Zero turn won't start

[jlightning]

I put a new battery in my scag tiger cub about a week ago and a half ago and it won't start now unless I jump it w/ my atv. The guys at my local shop talked me into a battery w/ 300 cca when the old battery had 350 cca. Does 50cca make all the difference? When I first put it in it could get the mower going on its own but as soon as it sat for a few days it would need the jump. Also I hooked it up to a tender and it started up after it was fully charged. I'm torn as to what I should do....buy a 350 cca battery to test my theory of the underpowered battery or just have the shop take a look at it to see if the starter or stater need to be replaced.

 

[Allagash350]

I put a new battery in my scag tiger cub about a week ago and a half ago and it won't start now unless I jump it w/ my atv. The guys at my local shop talked me into a battery w/ 300 cca when the old battery had 350 cca. Does 50cca make all the difference? When I first put it in it could get the mower going on its own but as soon as it sat for a few days it would need the jump. Also I hooked it up to a tender and it started up after it was fully charged. I'm torn as to what I should do....buy a 350 cca battery to test my theory of the underpowered battery or just have the shop take a look at it to see if the starter or stater need to be replaced.

What's it doing when you try to crank it? Is it trying to turn over or just clicking?
What weight oil are you running?
Terminals clean? If not wire brush them and put a little fluid film on them.
What is the engine and hp?
Can't answer if 300cca is enough without a little more info.
Also have the battery tested. It should be holding a charge if it is brand new.
My gut tells me 300 is more than enough and it is a battery issue.
Sorry for the long post

 

[jlightning]

What's it doing when you try to crank it? Is it trying to turn over or just clicking?
What weight oil are you running? Sae30
Terminals clean? If not wire brush them and put a little fluid film on them. The terminals are clean but I may try to reconnect them
What is the engine and hp? It a brigs and stratton 26hp engine
Can't answer if 300cca is enough without a little more info.
Also have the battery tested. It should be holding a charge if it is brand new.
My gut tells me 300 is more than enough and it is a battery issue.
Sorry for the long post

 

[jlightning]

Also it will click when I try to start it if it isn't being jumped or if the battery is coming off a full charge

 

[Jon1270]

You say it seems to lose charge over a few days if it's parked without being connected to a charger. Are you sure of that? Could it be that the battery was already low when you parked it?

It's very unlikely that the 50CCA difference is the problem. I'd say that either there's a short that gradually drains the battery when the mower is sitting unused or, more likely, something is wrong with the charging system. I've never worked on one of these, but the electrical system has to be dead simple. Look over all the wires, big and small, making sure that there's no broken insulation or loose or corroded connections.

 

[blades]

Ya have a short and/ or not charging when running. Always possible to get a bad new battery- that's a long shot though. Could be a bad start/run switch.
Do you have a volt /ohm meter and the ability to use one? With all the safety switches on these things it is a royal pain to diagnose in person let alone virtually over the net.

 

[Jon1270]

Do you have a volt /ohm meter and the ability to use one? With all the safety switches on these things it is a royal pain to diagnose in person let alone virtually over the net.

A meter would certainly be handy, but a bad safety switch wouldn't cause this kind of problem. That said, not only have I never worked on one of these, I'm not sure I'd even recognize one if it bit me. I have rewired a couple of motorcycles though, so I'm not just making stuff up. I think the short/charging system problems are vastly more likely.

 

[Jags]

Did this machine have any history of draining (or possibly not charging) prior to this new battery? If not, I think you may have identified the problem. Replace the battery.

If a battery is fully charged (with a charger) you should be able to run that machine for several mowings before it needs a recharge. If it is dead (starter clicks when engaged) after a couple of days, the battery is not holding a charge or is being drained. With no prior history, go to the most obvious - the new component (battery).

 

[jlightning]

The old battery was the original from 2008 so it was due for a replacement and was giving me trouble starting by the end of last year's cutting season. I don't have a meter or know how to use one so that's not a possibility for finding out what the problem is. I think I'll try to reconnect the battery and see what happens along w/ che king the wires. If that doesn't work I'll take the battery to the shop and have them test it

 

[greg13]

Check the connections at the battery first.
If you have a test light, with everything off disconnect one of the cables from the battery. Put the light in line, the light should not light if it does there is a draw.

 

[jlightning]

I took the battery to my local shop and the battery is fine so either I have a bad connection or a short on the frame somewhere. I guess I should buy a simple electric tester. Greg 13 the guy at the shop said you could find a short by disconnecting the ground wire then put a tester on the negative and frame and check the meeter? Does that sound rite?

 

[claydogg84]

Grab a cheap multi meter from Harbor Frieght. Set it on DC Volts. Start the mower with the meter hooked up to the battery. If the voltage doesn't rise, the charging system isn't working. If it is in fact charging, you likely have a wiring issue which shouldn't be hard to find.

 

[Sprinter]

My guess is that it's not getting charged. Or possibly the battery terminal connections are poor. Remove them and clean everything up.

But Like claydogg84 suggested, you need to get a meter to track down a problem like this. You can tell a lot just by putting the meter on the battery. With no load, a good fully charged battery should read about 12.7 volts. Then it will dip while being cranked, then when it starts, it should go up above 13.5 volts or so while it's charging. Make sure the rpms are high enough to charge. If it doesn't go up to about that after starting, it's probably the alternator or some other charging component. BTW, a bad alternator can actually drain the battery.

