Help with Briggs 18 hp, electric start problem

[fespo]

I have to stop playing small engine mechanic. I have old Scagg mower that I took as payment for a small side job. I had the mower running with just a new battery, battery cable and just some carb cleaner spray when it was running. GREAT, it was running without a lot of money. Well when I went to take it home, the plastic starter gear wore out. It was just spinning. Order a new gear and it came in today. i had all the engine cover shroud removed. I put the new gear in, replaced all the remaining parts, everything looked good. Put the battery cable back on and I turned the key to start and I forgot to re attach the cable back to the starter and I had a few sparks. Ok, put the cable back on and turned the key, click click click. checked the battery 12.3 volts, tried again then sparks came off the regulator. Oh no. then nothing happens when you turn the key. So I went to the auto parts store and bought a replacement, again nothing happens. I put the volt meter to the starter and 0 when you turn the key to start. I checked/looked for cut wires, loose wires. I even tried putting a screw driver across the two terminals on the regulator and nothing. Any ideas? Thanks Fespo

 

[greg13]

12.3 v. sounds a little low. Make sure all connections are clean & tight. Do a voltage drop check on the ground side. Hook one test lead to the neg. side of the battery and the other to the starter housing, there should be next to nothing for voltage when you try to crank. If you have no drop there, go to the Pos. side Battery & hot terminal. again little or no voltage. If you have voltage on either side there is a connection problem. If everything shows good look at the starter (replace it and save the headache).

 

[Jags]

As a temp test of the starter you can go directly from the pos side of the battery to the starter post. Use something like a jumper cable (heavy gauge). If that works, work your way backwards from component to component.
Oh - keep in mind that the normal circuit of the tractor has safety switches that must be made (seat switch, PTO switch, neutral switch, etc.) for any of it to work.

 

[fespo]

Jags, I will try the starter trick with the jumper cables.

Greg13, I have no power going anywhere except to the hot side of the voltage regulator. I going to bring the new one back and exchange it, maybe it bad.

Thanks for the help guys

 

[three feathers]

Sounds like a fuse has shot. Check and see if it has an inline fuse or a pigtail with a auto type push in fuse.

 

[fespo]

Three feathers, I did change the fuse but it was still good.

Ok, so I tested all the leads with a test light and the negative clip attached to the ground wire on the frame. meter and test light was show no power to anything. Next to cleaned the ground wire area down to the bare metal. I tried the test light there, bright clean shinny metal NOTHING no ground. I moved the test light around NOTHING. Again everything worked before until I sparked the starter cable on the frame. So I have some type of ground problem. Now I disconnected every wire I could find and still nothing, no ground. Humm now what. Thanks again everyone for your help Fespo

 

[Jags]

Did you check to obvious? Like Battery negative to ground? Go from where the battery actually grounds and test from the pos of the batt to the frame ground.

 

[fespo]

Found the problem, a bad ground wire the was touching the frame New splice, everything works. Thank you everyone for your help, Fespo