Engine starts cutting out after engaging mower deck

[jhwentworth]

jhwentworth - I check the continuity between the seat and reverse switches to the deck switch over yellow / black wire and all is Ok. Found no broken wires or an damage of the wire looms etc. Did notice that the battery is not 100% even though it started right up wonder if the low battery voltage condition that General Lee posted is the issue. I get a new battery and test again. Just out of curiosity , once the engine starts I though that the mag took over providing spark to the plug and not off the battery ?

Is the connection of yellow/black wires at ground level; is there a short between chassis ground and the connection? A short indicates that either the seat or reverse switches are causing the ground, or the wiring conductor is touching metal. Is the yellow wire that runs from the deck switch to the key switch and the clutch switch shorted to ground? If it is, the magneto output is grounded and the motor won't run.

The ignition is always powered by the magneto, the battery powers the starter.

 

[dqdave1]

disconnect yellow at key switch and see if it runs. remember that mower can then be engaged while starting.

 

[jcummins]

I had this or similar problem with a 20hp Kawasaki motor on a John Deere 425. It started with it missing when I engaged the mower deck, but seem to stop after I ran it awhile. I ran it this way for quite awhile, changed plugs etc etc, and scratched my head a lot. Finally, the miss was solid, one cylinder wasn't firing. I switch the coils from one cylinder to the other....the problem did not move. I finally decided it was in the igniter, so I bite my lip, and bought that ...expensive...and that was the problem. BTW a John Deere tech advised me he doubted it was that so I went against his advice.

 

[Donsyl]

I aquired a cub cadet 1811 just recently, and i had some trouble like you have Marko. The reason my tractor gave me trouble was that there was some trash in the tank. I got all the stuff out of it, and when i engage the mower it runs fine now. just make sure that all the fuel tank and lines are free of debris. i hope this helps, but not sure....good luck and let us know what it is.......Don

 

[6thgpSF]

Marko, don't know how many belts you have but when you engage the deck are the belt staying on the pullys?

 

[Marko]

6thgpSF - Only 1 belt and all pulleys turns freely , In fact once in a while I'll get it to run with wanting to quit and it runs great , so a stuck or jammed pulley is not the issue.

Donsyl - Thought it might be bad fuel as well , however when the mower deck is not engaged the tractor runs great.

jcummins - My tractor is a 15.5 HP single cylinder and when the mower is not engaged the tractor runs great so this lead me to think that it was not coil related.

I started looked at the ignition switch and found that some of the posts had corrosion on them , so I sanded them clean and re-installed it. Did the same of the other switches (clutch , deck , seat and reverse) Battery is not holding a charge so will have to get a new one or jump it to test. Examined all of the wire looms that run through out the tractor and none are broken and are still taped nicely and out of the way of touching any metal. I'll also try as dqdave1 suggested , removing the yellow wire from the ignition switch , however will need to get creative on this because all the wire are part of a wiring harness that plugs into the ignition switch. I'll keep everyone posted on what I find.

Thanks to all so far who have provided input and suggestions , I think maybe next year I'll invest and get a 3 point rear finish mower or belly mower for my JD4100.

 

[jhwentworth]

Marko,
It seems that you are reluctant to actually troubleshoot this problem. To eliminate the safety circuit you can simply cut the yellow wire from the clutch switch to the engine. You can repair the cut wire with a butt connector in about 5 minutes. Then you'll know if the problem is in that safety circuit.

Just a thought, you might try taking your machine to a local repair shop for a diagnosis. Paying a few bucks would sure be better than spending all this time on figuring it out.

 

[Marko]

jhwentworth - Not reluctant to troubleshoot , been around long enough to not want to go cutting into wires without looking at all of obvious stuff first and then after that I'll proceed with eliminating that wire from the loop. My replies back to others should not be misunderstood for lack of effort or reluctancy on my part. I felt obligated to respond to folks that offered assistance. Trust me , I have done a fair amount of troubleshooting on this.

Mark

 

[Marko]

UPDATE : Issue is resolved. Did some more troubleshooting (yes that's right) today and it appears that some corrosion had built up on the ignition switch and on the grounds that attached to the screws holding the starter solenoid in place. Cleaning those and then used some electrical cleaner to clean all of the wire harness connectors. Installed new battery and tested. Engaged mower deck at all different levels and did not experience any issues with engine wanting to quit or stall.

Gee , I am so glad I did not jump in and start cutting wires.

Thanks to all who provided suggestions

Mark

 

[jhwentworth]

UPDATE : Issue is resolved. Did some more troubleshooting (yes that's right) today and it appears that some corrosion had built up on the ignition switch and on the grounds that attached to the screws holding the starter solenoid in place. Cleaning those and then used some electrical cleaner to clean all of the wire harness connectors. Installed new battery and tested. Engaged mower deck at all different levels and did not experience any issues with engine wanting to quit or stall.

Gee , I am so glad I did not jump in and start cutting wires.

Thanks to all who provided suggestions

Mark

Amazing. Corrosion on a connection usually produces an open, not a short to ground. I'm glad you didn't do jump in to any foolish suggestions, you turned out to be 100% right.

 

[heehaw]

if i'm reading your post correctly: you don't know what the problem was: the new battery may have solved the problem?? or am i readin it wrong?
heehaw

 

[Marko]

heehaw , The tractor needed a new battery anyhow , however I am not convinced that the battery was the cause here. The battery is only used to engage the starter and then afterwards the mag takes over for ignition. Prior to the new battery I did get the tractor started with help from my "jump it" and after that the tractor ran great. Only had issues with getting the mower deck to run with stalling the engine. Long story short here is that I found some corrosion / rust on the chassis ground and on some of the pins in the ignition switch. Cleaned those up and problem seemed to go away. Although the battery needed replacing , I am not 100% sure that it was a contributing factor to the engine wanting to quit when engaging the mower deck

 

[heehaw]

the only reason i might suspect a battery in some cases like this: on a lot of motorcycles, if the battery is bad, or bad enough you can't start the motor with it, but it runs, but has a miss: i have had it be the battery several times: new battery an the problem goes away: first time that happened to me was in 1973 with a honda 350: have seen the same thing on others since, including a harley: anyway, am just glad you got the problem solved..
heehaw

 

[Marko]

Ya me too ! I have a lot of leaves to pick up before the snow flies