Cub Cadet lt1042

[Nicholls]

Hello I have a Cub Cadet LT 1042 series 1000 2005 06 and it was running last week and now I cant get it to start it has a new battery new plugs new gas if I disconnect the starter and touch it to the frame it spins fine but when I connect it and try to start it turns over ones and sounds like the battery is dead but I know that's not the case because iv hooked it to jumpers and the battery new. iv read on here some ppl talk about Valve lash im not sure what that is or if that's what wrong any ideas guys?

Jeremy N

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

Hello I have a Cub Cadet LT 1042 series 1000 2005 06 and it was running last week and now I cant get it to start it has a new battery new plugs new gas if I disconnect the starter and touch it to the frame it spins fine but when I connect it and try to start it turns over ones and sounds like the battery is dead but I know that's not the case because iv hooked it to jumpers and the battery new. iv read on here some ppl talk about Valve lash im not sure what that is or if that's what wrong any ideas guys?

Jeremy N

Not sure I understand your explanation. What are you touching to the frame? Valve lash wouldn't affect the cranking speed of the starter. Hooking the black jumper cable from the battery negative terminal to the engine frame and the red cable from the positive battery terminal to the large terminal on the starter will bypass the battery cables in case one is bad. If you have a multimeter you can check the battery voltage which should be 12.6 volts. It may drop to 10-11 volts while cranking.

Bob B.

 

[Nicholls]

Not sure I understand your explanation. What are you touching to the frame? Valve lash wouldn't affect the cranking speed of the starter. Hooking the black jumper cable from the battery negative terminal to the engine frame and the red cable from the positive battery terminal to the large terminal on the starter will bypass the battery cables in case one is bad. If you have a multimeter you can check the battery voltage which should be 12.6 volts. It may drop to 10-11 volts while cranking.

Bob B.

when I touch the starter to the frame to ground it well its not touching the flywheel just to do a starter test it works fine but when I put it back in place so its ready to touch the flywheel when I turn the key it only spins it twice at best. so your saying test the battery while the tractor over?
the thing I don't understand is why would the starter work fine unhooked but when put in place it doesn't work? that's what makes me think there something else wrong. I'll try testing the battery well cranking to rule it out.

 

[rcbe]

OP - anytime you run into a problem similar to what you've described, ALWAYS 1) have the battery load tested by a capable shop; 2) disassemble and clean to bright metal with sandpaper, etc. EVERY connection point in the main start circuit INCLUDING the frame ground connection points.

Doing these two items first will give you a solid basis upon which to troubleshoot the no start issue. And, most likely you have a Kohler Courage engine in that machine... It is some of the Briggs engines that are far more susceptible to valve settings.. would not focus that as problem for your tractor. The fact that your engine is being turned over several revolutions by the starter and then stopping strongly indicates a weak battery or a battery with a bad cell.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

when I touch the starter to the frame to ground it well its not touching the flywheel just to do a starter test it works fine but when I put it back in place so its ready to touch the flywheel when I turn the key it only spins it twice at best. so your saying test the battery while the tractor over?
the thing I don't understand is why would the starter work fine unhooked but when put in place it doesn't work? that's what makes me think there something else wrong. I'll try testing the battery well cranking to rule it out.

When you have the starter off and touching the frame it's not under any load and doesn't draw many amps from the battery. A bad battery, cable, or terminal might not affect it. When you mount it back in the engine it will draw much higher current and will expose any bad or high resistance connections. A last possibility is the starter itself is bad. A multimeter reading at the starter would show if the battery voltage is dropping too low while cranking. Cheap multimeters can be purchased for $10-20 at Walmart, Sears etc.

Bob B.