318 repower

[wooden]

At a serious loss here after installing a 23Hp Brigs Vanguard in my JD 318 where everything that could go wrong went wrong. Now at the end of my witt with the seller and at the end of my rope, I cannot get the front PTO to work. the 3 wires from my harness seem to be dead for some reason, and I cannot figure out why. Tough, wth he switch in the on position, the engine will not start, I am perplexed as why this is. all wires are connected and everything worked well before I got into this project. P series Onan with over 1,800+ hours on it was just to tired to rebuild, so I opted for this nightmare from small engines warehouse where there is no technical support. That's another story for another time. Right now my focus is on the electric PTO that will not work from the original wiring but will kick on with a hot jumper from the battery! Any ideas out there ? please help !!!
Wooden

 

[Shaneard]

Is there a fuse somewhere for the clutch? I know that's what was wrong with my bossmans mower and it drove him insane trying to figure out why the deck wouldn't engage.

 

[wooden]

Is there a fuse somewhere for the clutch? I know that's what was wrong with my bossmans mower and it drove him insane trying to figure out why the deck wouldn't engage.

Really tight place to work but no, I have 2 fuses that are in tact so My next move may have to be taking it all apart again to get to the switch. Maybe a loose wire there that I just can't see. Hoping someone may have had this problem that can walk me through it! Thanks

 

[IH3444]

Try this fellow. He's very knowledgeable about re-power John Deere.
John Deere Lawn Tractor - Repower

 

[hawkeye08]

if the PTO will work with hot wire, that eliminates the PTO as a problem and points back to your wiring. A good multi meter would help find the fault. Perhaps the PTO has safety switch in it so that the engine is not started with PTO engaged? I would suspect that is why there are 3 wires instead of two. I can see it would be a problem getting the wiring for that right if you don't have any instructions. With the internet though, it should be reasonably easy to find out what you have.

 

[Dave M7040]

Do you have a wiring diagram from the original tractor owner's manual which you could post here.

Most of the garden tractors have a complex multi function switch that engages the front clutch but only after a number of remote safety switches are closed.
It also controls when the starter gets power.

Friends who have these machines are told by me early in their new tractor's life: Don't leave it outside. All the switches, although expensive to buy, are not made to resist water and dirt.
In the beginning they follow my advice but gradually they stop and the machine sits in the rain, the snow. Then one day they call me because it wont start, the mower deck wont engage and want me to fix it.

The answer is usually: "get your credit card and we will go to the dealer to by the multi-function switch." The parts guy hands them a little box and asks for a significant amount of money.

Usually the new switch does not come with the handle which has to be removed from the old switch.

Do you have a test light like this one on Amazon for approx. $12? Automotive repair shops have them. Don't buy a super cheap one because you will always be trying to figure out is something wrong with the test light or in the circuit I am testing. With this basic tool I can help you solve most problems. If you are just jumping around in the dark you will drive yourself crazy.

Amazon.com: ATD Tools 5513 Heavy-Duty Circuit Tester: Automotive

Don't start taking things apart again. We need to identify where the problem is and then focus your energies there.

Did the clutch come with the repower engine or is it off the old engine?

Looking forward to some answers from you.

I have come back to edit my post by adding some wiring diagrams from a cub cadet which shows how the various circuits actually interact with each other.
The size is probably too large and you will have to scroll sideways. Best to copy the images into Paint and rotate them for easier viewing.

Some tractors incorporate a flyback diode in the wiring harness. This is easily blown by connecting the battery cables backwards, by connecting jumper cables the wrong way. We need to determine if you have one on your machine.


Here are some photos :

Dave M7040

 

[TractorGuy]

KISS!

Try replacing the fuses regardless of how they look. A fuse with a cracked element can actually look and read good through an ohm meter and not be able to pass current.

 

[Dave M7040]

if the PTO will work with hot wire, that eliminates the PTO as a problem and points back to your wiring. A good multi meter would help find the fault. Perhaps the PTO has safety switch in it so that the engine is not started with PTO engaged? I would suspect that is why there are 3 wires instead of two. I can see it would be a problem getting the wiring for that right if you don't have any instructions. With the internet though, it should be reasonably easy to find out what you have.

Hawkeye

These newer tractors provide +12 volt power to the pto anytime the key is on. They engage the pto through a long path to ground. First step is through the dash switch. The dash pto switch is taking the ground wire from the pto coil and then sending it to a reverse cut out relay and then to ground. Checking for power at the pto itself is very misleading as it is always there.

The wiring got a lot more complicated when the Gov't mandated the mower deck cutting off when you backed up. Previously the circuits were simple and you could dig in and figure it out.
Now without a wiring explanation in a WSM you just go crazy.

The safety switch on the brake/clutch pedal used to have two simple contacts. You stepped on the pedal and then power could flow to the starter solenoid.

Now the brake/clutch safety switch has 4 terminals and two different circuits running through it.

Dave M7040

 

[wooden]

Ok folks there is a lot to learn here and I need to say thanks to you all. I went back through all my wiring on this unit since I took the machine all apart for a proper cleaning and water blasting before installing the new engine. Turns out as I back tracked through my work, the culprit was a broken wire in the seat switch which is linked to the PTO switch. Was difficult to find since it was covered in the original harness netting, but after cutting it open, I spliced in a new wire in and bingo!! Problem solved~!! Thanks again for all the information posted as it sends one's thinking into motion
Wooden

 

[Oldoak]

Good that you solved your own problem. Can't complain about small engines warehouse. Their replacement engine had nothing to do with that issue.