Koehler Courage 20HP no power

R

RitchieP

Forum Newbie
Cub cadet LT1045
2008
Worked great then won’t start.
Mowed lawn (3Acres)
Dusty but not high grass
No problems. Then pulled a small trailer with some landscaping stones, worked great.
Parked it, went in, had dinner, came out 2 hours later and it won’t start.
12.2V from battery
Fuse is good, continuity test
12.2V to positive terminal of solenoid
Removed engine cover starter engaged to flywheel
Flywheel Turns manually starter disengaged and dropped
Temporary bypass seat safety
Press clutch/brake turn key, lights in display, but no power to starter
Replaced the solenoid (3Pole), but no change
It’s as if there is a safety switch somewhere preventing it from starting but I can’t think of what else it might be.
PTO is not engaged
Is it possible that the Neutral (lever in back) switch is not engaged even though it is pressed in? I can push the mower even though it is pushed in, so I’m thinking that may be the problem. Any way to bypass that?
Thoughts?
 
Cranking circuit
Solenoid battery terminal
fuse
B on key switch
S on start switch
PTO switch
Parking brake switch
Trigger wire on solenoid

Jump from the battery cable on the solenoid to the trigger terminal at the base
Solenoid should trip & engage the starter
Some have a ground wire at the base as well
Others ground via the mounting bolts
 
Hey there Bert.
Tried to jump start with a new solenoid....starter engages and tries to crank.
with key in on position, I am getting no power to the trigger on the solenoid.
I believe that implies either a safety switch somewhere or bad connection from key switch to trigger.
 
KEy has to be in the Start position to get 12V on the trigger
When working on the cranking circuit I pull the plug off the back of the key switch & jump the B & S wires to simulate the key being in the start position.
Then it is a test LAMP to follow the power from the switch to the solenoid
Thus it is a one hand job
My test lamp is home made using an old headlight with a blown element so the load is big enough for a dirty connection to show up.
The leads are 10' long so the light sits out oof the way and being a headlight globe ( High beam to boot ) it is easy to see when it is on.
 
Good advice - I will start at the key switch and work back to the trigger through the safety switches (PTO, Reverse, Brake, Seat) and then report back.
 
bertsmobile1 said:
My test lamp is home made using an old headlight with a blown element so the load is big enough for a dirty connection to show up.
Click to expand...

Good to see someone knows the difference between potential and circuit voltage. I tried teaching tech school grads we hired the difference between measuring potential with a high impedance meter and voltage in a circuit with current flow. They just couldn't understand why they could get a proper voltage reading but have a corroded connection. There is a tool called LOADpro that loads a circuit to test for corroded connections. Like Bert i made my own. A good meter is a great tool but you need to understand what you are measuring.
 
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