Z-Force 50 (stalling and dying)

[scanode]

I have a 3 year old z-force 50 with KohlerCV-23 engine.My problem is after mowing it won't start unless I charge the battery. Sometimes it stalls while mowing. (just like somebody turned off the key) I am on my third battery and recently replaced the rectifier and it 's still doing the same thing. Appreciate any suggestions anybody has.

 

[OldMachinist]

Something must be drawing the battery down. Maybe a wire thats rubbed thru the insulation or a switch thats gone bad. Try disconnecting the battery between uses and if that helps then try disconnecting different things between uses like the hour meter and then the key switch. If you have a voltmeter you can check to see if the its charging. Check the voltage before starting and then start it and see if the voltage rises.

 

[dqdave1]

No doubt something is discharging the battery. When battery runs out of voltage; engine dies. Probably a wire rubbed through. You could begin by a visual search of ALL the wiring. If nothing shows, you could begin disconnecting "circuits" one at a time till you find bad wire, switch, relay. Call your dealer, they may have seen the same thing on other units and can tell you what to check first. With the engine off and key in off position. Disconnect postive battery cable. If it sparks when you touch it to the terminal, you have something drawing juice. Check PTO clutch switch. You can disconnect one wire and touch cable; if it still sparks, not that circuit. When you disconnect something and the sparks stop; you now have isolated the problem circuit.

 

[RCT]

Not knowing a whole lot about mower engines, I can say if it stalls after it has been running, it is probably the alternator. That is usually the problem when that symptom happens in a car.

 

[Sigma]

This probably doesn't apply your situation, but maybe someone else's.

My 2 year old ZF-50 quit on me mowing last night. It was a fuse near the front of the engine / under the seat that had jarred loose. I didn't even know there was a fuse there.....