Craftsman 11 hp rider

[SoIl_Farmer]

I have a Craftsman 11 hp mower which was given to me; have it fixed up and the problem is it will not start.

It will turn over a several times but then after a few of these when the key is turned it justs goes 'click'....

I am thinking the starter? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[6thgpSF]

you might try cleaning your batt. connections.

 

[Scooby074]

Theres probably a starter solenoid mounted near the starter,. Id check that.

Also the keyswitch can get worn out, Theyre pretty cheap construction.

Check if you got power at the solenoid from the switch, when the switch is turned.

You can try jumpering around the solenoid to test the starter motor. Im assuming the battery is a good one and fully charged? Check your batt voltage too.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Sure sound like battery to me. Bad battery or a bad charging system.

Check the voltage from your battery after it starts going click. Can you get it to start by jumping it?

 

[SoIl_Farmer]

First of all thanks for all of your guidance.

The battery is bad; the progress I mentioned in my initial post is with the lawn mower being jumped.

As mentioned, it does turn over a few times and then just a click. I took my meter and with the switch turned on there is voltage at the 30 amp fuse that I believe is inline with the starter, the fuse checks good and there is voltage going to the starter.

Perhaps and I am just putting this out there....while there is voltage, it does not mean there is enough cranking current??? With the battery being shot, perhaps it will be difficult to even jump? Let me know your thoughts.


Thanks,

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...while there is voltage, it does not mean there is enough cranking current??? With the battery being shot, perhaps it will be difficult to even jump? Let me know your thoughts.


Thanks,

It's entirely possible that you have good voltage with no load, but your voltage drops when you put a load on it. (i.e. your battery doesn't have enough cranking amps.) If a battery is bad enough, it can suck current making a jump start difficult. I'd get a new battery since you probably needed one anyway, and then continue the troubleshooting if that doesn't fix it.

 

[Scooby074]

Iplayfarmer has some good advice.

Are you jumping from an automotive battery? Do you have it hooked to the old battery, or are you going to the terminals of the starter?

You need to be careful here. Its possible to overheat the starter with the current thats available from a auto battery. This can cause your problem. THe starter will work when its cold, but stop as it heats up.

 

[SoIl_Farmer]

Figured I would provide an update.

Put a new battery in the mower and checked the spark plug as well. The plug was very fouled, so I cleaned it and the mower started up first time with the new battery.

Question I now have is why does the mower have that cover over the spark plug hole? It is very difficult to get the plug tightened all the way.