Did you check the engine oil before starting it after winter storage? Don't buy a new starter until you find out if you can turn the flywheel by hand! Check all cables, including the ground cable where it attaches to the frame, and clean up all cable connections and use new bolts in them! And, for Pete's sake--DON"T buy a new starter from a John Deere dealer!! They will charge twice the cost of one from somebody else! And, don't buy one, any way, it probably is something else. check the fuse in the fuse holder, near the starter solenoid. Its one of those new, flat type. Better take the battery to somebody and have them give it a load test. Gas stations usually have them. But not the gas and go type of place! You'd be lucky to find somebody there that would know what you meant if you asked. Some of the auto parts stores can do the checking for you, if you bring the battery to them. Those little tractor batteries are usually good for 2 summers. Because of the many starts they do, in normal usage. Can you get your car close enough to jump from it? (The current-not jump off it literally)

hello HU-407961074 I am not going to read through all the comments above. Hope you have tried their suggestions. This is long. The original part number is 394891. B&S changed the part number to 590781 when they switched to a chinese supplier. The retail price for this item is close to $60.00. All the cheap armature ignitions on the internet may work ok, but I don't know. The original ignition seldom fails. Mice destroyed your sparkplug wires. Another failure occurs when the key switch fails and voltage is introduced into the armature coil shut off wire. When the key is turned off, the shutoff wire should be connected to ground only. Any voltage will instantly destroy a new armature coil. Corrosion on the mounting post and mounting screws is another problem that will cause loss of ignition. A shorted shutoff wire will also cause a problem. When installing a new armature coil, clean the mounting post to insure a good connection. A small wire brush will work fine. Make sure there is no corrosion on the armature laminated stack. The mounting screws must be clean. Direction of installation is marked on the armature coil. With the armature pulled away from the flywheel, tighten the screws. Rotate the flywheel until the magnets are next to the armature. Install a spacer (.008 - .012) between the armature and the magnets. A business card will usually work. Loosen the screws and the armature will be attracted to the magnets. Tighten the screws. Remove the card by rotating the flywheel. Feed the ignition wires to the sparkplugs but do not install. Leave the shut off wire disconnected. Connect the sparkplug leads to an air gap ignition tester. The tester should have a .166 gap. Approximately 13,000 volts is needed to jump the .166 gap. If you do not have the proper tester, make your own. Connect the ignition tester to the engine block - not the spark plugs. NOTE: The glow light ignition testers do not always work well, so do not use. These will glow at a voltage too low to start a small engine. You can test for ignition now - even with the blower shroud removed. You will need to hold the oil filler in position so it does not blow out. Care is needed with a rotating flywheel. Look at the spark tester for ignition. A spark can be blue, amber, or invisible. A darken area may be needed when performing this test. Before connecting the shut off wire, you must insure the key switch is not feeding voltage and that the off position connects to ground. Install the blower shroud. Sparkplugs may have carbon or oil on the porcelain. This may form a carbon trail for the voltage to follow and you will never see a spark. A crack in the porcelain will also cause loss of spark. If your flywheel key is sheared, the engine may not start due to incorrect timing, however you should still have spark. If the engine does not start after ignition is restored and timing is restored, ask questions.

In this case the elect. fuel shut-off solenoid (item 1) in in place of and older design carb. that just has a bolt to hold the float bowl on. Just remove the wire and using a wrench on the hex portion of the solenoid. This solenoid will click and open when you turn the key to the on position moving the plunger that mowie talked about to let fuel into the carb. you can test this by simply removing it ground it out against the carb. (with the power wire connected)(or you can use a battery charger with the + connected to the elect. hook-up and the - grounded against the body of the solonoid) and turn the switch to the on position. you should see the plunger actuate out when power is supplied (12V) and retract when power (12Vs is removed) Other than that spraying the passages and seeing if float works is the same as older design carb. remember their will be two gaskets when you remove the float bowl, 1 on the solenoid to seal it against the carb. bowl(usually a crush type gasket that can be reused if it didn't get torn up during removal, 2 o-ring at the top of the fuel bowl which usually sticks to the carb. housing and can be reused if it didn't get damaged during removal. you want the o-ring on the carb. housing for installation and not on the bowl cause the bowl slips over the o-ring and will most likely get pinched if put inside the bowl when installing or have it on the carb. housing to alow the bowl to slip over the o-ring for a good seal job, but you still have to look and see if it's pinched out while tighen the solenoid. as with all o-ring installations you need some type of lubricant to ensure you don't pinch the o-ring when installing it, most use small amount of vasoline jelly. If you have pinched it fuel will leak when the float fills the bowl up. To prevent pinching of the o-ring install the bowl and hold it up against the carb while screwing the solenoid on hand tight, now look around the bowl where it meets the carb housing for the o-ring sticking out, if you don't see no protrusion the tighten the solenoid using a wrench on the hex part of the solenoid. Tighten as tight as it was coming off trying not to over tighten it so you don't smash the crush gasket on the solenoid creating leak. most people with general knowledge and do this, if you have fuel leak try to see if the fuel is coming from the bottom or the top of the fuel bowl? remove the bowl inspect the gaskets and try to reseal it again, if it still leaks then you will have to take it to a mechanic which IMO will cost you no more that taking in as long as you didn't lose or damage parts during the trial maintenance repair. kinda of long sorry.

Lewis: Might i suggest this: Go buy a new short block! I can tell, by your questions, that for you to try to rebuild your engine--will be a waste of your time, and money! Rebuilding a lawn mower/tractor engine, or any kind of gasoline or diesel engine is way over your head in the "learned" category! most of us here, who give advice to others, figure the "asker" has at least some idea of how to rebuild an engine, and other parts. I have been doing this work for some time. I started out as an auto mechanic, and then intto auto body repair and refinishing, and finally lawn equipment repairing. And, i still don't get into a job where i have to ask questions, without some in-grown knowlege of the job at hand. you could ostensibly get the new cam in the engine, and other parts installed, too, and wipe it all out with one revolution of the crankshaft! (Ever hear of timing marks?) I am now 88 years of age, and still learning about lawn equipment and how to fix the stuff. A suggestion: Buy a short block. or: Buy a complete new engine. Or: Buy a new tractor. From what i have read, anything less will be a waste of your money. Then leave the rebuilding to folks who know what a cam-shaft is and how to install it correctly! JMHO: Rusty Jones