***"not necessary to disconnect both cables when working on electrical, just the negative/black?"*** That is correct.....So long as the negative/black cable is in fact, the GROUND cable for the vehicle electrical system. And in most machines built in the last 40 years or so, the negative/black is the ground conductor. But you must "cling to" every word of the description. "Negative", "Black", "Ground"! Each word must be considered as a separate and individual criterion when you are preparing to "put a tool" to the battery terminals. (this is a lesson, listen up) There are currently (no pun) no laws governing the colors of wires and cables used in AUTOMOTIVE applications. There are "generally accepted and recognized practices", but no REGULATIONS. Black is nearly universally used as the color (by OEMs) of the negative battery cable, Red for positive cable, but some OEMs might decide to use black cables for BOTH positive and negative conductors leading from the battery posts. And, additionally, you must always consider that the original RED positive cable.....might have been replaced with a BLACK cable. Furthermore, the OEM, BLACK negative cable, might have been replaced with a RED one (you see all kinds of things in "used equipment". The odds of finding a BLACK cable for the positive conductor are actually pretty good, while the odds for finding a RED cable for the negative conductor are slim (but I have found them more than once). Nonetheless, since it only requires that you "look at" the markings on the battery (positive+, negative-), that is what you MUST DO,.... each and every time you prepare to "put a tool" on a battery terminal. ALSO, when you identify the negative post/cable of the battery......trace the cable to where it connects next. If the negative cable connects to the vehicle frame, chassis, or engine block....it is the GROUND conductor. This configuration is what you will find on just about every machine/vehicle of recent manufacture. But, it makes sense to understand the relationship of "color vs. polarity vs. function" in a vehicle electrical system. IF the black cable is connected to the negative battery post at one end, and to the "vehicle ground" at the other end.........that is the only cable you need to remove from the battery in order to render the electrical system "inert" and safe to work on. Even that statement will have "limitations" if the vehicle has advanced electronics and engine/cab controls, but for MOST L&G tractors, it is the best, safest, practice. ................................................... Getting back to your Huskee. Before doing the next test, disconnect the GROUND cable from the battery. Leave all wires connected to the solenoid "posts",.... connected for the test. The black/blue pair will be removed but reconnected in this procedure. To further test whether the solenoid is defective (shorting inside the solenoid), if the first series of tests point in that direction, remove the mounting bolts of the solenoid (where solenoid mtg bracket fastens to chassis/frame. Reconnect the black/blue pair of wires to their same chassis/frame bolt and secure with nut. Use some kind of non-metallic, electrically insulating material (suitable piece of cardboard, carpet, even an old sneaker will do) to set the solenoid on so it can't touch a grounded surface (chassis). Once you have the solenoid resting on the non-metallic material, reconnect the ground cable to the battery negative post. Now, operate the ignition switch to the start position. If the fuse does not "blow" now, it indicates the solenoid has an internal short to ground (fuse DID NOT blow because no ground was provided for the "short" to use). Don't expect the solenoid to operate during the test. Access to the solenoid on my Huskee is somewhat "difficult at best", but I find I can get a better view of it by going in from the right side floorboard/step area (front end of center console and backside of engine). I have to lock the brake/clutch pedal down to get more room for my head. In taking the photos, I went through the battery access under seat AND from the other end I described above.

Thanks everyone for your help, I figured it out. As I looked at the battery voltage I noticed at the battery it was 12 volts but at the harness to the switch it was 11.9. So I started walking back from the battery to the harness tying to jump over to the solenoid. When I tried to to crank from the hot side of the fuse it would not crank. I popped open the connector on the small hot wire between the fuse and the solenoid and it had corrosion in there. I cleaned it out, sprayed a little DW40 on it, snapped it back together and now it cranks right up! Still no lights but those haven't worked in a while, maybe corrosion somewhere else. But at least now I can mow!

First disclaimer, I have never opened up a KA range, so I am going on generic knowledge. The way the sparkers/ignitors work falls into two general categories. Some ranges have a "lite" position that actuates a switch that turns on the ignitors. If this is the case, then it is probably the switch in that specific knob. Other ranges have an "unburned gas" sensor built into the ignitor itself. These are the kind of ranges will generally self re-light without having to touch the knob. If you have this kind, it is likely one of the following problems: * The ignitor is "bad" (not sensing unburned gas) * The wiring (or connections) from the ignitor to the module is bad (yes, can still spark and not sense properly) * The ignitor module is bad How easy to fix will depend on how easy it is to get to the module (so you can potentially debug by, for example, carefully switching around wires from burner to burner) and how much parts cost. Some posters with other makes have been able to use "generic" modules as well as ignitors intended for a different manufacturer's product, but "your mileage may vary" on that.

Weber is generally not a bad choice. They on average tend to use better materials that won't fail quite as quickly. And they keep their product lines around for so long, that even years later, you can buy replacement parts. Having said that, parts do fail over time. That's the nature of the beast. High heat, open flames, and constant exposure to the elements does take its toll. You can spend a lot more money and buy super-premium brands that maybe won't need service quite that regularly, but it doesn't sound as if that's what you are looking for. Those brands target more of a professional market segment and/or large community outdoor kitchens.