Hooked battery up backwards...now no start. Cub Cadet LT1045

[CarlsonJJ]

Hooked battery up backwards...now no start
So I managed to be an idiot and hooked the battery up backwards on my LT1045. I tried starting it before I realized. Made sound as if about to start, then nothing. Realized mistake. Put battery in right but now it won't do anything. Help?

 

[Texasmark]

First off is the alternator. It has rectifier diodes in it and the if you hook any power source up where - and + are swapped you forward bias the diodes and send who knows how much current through them. There is no resistance in the circuit other than the internal resistance of the battery which on a good battery isn't much. They are not rated for this and fuse shorted. When shorted they can carry enough current to load everything else down.

So the first thing to do is remove the alternator wiring. A meter would help.

Remove the alternator wiring, signal plug and especially the red high current wire from the back.

Put a meter on your battery and look for decent voltage like at least 12.6. Then while holding the meter on the battery, turn the ign sw to start and watch the meter. If nothing happens the meter would stay were you saw it last. If the alternator diodes is all you fried, your starter will spin. If you are lucky, the thing will start. Otherwise you need to look to other electronics to see what you may have fried that keeps the starter solenoid from energizing.

Walk through it and get back,

HTH,
Mark