OK. Listen up people. In the 60s oils were developed for Jet aircraft which operated in the extreme cold (like -50) at 35000 + feet and yet could handle the extreme operating temperatures ( 300 + degrees ) generated by the jet turbine engine, basically a giant blowtorch. These are what we now know as "Synthetic" oil or hydraulic fluid. I live in Northern Canada where in the winter I have experienced -55 degrees F. and summer temperatures of 120F. Cold Temperatures such as this cause oil not to flow where needed, to seals and bearings and bushings, and to seize or wear out or just break or don't function. Synthetic fluid continues to flow at these extremely low temperatures, therefore the components are lubricated, do not dry up, and do not break. As well the load on your starter is less, quick start without overheating your electricals. Very high temperatures (+80) have a similar effect on normal oil by causing it to break down from the engine/system heat into it's constitute parts and thereby lose lubricity. Synthetic oils do not break down inl heat, again all the parts are lubricated and can withstand the loads on them. I know it is much more money to run Synthetic fluids, but the savings in time, Repairs, and frustration is worth it. Synthetic fluid costs more, but your change intervals are longer, therefore it works out to about the same. When you first use Synthetic you will find everything starts to loosen up and work much easier. It is important to choose the right Synthetic for each load application. Here in Canada, Toyota now uses only their Synthetic at about $5.00/ quart on their vehicles since their research proved that it worked better, and they had fewer service recalls. I change my Synthetic every three months, my hydraulic fluid once a year. At -40 my Kubota starts every time and runs better than the day I bought it used. If you can't afford to use Synthetic all the time, just replacing one quart in your engine with Synthetic will cause wonders. All the best, lubricate and save on repairs.

Start by removing the cell caps and looking inside. Can you see liquid that is above the plates in all six cells? If five cells have liquid above the plates and one cell appears dry, then you have a bad cell and the battery is toast. If all the cells have liquid above the plates, the someone needs to at least try and recharge your battery. I've had batteries last much longer than three years so no one can say for sure that this battery is no good until an attempt has been made to recharge it so it can be tested. Once the charging has taken place, then the cell caps can be removed and a hydrometer can be used to suck the battery fluid (electrolyte) into to so that you can get a reading on the specific gravity (state of charge) in each cell. All cells should test equal or very close to equal. A wide difference in one or more cells will indicate weak or shorted cells and the battery is toast. Even if all the cells test evenly and very high, a "load test" using a special load testing instrument should be used to determine the amount of reserve power the battery has available for cranking a stubborn engine. These are the tests that need to be performed because maybe....just maybe.... the real problem is with the charging system on your Honda rider. Batteries that don't get recharged, eventually go flat and everyone just assumes that the battery is at fault. Bottom line..... you could go buy a new battery and a week from now, it will be dead as a doornail too. Then what????

My kids did the same thing to the 2 tractors we have. Left the key in the run position, and they closed the fuel shut-offs and let them run until they ran out of gas. The next week when I went to mow the batteries were dead on both machines. I jumped them with the truck and let them both run for 30 minutes. One of the batteries survived... it took a charge and starts fine. The other tractor... well it's battery did not make it. No matter how long you have it on a charger it won't hold a charge. Oh you might get it to start ONCE right after you disconnect the charger but if you shut it off to say move something while mowing... it won't restart. The alternator is fine and indicates 5-amps charging. Swapped batteries between machines and the problem follows the dead battery. Not sure if that helps you, but it sounds like your battery suffered the same fate that one of mine did. It engages the starter.. "click click click" but does not have the energy reserve to turn it over no matter how long you charge it for.

That's the part you apparently are looking for:-) Briggs PN 691955 Finding 5 AMP diodes will start getting a bit tougher, thn lower values. RS has some 6A 50 PIV. 4 pack for $2.50. I'm not sure if they are really up to the task, but I guess you could parallel 2 together for each circuit. The alternator is rated to give 28 VAC MINIMUM. Max may approach much higher values. I'd prefer a little larger "cushion", like 100 PIV. These ARE Radio Shack Diodes! See link- Part of my question about the lights, was that if the lights work, you could take THAT diode, reverse it, and use it for a charge diode. Thinking about that however, I wonder that if the diode(s) were shorted, the AC passing through may also operate the headlights (and kill the battery). Most? electric PTO's take around 4+ amps, so a 5 amp supply is going to be strained IMO. If the PTO has been heavily used, you may want to reset the air gap to .012", or at least check it. Supposedly, if the air gap gets too large, it can cause it to draw more current. Something that does kind of surprise me is a 30 amp fuse for that size charging system. Do you have a voltmeter to check things. It would probably be a good idea if you "make" your own rectifier! Make sure you have somewhat reasonable values before you hook everything up. Here is a link that might be useful: Link