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tcelner

Craftsman riding mower no power when key is turned on.

Tim C
8 years ago

Model 917.272450 purchased 2002, schematic below.

The only activity is occasional clicking of the fuel solenoid. Trouble shooting steps taken so far:

Replaced main solenoid - no help. New nor old solenoid make any noise.

Replaced ignition switch - no help.

Removed and tested all safety switches, all are operating correctly.

Jumped engine cutoff wires in safety switch connectors and jumped starter motor directly from battery... engine starts and runs OK.

Mulched leaves for 2 hours, shut off mower and blew leaf debris off deck with leaf blower after which the mower wouldn't start. Spent a lot of time looking for loose/damaged wiring connections with no luck. Lights do not come on with the switch in the lap position which is unusual. I am suspicious of this because of the note on the schematic below about the lights being part of the alternator system. There is a diode on the alternator but I can't get to it without removing the flywheel. Alternator must work because battery is charged. Whenever I check a connection with a multimeter and get a voltage it counts down to zero. Read somewhere this could intricate a short circuit but not sure about this. Any suggestions please!


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