You seem to be observant and should be able to get this figured out. Assuming that the carb solenoid had been enabled and the tractor ran- I'd leave it unhooked. The plunger can be nipped off and it will run fine or you can pay real money to Kohler for a new one. AN inline valve is a good idea for this carb. BTW the solenoid doesn't prevent flooding, it merely blocks the tube in the carb as an anti- backfire measure. Most of these had a rubber cap that made the seal actually. This rider will start and run w/o the operator on the seat provided that A) the park brake is set and B) the deck is disengaged. Headlight wires seem to be an item that pops the fuse often enough too. Post the 917# from below the seat if you need further assistance. Good luck.

By the way, if one goes to the Lawn & Garden Tractors Forum on the website, the Kohler discussion thread comes up. So (1) posting on an old discussion DOES NOT allocate it to the string ball of threads, (2) in fact it reinserts that thread onto the active file and (3) cpmsequently it appears on the current list of âÂÂOn topicâ discussions. (Curious category, one wonders if we still belong). Therefore, with the GardenWeb way of doing things, my posting (a) made it easy for everyone to locate the earlier discussions. It also (b) enhanced retention and retrieval of earlier useful comments, (c) retains the name of the original poster and creator of the thread, and (d) consequently it may bring others with experiences to offer into the discussion. Not bad for an eveningâÂÂs work. For guys like me, "Newbies" seems to be the operative term, which does seem unnecessarily condescending and not overly complementary. For example, I may be the oldest one on the thread, and certainly my mower is among the oldest. The first, but probably not the second, also applies to using (and fighting with, and yes trying to mind read the designers of) lawnmowers. Must I really be thought of as a âÂÂnewbieâÂÂ, canâÂÂt I just be âÂÂone of the guysâÂÂ?

The MOST likely cause is the seat switch. Make sure it is plugged in and closed when occupied. Another possibility is a bad Operator Presence Relay. Check the connections. IF it isn't getting power from the seat switch, it's in a "kill spark" condition. With the key ON, opening/closing the seat switch should cause the OPR to CLICK.

I was part of this original thread (scary how quickly it turned into a long time ago!) There are people on this forum who are expert on these engines. I just lucked into the possibility of the magnets being out of sync after going through a lot of the same steps you have. I know it is frustrating. I know that the magnets coming unglued is a common possibilty on an older engine if you aren't the original owner and don't know the history. I "know" that it is possible for the magnets to be unglued but the charging system can still work but is in danger or self destructing. It's easy enough to check the magnets when you pop the flywheel (and it should come off much easier this time ((you did neversez the taper when reassembling?)). I "think" it might be true that the system might charge a little if only 2 of the magnets are out of sync, but if they are 3 and 3 it won't charge at all. Please report back when you find the problem.