Hi Donna,
A friend of mine has, what I believe is a Murray. He had to put a solenoid on it. As I recall, they are kind of a cheaply made solenoid. I can't think of anything that would make them fail prematurely. He had left his tractor sit outside and it had gotten water in it.

I'd try one more new one ... as a matter of fact, I'd take the one back, which only lasted a month and ask them to replace it.

thanks, tmajor..but the place that i purchased it has a huge sign that says..." absolutely no return on electrical parts, no exceptions" i didn't even try..i was just wondering if i had a bigger problem..i don't know about the solenoids, but you're right..the murrays are low end, translated..cheap..but all that said..it's been a great mower for me, i can't complain! donna

Yeah! I forgot about those signs. I just looked on eBay and it seems the same solenoid is used on a bunch of different tractors, including Exmark, Gravely, Snapper, Simplicity, Wheel Horse and more.

As I recall, now, my friend's didn't burn up, but the internal plunger wouldn't slide, due to corrosion.

It doesn't really matter how cheap the mower is. The solenoid is an entirely separate part.
If the engine is getting harder to start, that will put more "strain" on the solenoid.
You didn't specify which TEC, but if the compression release (if equipped) isn't working, that will also cause the starter motor to draw more amps.
It could be a lot of little things in the electrical system (bad connections etc.) that make the starter motor crank slower than it should, meaning you end up cranking the engine much longer to get it started.
Could be a cheap solenoid too!:-)

it's a tecumseh 13.5 horse, overhead valve...i may have mislead you all when i said it " burned out"..what i should have said, is " stopped working"??? it's didn't burn or smoke..just didn't work anymore..so..do i have a compression release on this model?? i haven't noticed it being harder to start at all..seems like the same as always to me..but in 12 years, you forget the way it was new..things can creep up on you, but it always starts right up, without what i would think is excessive cranking..donna

"stopped working"
I believe, there is a clutch switch in series with the starting circuit (solenoid). If this were bad (assuming there is a switch), it would act the same as a bad solenoid.

Overhead valve Tec have a compression release. If the valve gap gets too wide there is no compression release. If your engine has overhead valve adjust the valves to spec before you burn up a starter (cost about $100). I have seen it happen many times.

The compression release holds the exaust valve open about 0.005 inches when starting, to release the compression. If your valve lash is too great then the compression release doesn't work correctly. This only applies to over head valve engines, as far as I know.

Put an automobile solenoid on it, it will work and be heavier since auto starters draw much much more current than LTs.

clutch switch?? what would that look like?? there's a 15 amp fuse between the battery and solenoid, and on the other end there is one "connection" type thing that appears to be like heat shrink tube, and also a very tiny(about half the diameter of a pencil), round connection, that looks like a fuse holder? i haven't opened it, but it looks like it hols one of those glass fuses that are about an inch long..what would my clutch switch look like, and would it be on the battery end or the end by the starter, coil, etc?? donna
also..how would i know if it is bad, if i end up having one???

Since it cranks after replacing the solenoid,I doubt you have a clutch switch problem. I agree w/ Bill in NC,go to auto parts store and request a "Ford" style solenoid.I believe they connect the same as the one it has now.
HTH,
Mike

The clutch switch would be in the area of the clutch. It would have a mechanical connection, when the clutch is pushed in.

It's very difficult to troubleshoot something like this with out the aid of a multimeter, unless there is a physical problem (clutch switch fell off or a wire has fallen off).

If it is a "clutch pedal operated"clutch switch???",I beleve it would make an electrical connection.jmho.A solenoid core,simply moves,or does not move.Can't imagine what the added "strain" would be.Solenoid contact points can burn too.I take them apart if they fail,to see why.tbk

"If it is a "clutch pedal operated"clutch switch???",I beleve it would make an electrical connection.jmho"

Yes, it would be an "electrical" connection made within an enclosed switch, "actuated" by the mechanical movement of the clutch.

Need to be a little more precise here-
By "stopped working", do you mean-
1. It doesn't click or anything?
2. It clicks, but won't turn the motor?

If 1, a blown fuse or bad switch(es) could be the culprit. If so, jumper 12V directly to the SMALL terminal on the solenoid.
If the motor cranks, solenoid is good.

