and that's what it was. there were 2 wires "one green and one yellow".....that were near the directional pedal pivots. the yellow one was laying loose, with a wire cap and tape on it. the green one i assume was a ground. looked very rusty/corroded. took apart, wire brushed everything up, put new end on wire.Its item 24 on this diagram. Located behind the direction control on the right side of the transaxle
Yard-Man 13AX614G701 - Yard-Man Lawn Tractor (2004) Drive, Controls, Wheels Rear Parts Lookup and Diagrams | PartsTree
Find genuine OEM replacement parts and diagrams for the Drive, Controls, Wheels Rear for the Yard-Man 13AX614G701 - Yard-Man Lawn Tractor (2004)www.partstree.com
Also check the wire for bad spots that could be grounding out
now, blade engages anytime, and doesn't disengage when i reverse.
thanks for all the help.