubleshooting takes time and patience. Let me know if you want my help, as I am very slow, needy and not always available, and there are others here who areable to do a better job than me.
 
Yeah.... The site won't cut us a check, if there is another "old tech" claiming to have helped the original poster..... Us old retired guys need this check, as our disability
and food stamp money won't cover the vast amount of beer we require to help folks here on the forums.........

So you need to pick your head chef early on I guess........


Just kidding Rivets a bit!!!!!

Anyway, sounds like you have almost found your problem anyway, just give us those model numbers!!!!
 
Fish said:
Yeah.... The site won't cut us a check, if there is another "old tech" claiming to have helped the original poster..... Us old retired guys need this check, as our disability
and food stamp money won't cover the vast amount of beer we require to help folks here on the forums.........

So you need to pick your head chef early on I guess........


Just kidding Rivets a bit!!!!!

Anyway, sounds like you have almost found your problem anyway, just give us those model numbers!!!!
Click to expand...

ok I'm not really sure what you are talking about but like I said I will post the numbers tomorrow. Thanks
 
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