But those are the only checks I'd recommend doing yourself if you are not comfortable with it. Much more than that, you really should get help.

When you do get this fixed, I''d install a new battery anyway. It's old enough and has gone through enough lately.

Another thing you can do is put the meter first on the battery terminals themselves while cranking and note the reading. Then do it with the meter on the wire connection on the outside of the battery terminal. If the battery terminal voltage doesn't change much, but the connector voltage goes way down, it's the battery connection. It happens a lot with cars.

 

[Lake Girl]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/general-lawn-garden/209364-scag-wildcat-charging-issue.html
Voltage reg grounds through mounting bolts and one was loose ...

Another site mentioned to check the fuses!

 

[Sprinter]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/general-lawn-garden/209364-scag-wildcat-charging-issue.html
Voltage reg grounds through mounting bolts and one was loose ...

Good one...

 

[Lake Girl]

Both those mentions cured the problem in those instances. Seemed like the easiest things to rule out

 

[jlightning]

The guy at the shop said to check the fuses also. I will check all of the wires & connections when I get home along w/ the fuses. I figure I will put the battery in and connect the positive but keep the negative off of the battery until I'm ready to use it. I figure if there is a drain on the battery this will prove that. If it starts up after a couple of days I have a short if not I'm back to the drawing board

 

[johneh]

Greg 13 the guy at the shop said you could find a short by disconnecting the ground wire then put a tester on the negative and frame and check the meeter? Does that sound rite?

He is right but with this method no special tools needed
Use an old style head light connect 1 0f the prongs of the light ( short length 16 18 gauge
wire will work )and the other end to the neg. side of battery . The opposite prong connect
to the battery ground wire If the light glows you have a short of a power wire . To run down
the exact source disconnect one powered item at a time till light goes out . When the light goes
out you have found the bad circuit repair as necessary.
I know I made this as clear as mud !

 

[jlightning]

Ok so I fully charged the battery and reconnected it in the mower and at first it wouldn't start. After holding the key on for 10 seconds all of a sudden it would start but only half the times it tried to start it and every time I needed to hold the key on for a couple of seconds before it would start. I then tried to jump it and that didn't work any better. I'm at a loss with this one. Could the ignition be bad due to the delayed starts?

 

[Jon1270]

During those seconds when you're holding the key on and waiting, does it make any sounds as if it's trying to start, i.e. clicking or the humming strain of an electric motor? Or is it dead silent for a while and then suddenly goes through what sounds like a normal startup?

 

[greg13]

Ok so I fully charged the battery and reconnected it in the mower and at first it wouldn't start. After holding the key on for 10 seconds all of a sudden it would start but only half the times it tried to start it and every time I needed to hold the key on for a couple of seconds before it would start. I then tried to jump it and that didn't work any better. I'm at a loss with this one. Could the ignition be bad due to the delayed starts?

It may be tough to do, but try going to the battery cable terminal on the starter with the jumper cable and see if it acts right. If there is corrosion in the battery cable between the battery & starter or between the cable & wire terminals it will act like that. I had to replace the terminals in my wife's zero turn last weekend for the same problem. since it runs, the ignition side is fine.The problem is in the cranking circuit, that is the battery (you tested by charging & jumping) battery cables (both hot & ground), starter & starter solenoid and key switch. Based on what you have said, my money would be on the cables and or connections.

 

[TreePointer]

It may be tough to do, but try going to the battery cable terminal on the starter with the jumper cable and see if it acts right. If there is corrosion in the battery cable between the battery & starter or between the cable & wire terminals it will act like that. I had to replace the terminals in my wife's zero turn last weekend for the same problem. since it runs, the ignition side is fine.The problem is in the cranking circuit, that is the battery (you tested by charging & jumping) battery cables (both hot & ground), starter & starter solenoid and key switch. Based on what you have said, my money would be on the cables and or connections.

That was my problem once with the JD tractor in my avatar. The issue is that not all hot (red) and ground (black) cables are of the same quality, and some are more prone to internal corrosion than others (not fully sealed). I did that same trick by connecting a jumper cable to the POSITIVE battery terminal and the other end to the starter bolt where the red cable attaches to the starter. It started easily with the jumper cable. I subsequently replaced the red cable--problem solved.

 

[Allagash350]

Well I guess by now you've figured out you've got enough cca for your motor. My cheetah with 34 efi is 350 cca if it makes you feel better.
Sounds like it could be a faulty ignition switch.
Have you checked all of the safety points designed to kill engine?
I remember on my old exmark the pto switch was going and half the time I couldn't start it because it was showing the pto still engaged.
It wouldn't do anything then all of a sudden it would turn over.

 

[Sprinter]

The symptoms are a bit confusing, but my ZTR had similar symptoms and it turned out to be the solenoid. They can develop shorts in the windings, or the contacts can be intermittent.

 

[jlightning]

When I turn the key there is dead silence for a few seconds then all of a sudden the engine comes to life. I checked the seat and brake lever safety switches which seem to be fine. I cleaned them up a bit but I can't be sure they work properly. Is there a way to bypass them to check if they are the issue? I checked the wires again and don't see anything amiss. There isn't a spot of corosion on the positive or negative connectors. I also checked the fuses and they look great. How does a bad starter act when trying to start an engine? I think it's down to a bad wire, starter, or ignition switch. I guess I'll try to figure out how to jump to the starter and go from there to rule the starter out as the issue