The Mysterious click, click, click!

[NewtoBolens37]

Ok guys and gals,

You have ne=ot let me down so far so I want your thoughts on the newest situations I find myself in. I bought a Bolens 1467 that came with a plow, wheel weights and chains. I wanted these items more so then the tractor. I was just going to use it for parts. The guy I bought it from said it wouldnt start...said the starter, though only three years old, was shot. I found that to be a little hard to believe but as i said...i wanted the extras with it. So, I figured I would try and get it running. Why not...right? Its a good looking tractor...shame to just let it sit. As I searched the wires...I found two wires were rubbed through. I figured that was it. I fixed them...bought a new solenoid and a new battery and put it all together. However, when i try and start it...all i get is the dredded click, click, click!! I have tried everything I can think of. the motor turns fine..I have tested that. I have set up the solenoid to the exact specs the manual calls for and yet....nothing!! Any ideas?? The two wires that were rubbed through went to the button switch that the brake depresses to start the tractor. Is it possible that the switch is burned out? Or could the compasitor be causing this? Maybe the wrong solenoid? I did have the started checked at a local shop and he said it was working fine. Any help?? This seems like an easy fix....
Let me know what ya think!!! Thanks a million!
Jack in York PA

 

[k0ua]

Is the engine the notorious Briggs and Stratton OverHead Valve.? with the notorious wont start because of the valves are out of adjustment. I fought one of these for a long time. Replaced batteries, starters, and solenoids..All to find out it is and easy valve adjustment to make it crank so it can start. My symptoms were burned up solenoids, and took a tip top charged battery to roll past TDC. It is like a conspiracy of silence at saw and mower shops, a real money maker. I have a new starter, still new in the box. been on a mower about 10 seconds, and one start attempt. Didnt fix it. The valve adjustment fixed it. And really needs to be done every season. Google Briggs and Stratton OHV. If that is not what you have, in your mower, sorry for the rant.

James K0UA

 

[BigBoyinMS]

My lawn tractor (not a Bolens) was doing the same thing. Just clicks and maybe 1 rotation sometimes. It had been a hard and slow starter for it's entire life. It was time for another battery so I tried that first. Same results. I figured with 11 years on it maybe starter brushes so I bought a heavy duty replacement starter. Same results. I finally decided to check the solenoid and while doing so cleaned and filed all the connections. It turned out that the problem the entire time was a bad ground and/or bad connections. All I do now is bump the starter and it fires.

 

[retiredmgn]

"The two wires that were rubbed through went to the button switch that the brake depresses to start the tractor. Is it possible that the switch is burned out? "

That switch went on my previous tractor. Took awhile to find it.
Can you jump that switch to rule it out?

 

[NewtoBolens37]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the info! I am not sure if I can jump that switch or not. I was thinking it may be that switch did short out when the wires were shorting out. I will also try and reground the two ground wires. I did file down to bare metal where they are attatched. I am not sure if I can do anything more. It has the Briggs I/C Twin in it. Not sure if that helps or not?? I have a brand new soleniod in it. I am going to try and put the old one back in to see if it still does the same thing. Any other thoughts??

Jack

 

[jinman]

You didn't mention it, but have you pulled the battery terminal wires and cleaned them? This clicking sounds just like a solenoid that energizes and the power drops because of dirty battery terminals. Do you have a voltmeter? Pull the wire from the solenoid to the starter. Put the voltmeter on the bare output lug of the solenoid and then turn the ignition to start. If you get 12 vdc at the output lug, put the starter wire back on. Put your voltmeter at the output again with everything hooked up and try the start switch. If you see 12 volts and it drops to zero, that means a bad connection or wire. Put your voltmeter on the input side of the solenoid and try again. If the power drops at the input, it's definitely a bad connection. If it does not, then you have a bad solenoid. You may even have a wire that is corroded internally to the insulation and is losing contact anytime a large current draw is needed. Sometimes you can use jumper cables by hooking one end to the battery and the other to the solenoid input side. That eliminates the tractor's wiring and gives you a quick check of operation. Don't put the jumper to the output of the solenoid because you will draw a big arc and the starter will activate. You might end up with welded terminals.

 

[NewtoBolens37]

The battery terminals are clean. I am thinking though that I had to use adapters on the battery for my cables to work. I have post cables and the battery is the bolt on terminals. They seem tight but I wonder how efficient they are? I would jump the starter but with that dang Briggs I/C Twin the starter is under the motor and against the frame. I can稚 get a jumper cable to the starter! I will see if changing the battery cables gives me a better connection. If that doesn稚 do it, I will try the old solenoid and see if maybe it gives a better response then the new one I purchased. I am not exactly sure which side is the input and output side of the solenoid. Is there an easy way to tell??
Jack

 

[jinman]

Jack, there are two large posts on your solenoid and one small spade connector post (if it's a 3-wire solenoid, and I think it is). One of the large terminals will have more than one wire attached. This is normally the red positive cable from the battery and a smaller wire(s) that go to your ignition switch and maybe one to the engine's stator generator that charges your battery. This is the 'input' side terminal. The other large terminal has only one large wire attached and it goes to the starter motor. This is the 'output' terminal. The small flat spade connector gets power from the ignition switch when you rotate the switch to "START." Power (+12 vdc) applied to the small spade connector will energize the solenoid and cause an internal contact between the two big terminals so that power flows from the battery to the starter.

What is important that some people miss is that the solenoid itself has a metal plate that is used to mount it onto the mower frame. That mounting point should be very clean and the bolts/screws tight so that the plate is grounded. That is the return (ground) connection for the solenoid. If you don't have it grounded well, the 12 vdc applied to the small spade connector will only cause the solenoid to click or buzz. Some people forget this and don't tie the solenoid down tight when trying to test the circuit. However, the solenoid just won't work correctly if it is not in good electrical contact to the frame of the mower.