2004 Z Force 44 Briggs 20HP Electrical Issues

I just bought a project Cub Cadet (53AA5A6L710) that didn't run or ran rough. I got it running by jumping the solenoid and using some starter fluid - Victory! After that, I began troubleshooting the system. I broke the solenoid, so I replaced that part. I determined the ingnition switch, and the reverse cut out switches were bad as well. All other switches Ohmed out. I can now get the Cubbie started with the ignition - Victory! I don't have to jump the solenoid, and I think I have blown out any crud that has built up in the carb. I don't have to use the starter fluid to get the mower running - Victory!

Now the challenge. Whenever I move an arm off of the neutral (I think that is what they are called) switch or I release the Parking brake, the engine cuts off. If I put the brake back on, or replace the arm quick enough, the engine kicks back on. My first thought was the seat switch. I have Ohmed that out and it is fine. I can here it tripping the #2 and #3 relay as well. I have also tested the relays. They all have ~70 Ohms of resistance, continuity across the 30+ and 87 or 30+ and 87a with power. I also ran the relay under a load to test them as well. - No Victory

I can also engage the PTO with the parking brake set and the arms in the outboard position.

When I opened up the panel with the PTO switch, ignition switch, and hour meter, I discovered some extra wires that may be my trouble. I have a red wire coming off of the PTO switch that has a female disconnect, and green wire coming off of the ignition switch with a female disconnect, and a black with coiled around a spark plug wire with a female disconnect (see picture). I determined that the black wire goes to my (single post) hour meter, and I have tested that. I ticked up a tenth of an hour while running the engine.



The ignition switch is a 6 post switch with a 5 post connector. I have a connector on the switch that is currently unused (see picture). I connected the green wire and immediately blew the fuse. I have connected the red wire from the PTO switch to the post and nothing occurred. No impact on performance. When reviewing the wiring diagrams only 5 posts seem to be used even though the cub cadet part calls for a 6 post switch.



So currently, I have a loose red wire (12V when running) and a loose green wire (ground, I believe) and a bare post on the ignition. I have two wire diagrams that are mostly the same. So far, the differences I can find are that one has the hour meter and one does not and the one that does not have an hour meter shows a 5 post switch. The one that does not have the hour meter is out of the manual. The other one is from cubcadetpartsnmore.com




Is there a switch that I have missed? Any suggestions? Thanks!

So I’m brand new to forum but I’m having the EXACT same problem. I have 2003 Z Force 48 (295 hours) that was gifted to me as a project. I have gone through and checked every possible switch cleaned all the connectors/connections. Some how it started working. Well that was until I gave it the welcome back to life test mow. Got the Mower back to the garage happy that I have less than $300 invested ( tires, starter, PTO switch, oil filter etc). Now it dies every time I touch anything with a switch connected to it. I’m at a total loss but I’ll be happy to try and figure this out with you.......

If the engine stops dead when it should not then the problem lies in the switches that connect to the magneto /magnetos.
Which on one diagram is plain yellow or yellow + something.
The relays cause this wire to go to ground which shuts down the engine.
The wire is not your problem it is working as should
the problem is the wires that trip the relays that the magneto wires are connected to
Because they are relays, cub can use either the + or - trigger wire , or both to trip the relay.
So the first thing to do is to bypass the seat switch so you can work with the seat up or even off if it makes things easier to access.
The easiest way is simply to pull the switch out & clamp / cable tie it in the down position.

Next go to your owners manual and work out which switches do what.
I like to chock the wheels & engage the bypass valve so the mower does not drag me 1/2 way round the block.
With the bypass open it is important to run the engine as slowly as possible to avoid any possible damage to the hydros.

Usually the things that kill the engine are;-
1) engaging the PTO with the seat empty ( seat switch & PTO switch )
2) Engaging the drive with the parking brake on ( lap bar switches & parking brake switch )
3) engaging the drive with the seat empty ( lap bars switches & seat switch )
4) seat empty without the parking brake on ( seat switch & parking brake switch )

What works for me is to use patch leads ( short wires with terminals that can be plugged into the various sockets ) to bypass one of the switches ( both for lap bars ) then see what happens when I activate / deactivate the other switch in the pair.

The caveat here is to test every socket for 12V before you jump it and make sure that you are not jumping 12V to a magneto kill wire because that will wreck the timing module in the coil.

It is tedious and confusing so take a pad & pencil with you and a copy or two of the wiring diagrams.
I like to run a highliter over the control wires to the various relays , using a different colour for each one or separate copies of the diagrams.

Hi. I got mine sorted out. It was an order of operations for me after I replaced all the components. I had to have the brake set, PTO disengaged, handles out, and sitting in the seat to start it. After ignition, I had to disengage the brake, then pull the handles in. I could then start the PTO. If you have ohmed out everything, then you may be dealing with executing the steps in the proper sequence.

With brake set, handles out, PTO off, butt in seat:
Does the mower crank?

If no - check seat switch, PTO switch, brake switch

Does the mower start?
If no - spray starter fluid in carb to see if motor starts and verify that fuel valve is open.
If yes:


If yes:
Release brake - Does mower stay running?

If no - Handle switch may be bad
If yes, pull handles in.

Does mower run?
If yes - engage PTO
If no - check brake switch

Does mower run after PTO engaged?

yes - mow!

Remember order of operations is important. Would have saved me about 2 hours of troubleshooting, if I had known...

1) Butt in seat
2) Parking brake set
3) Handles out
4) PTO off
(Fuel valve on)

After Start
1) Butt in seat
2) Parking brake released
3) Handles in
4) PTO on

Shut down
1) PTO off
2) Handles out
3) Brake set
4) Ignition off

These are not complicated machines. Have you found the owners manual, wiring diagram, or parts list for your mower?

Hope that helps!