"If so, jumper 12V directly to the SMALL terminal on the solenoid.
If the motor cranks, solenoid is good."

That would be true, unless the switches and whatever are in the ground side of the circuit. I believe, sometimes the hot wire is jumpered from the solenoid (+) primary lug right to the (+) solenoid coil terminal. In this scenario, there would be two small terminals on the solenoid.

this is the link to the solenoid that goes with my tractor.

Here is a link that might be useful: pic of the solenoid

There are several on the page, however all of them have only the "single, small terminal". This would indicate that the mounting tabs of the solenoid act as the ground. Therefore, the mounting tabs must make good contact with the tractor frame.

the 2 pics are.. one of the original replacement part, and the other is the aftermarket ...so...can i stil put the jumper on the small terminal to see if the solenoid is good, or not? donna

Yes, put it on the small terminal first ... there might be a little arching, as you make the last connection. Make the last connection to the battery (+) terminal or even to the large solenoid terminal, going to the battery. Just long enough to see if the engine turns over.

It may be that if you used the lower priced one as a replacement, that it may not be capable of handling the current that the more expensive one does???

okay..i'll try jumping the solenoid and see what happens!! it's raining cats and dogs now, so i'll give it a shot tomorrow and let you know what happened..thanks alot for your help..donna

Bill
A Solenoid simply uses low amps to excite a magnet that causes a bar (usually copper) to bridge two contact points.

Low Price, high priced it does not matter. They work the same.

Now they are different quality components that are used to make the different "brand" of solenoids. You may have copper contacts in one while another uses brass, aluminum, bronze or even steel.

Donna
Go to your local auto parts store and tell them that you need a Solenoid for a mid 70's Ford (Motorcraft) say for example a Mustang II or a Pinto with a V6 engine. You can get them from around $15 to $25.

It should look like this..

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Connect the battery cable(POS +) from the battery to one of the copper coated post.
Connect the wire going to the starter to the other copper coated post (big one).
Connect the exciter wire from the key switch to the small zinc coated post.

Now you have a rock solid starter solenoid that can easily handle upwards to and beyond 1000 CCA from just about any 12 volt battery. Handling the full load of a 450 to 500 CCA lawn tractor battery will be no problem.

Just a comment on tmajor's advice above "Make the last connection to the battery (+) terminal or even to the large solenoid terminal, going to the battery". I was always told to never make the last connection at the battery due to the potential accumulation of expolsive gasses there. The last connection is the one that will spark, and therefore should be done well away from the battery. Always made sense to me.

That is probably good advice. The only flaw is, when installing jumper cables, both ends are going to be at a battery, unless you select a chassis ground away from the battery, which probably isn't a bad idea either.

In the solenoid case, jumping to the small terminal won't cause much arching, so it would probably be best done at the solenoid rather than the battery.

Donna: You are ignoring the most fundamental advise given to you! You must adjust the valves on this overhead valve engine before you burn up another solenoid and possibly a stater. That is the genesis of your problem. If you have too much valve lash the compression release is not working and too much current is being drawn, which will burn up things again! If you don't know to adjust the valve get some help from someone that does. THE ENGINE IS TOO HARD TO TURN OVER BECAUSE THE COMPRESSION RELEASE IS NOT WORKING. I have seen it on dozens of these engines, usually the starter will be destroyed.

Hippy, I'm totally aware HOW a solenoid works! There is NO MAGNET to excite. The windings induce a magnetic field when current flows! AKA an electro-magnet.
I spent plenty of time in my youth filing the contacts on my 56 Chevy solenoid. Back when you could actually flip the copper disk and use both sides! I've owned a few Fords in the last 40+ years too.
My point was that the lower priced solenoid may have less robust internal components and thus the lower price. SOMETIMES you DO get what you pay for!
A solenoid designed to start an 8 HP engine may be less robust then one designed to start a larger engine.
Obviously one can't tell how much "stouter" a solenoid is by looking at it externally, but of the 2 pictures Donna posted, The "more expensive" solenoid "appears" to be "beefier" in the contact area. Ergo, it at least has the potential to have heavier duty contacts.
IF Donna used a solenoid with insufficient capacity for her "system", one could expect it to have a much shorter life span.
Sometimes, parts simply fail before they should.