I have a Craftsman T210 with the Kohler 5400 series engine (PS-KS540-3011) 18HP 541CC. It belongs to my cousin and their original issue is that it would not turn over. First, I found that current battery had only 1v, was told they replaced the battery, and it was a new one but could've not had a charge when bought. The battery that was on the mower had somewhere around 200cc.I used a battery off my zero turn (345cc) and the mower would turn over but very slowly but then stop at the compression stroke. After looking at YouTube`, I found that it could possibly be a bad ACR. A video showed that to bypass this issue, just cover the air intake while starting mower and it would start. I tried this and sure enough it worked. So I go ahead and tear engine apart, come to find that ACR is still okay. Its not damaged or seized up. Internals looked good for the most part. Talked with my cousin and her husband was the last person to use the mower. He told me that he went to start it one day and it would not turn over. He states that he got a new battery and it just wouldn't start. He says he kept trying to start it but eventually started to see fumes come out from underneath hood. He states after that happened, he tried again but nothing happened. I did adjust the valves several times but still no new results. I bench tested starter with a jump box and it seems to turn just fine. Im honestly stumped. Could it be the starter solenoid giving out? It has to be something electrical at this point.
inMower will not start
- Thread starter Lui_5793
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Appears the battery may be under the seat therefore the solenoid is next to the battery. Hence smoke under hood not from solenoid. More likely released factory smoke from starter. Starter doesn't work without the included factory smoke. In other words there is a good chance that the starter has been overheated from attempting to start and burnt the starter windings.
So even with starter being bench tested, it could be bad? I didnt hook up a battery to starter, just used a jump box so I have no idea if that was the right way to do that test. And you are correct, battery is under seat, along with solenoid. Starter was the only thing I could think of when they said there was smoke under hood.
But would that cause the engine to turn over slowly? With spark plug out, it will turn over but seems as though it is being held from spinning faster. At this point, I already removed the idler pulley below engine that drives the traction belt just to see if something was seized and is pulling the cranking power from the engine/starter. So, right now, engine is just mounted without any restrictions. I can upload a video of what it is doing if need be.
bertsmobile1
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A alternator is just an motor working backwards in a simple way
Some JD's actually power the alternator to make it work like a brake
IT is amazing just how much engine braking a stator can produce .
Some JD's actually power the alternator to make it work like a brake
IT is amazing just how much engine braking a stator can produce .
VegetiveSteam
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Not sure where you might be on this at this point but the starter could seem to be good being tested with no load on it but could still fail under load.
If the starter is fried you should be able to smell that. Sniff around the end of the starter where the cable from the solenoid connects. There is usually a very distinct smell. I've had starters sent to me for warranty consideration and as soon as I opened the box it was very evident the starter was fried. My position was pretty much if it stinks it probably isn't going to be warrantied.
I've mentioned this in other threads so it's sort of a go to test for me on an engine that doesn't turn over properly and that is the ground. I've found it to be a fairly common issue and is very easy to check. But first make sure you are getting voltage to the starter when you are trying to start it.
You may need an extra hand for this. If you have a volt meter, set it to DC volts. Attach the black lead of the meter to the negative terminal of the battery. Now touch the red lead to the terminal on the starter where the starter cable connects. Try to start the engine and check for voltage at that connection. If everything is working as it's supposed to, you will probably read 10 volts DC or better. So once you confirm voltage is getting to the starter it's time to check the ground side.
Leaving the black lead of your meter connected to the negative battery terminal, touch the red lead to an unpainted part of the starter body. I typically touch to the drive end housing near the starter mounting bolts. Try to start the engine as normal and see if any voltage shows on the meter. If your meter reads voltage then you need to address ground side of the starting circuit. Typically the issue will be something with the negative battery cable. Maybe loose, dirty or corroded. These OEM cables are normally so small of a gauge that it doesn't take much dirt or corrosion to create an issue. If you read zero voltage the ground side is probably okay.
You still might have a long way to go but this could help eliminate a couple of possibilities.
I will try this. And that was my exact thoughts on the starter since it was not being used to turn the flywheel, which would be the load. I haven’t checked if battery voltage is present at starter yet but will for sure check. I will update when I have done all listed above. Thanks!
so today, I managed to get some time to work on the mower. I first cleaned the ground going to the frame of the mower with sanding paper and installed cable. Installed battery since I had it off just in case the battery wouldn’t drain and checked for battery voltage at starter wire on starter. I have battery voltage so I checked for anything on the ground side. Kept negative lead on negative terminal of battery and positive lead on the starter housing. When starting, I only got about .1v. After doing this however, the mower started to turn over without issue but it’s still slow. The battery reads 11.44v when engine is turning over but engine cranking is slow but might be how it’s is. I have a video of the engine cranking but don’t know how to share it.
Spoke too soon. Engine won’t turn over now, stops at compression and whines from the starter solenoid. I did get a scent of something and checked the starter. The smell is coming right from it and is hot to the touch.