Cub Cadet 3235 stops when brake released on startup

[Slevane]

Hi new to the forum I have an odd problem.

1. I was mowing yesterday and my mower just stopped running, nothing unusual occurred before it happened, right in the middle of smoothest part of my lawn it quit.
2. Now I can start the mower as long as I am holding the brake but it stops as soon as I release the brake. (Kind of hard to mow with the brake on )
3. I went through checking wiring, looking for any damage, cleaning, etc. and I don't see anything obvious.
4. The PTO switch doesn't seem to be an issue I can pull it on and I get a no start.

Thanks

Scott L.

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN.

Check to see if you have a seat switch. It may have gone bad. This would allow you to start the tractor with the brake on but if the seat switch is bad and you release the brake it thinks you got off the seat and shuts down. I believe you can jump the switch with a jumper wire until you get a new switch.

 

[Slevane]

Does anyone know if there any place to jumper this forward of the seat itself? I the dash perhaps? The bolts holding the seat on are completely stuck, I just applied some PB Blaster but given the low quality of all the bolts and screws on this mower I don't hold out much optimism for getting them loose without breaking them. I hate to break them just to find out it is something else.

Thanks
Scott L.

 

[cooterdude]

their should be a connector right where the wires go into the frame or where the wires go into the switch itself

 

[The kid]

Check to see if you have the PTO on. It will not run with the blades engaged before releasing the brake. This sounds like one of those safety switches may be stuck. Seat, brake, etc.

 

[Slevane]

Sorry to be slow to respond, took a while to identify the problem. It took me two days to get the seat off, those torx bolts were very rusted. After getting the seat off I jumpered between the terminals in the seat switch and used a noid light to verify the switch worked. I still had the same the problem it would only start with the brake on. I then pulled the brake switch and jumpered those and it would start and run. Things kept pointing back to the seat switch as being the problem. Long story short the connector to the seat switch was bad. One of the wires appears to have been crimped extra hard then had flexed until it broke inside the insulation. I replaced the plug with two terminals reconnected them to the seat switch.and I am back in business. I will get the terminals out of the plug this week and rewire it next weekend.

Scott

Scott