Husqvarna GT52XLS won't turn over - battery is good

[travlitt]

I might add, if you can start it with the brake on, then it's working correctly and you shouldnt be changing anything.

I secound that. The best thing a person can do is learn how to properly maintain the equipment.

 

[s219]

Every riding mower or garden tractor I have used in the last 15-20 years has required the operator to depress the brake before the engine could start.

Many of those had a gear transmission and the brake/clutch were the same pedal, so obviously you would need to depress the pedal before starting -- not strictly a safety thing, but just common sense.

The HST machines follow the same procedure but it's obviously just for safety reasons. They should also have safety switches on the HST pedals to keep you from starting with the fwd/rev pedal engages, which again goes back to common sense.

 

[sruman]

Well, I've spent some time reading. I have a similar issue with the same garden tractor. While mowing today, in the middle of the yard, the engine completely died. Dead. Nadda. Nothing. When moving the key switch to any position, gives me nothing. I checked the battery with a tester...12.6v. When I say dead, i mean dead. It's just like the battery is not hook up. No power at all, other then coming from the battery (which is good). Any suggestions on where to start? Would the obvious starts be brake and seat safety switches? I would think that that the guages would still work even if those were faulty. Is that a good assumption?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Well, I've spent some time reading. I have a similar issue with the same garden tractor. While mowing today, in the middle of the yard, the engine completely died. Dead. Nadda. Nothing. When moving the key switch to any position, gives me nothing. I checked the battery with a tester...12.6v. When I say dead, i mean dead. It's just like the battery is not hook up. No power at all, other then coming from the battery (which is good). Any suggestions on where to start? Would the obvious starts be brake and seat safety switches? I would think that that the guages would still work even if those were faulty. Is that a good assumption?

Do you have the book for the mower, with the electric schematic?
Red wire from battery goes to solenoid, another red wire goes to a fuse, then to B terminal of the key switch.

 

[sruman]

Do you have the book for the mower, with the electric schematic?
Red wire from battery goes to solenoid, another red wire goes to a fuse, then to B terminal of the key switch.

Ok. Fuse it was. Replaced three times. Every time that i start the PTO/Mower deck, it blows the fuse......immediately. What is causing this?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Maybe a short at the elecric clutch that starts the deck. See if red wire on pto switch is shorted to ground, with switch off. You got a short somewhere.

 

[tomplum]

If your clutch wiring looks good at the clutch, many Husqvarnas include a diode in the harness which could be burned as well. It won't be on the part sheet, just feel for it midway in the harness. Inspect and smell the clutch itself and the PTO switch for burnt smell, signs of melting. Good places to start. If that fails post the ohms across the clutch terminals.

 

[sruman]

If your clutch wiring looks good at the clutch, many Husqvarnas include a diode in the harness which could be burned as well. It won't be on the part sheet, just feel for it midway in the harness. Inspect and smell the clutch itself and the PTO switch for burnt smell, signs of melting. Good places to start. If that fails post the ohms across the clutch terminals.

Ok. I'm going to test the recommended scenarios above. Do electric clutches just "go bad"? Again, the first time it happened, i was in the middle of mowing for about an hour and BAM. Dead. After replacing the 20a fuse, the engine runs fine, but every attempt to start the PTO/Engage the mower deck blows the 20a fuse instantaneously. I'll post the results of the tests and give some more details for future seekers as well.

 

[tomplum]

Oh sure. Clutches can short or simply require too much power to actuate. Sometimes the air gap gets too wide due to wear and sometimes these are adjustable, sometimes not. Voltage spikes can be moderated with the diode in harness, which can be added to those that don't have them. Usually the first sign of a failed diode is a shorted switch with the fuse to follow. Like buckeye said though, a good place to look is at the clutch for a wire damaged. This can be from vibration, routing or a broken locator that let the clutch body spin and tear the harness.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

On my schematic, the diode is in parallel with the clutch coil. So if the diode fails, you have a short to ground. Since you blow the fuse when you turn on the pto, and not with engine running and pto off, the clutch/diode or wiring to it is the only culprit.