Starter problem

hosejockey2002 · May 31, 2002

I normally hang out over at the Yanmar club but I have a problem I hope you guys can help me solve. I've got a small riding mower with an electric start 9hp vertical shaft Briggs engine. I usually shut it down when I'm emptying the grass bag and when I went to start it nothing happened. I figured out that I have 12V going to the solenoid when I turn the key. I double checked all the ground connections. I removed the starter and solenoid and took them to a shop and had them tested. The guy there said they were fine, but I think all he did was hook the starter up to a battery to see if it would run, which it did. I took it back home and reinstalled it. This time it would groan and click and just barely turn the motor over. I hooked my battery booster up with the same results. I even hooked up the 50 amp battery booster to the motor itself, and again it would just barely turn the motor over. The amp gauge on my booster was buried and the overload protection shut off after a few seconds. I can normally start a car with this thing. I then removed the starter and hooked it up with no load. It draws about 30 amps with no load. I'm thinking that the armature went south, but I want a few opinions before I hand over $120+ for a new starter.

Thanks,

Roy Smith

kubmech · May 31, 2002

Other stuff to try.......Remove the spark plug and see if you can turn the engine over by hand. Did any fuel/oil come out when you removed the plug? If you can't turn it over by hand don't think engine problem till you check out what the engine drives. Give the starter a sniff, does it smell burnt? Does the starter turn easy by hand?

hosejockey2002 · May 31, 2002

Engine turns easily, plug looks fine, starter doesn't smell burnt or get warm, and turns easily. When problem occured, mower was warmed up and had been running fine. The fact that the gauge on my battery booster pegged out makes me think the starter is drawing way more power than it should. I've used the same booster to start my 17hp diesel Yanmar, which I would think draws much more power. I'm starting to wish it just had a good old fashioned recoil starter. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Inspector507 · May 31, 2002

Some starters in their last days will groan when hot, or when the motor is hot.

kubmech · May 31, 2002

That sounds like the starter is bad. I would take it apart just to have a look at it anyway. 30 amps no load is too high. If I remember right it should be around 10. Just seems funny that it happened all of a sudden like that. If you're feeling adventerous take it apart and see if you can't fix it up. Depending on how old it is it may be pretty easy to repair. Pull the starter gear/drive assy one roll pin. Just be careful what you rest it against while removing the pin. Then two bolts and the nut that secures the brush terminal. Maybe just need to clean and lube the bushings and replace the brushes. Sometimes just cleaning and lubing the bushings works. A new starter drive assy, if you break the old one removing it and brushes should be less than a new starter. The mower shops usually recommend a new starter, because by the time you pay the labor to do this it's cheaper to buy a complete starter.

Anonymous Poster · May 31, 2002

Post all of your engine's model numbers so we know
what you have. If it is an OHV it may just need a check
of the valve clearances, as this is fairly common

hosejockey2002 · Jun 1, 2002

Don't have the model number off hand. It's a newer engine buts it's the old vertical shaft flathead style that Briggs has been using for years. I'm thinking I just might bite the bullet and get a new starter. Thanks for your help guys.

smthng2do · Jun 2, 2002

The problem with B&S starters, is that when they get hot, the wires going into the brushes generally lose their connection. If you take off the bottom cap, I think you will find with just asimple pull of the wires going into the brushes will pull the wire right out. Also, you will find that the springs that push the brushes against the commutator have "shriveled". Not putting enough pressure on the commutator. Replace the brushes. Clean the commutator with some emery, polish the shafts and bushings, and it should be fine. A lot of people replace these starters rather than fixing them, and it is an easy repair 99% of the time.

hosejockey2002 · Jun 3, 2002

Thanks alot for the advice. I'll give that a try.

oombala · Jun 22, 2002

I HAD 2 12 VOLT RIDING MOWER STARTERS COMPLETELY REBUILT THIS SPRING WHILE I WAITED, FOR LESS THAN 80 DOLLARS EACH. 2 DIFFERANT TRACTORS. SAVED ME A BUNDLE. FIND AN AUTO ELECTRIC SHOP IN THE YELLOW PAGES AND CALL EM . I USE KENS AUTO ELECRITC IN EDINBURGH INDIANA.