Craftsman riding mower wont start

[mshearne]

Good morning,
I am using a Craftsman riding mower that has some age to it. Lately it has been getting hard to start without having to jump it and the other day it just wouldn't. Got a new battery for it, but it still would not start, just clicks when I turn the key. Found the starter solenoid and shorted it and the mower started.
Can I assume that I just need to replace the solenoid?

 

[Catherine]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I am moving your thread to the Craftsman section so we can get you some help with that. :smile:

 

[Mikel1]

3 pole or 4 pole solenoid? Most likely when a solenoid clicks it is from lack of voltage to it.

 

[mshearne]

Don't know if it is 3 or 4 poled solenoid. I do know that the battery is new, and that I tried with a deep cycle battery out of a tractor (which was working fine) with the same clicks. Really didn't think getting a new battery would solve the problem, but the existing battery was toast. The only thing I remember about the solenoid are the two main lugs protruding from the top, which I used to short circuit and start the mower. The mower is not at my house, so it will be a couple of days before I can answer how many poles there are.

 

[Mikel1]

Never tried pictures on here, lets see if this works. It works

This first picture is a 4 pole solenoid, the small black wire is the ground and the purple is the power wire. In the second picture positive probe inserted into purple wire terminal and other negative probe to negative post on battery. The voltage is checked while trying to normally start it up. As you can see dc voltage is 12.36V.
On a 3 pole solenoid there will be only one small wire, test the voltage on it.

 

[Gearjammer]

Could also be the starter part of the switch isn't making the circuit that your shorting across the solenoid did. Let us know how you make out. Gearjammer

 

[mshearne]

I took the solenoid out of the mower and got a replacement for it at a local auto parts store, installed it and the mower starts now. However, the starting is a little labored, kinda like the battery is weak. It's a brand new battery, but I read on this forum that it would be a good idea to put a charger on the battery to make sure it is at full charge.
On the condition that the battery is already fully charged, does anyone have an idea why the mower is hesitant to get started. What I mean by this is that the flywheel is slow to turn when I first turn the key. Once it starts turning, then the mower starts pretty easily.

 

[HughDaHand]

I took the solenoid out of the mower and got a replacement for it at a local auto parts store, installed it and the mower starts now. However, the starting is a little labored, kinda like the battery is weak. It's a brand new battery, but I read on this forum that it would be a good idea to put a charger on the battery to make sure it is at full charge.
On the condition that the battery is already fully charged, does anyone have an idea why the mower is hesitant to get started. What I mean by this is that the flywheel is slow to turn when I first turn the key. Once it starts turning, then the mower starts pretty easily.

If it is a Briggs OHV engine the valve lash needs to be adjusted. Once that starts to get out of spec the compression release will not work correctly causing the starter to work harder. This small problem leads to a lot of dead starters and solenoids if not fixed.

 

[mshearne]

Terrific advice. What is it and where is it?