Z445 - Troubleshooting a starting issue

[PandDLong]

Problem solved. It was the solenoid - I used the information provided to figure out it was definitely the solenoid. Replaced it and all is well.

The detailed information was useful as I needed to sort out enough of the wiring to know which terminal was which on the solenoid and test it directly.

I certainly learned a lot of new information about wiring which I am sure will be useful in the future (unfortunately). The tip that safety switches are typically on the -'ve circuit was a new one to me.

 

[bertsmobile]

Good to hear it all worked out before you ran out of hair.

And yes modern mowers are getting quite complicated.
The old days the starter circuit was a simple daisy chain and you could follow it from the switch all the way to the solenoid

Then they started to get clever.
For 50c more they could put a 4 pole solenoid in place of the 3 pole one.
That meant they could daisy chain the ground trigger in place of the 12 V trigger thus no more warrantee claims for burning mowers.
Then there was the voltage sensitive solenoid that won't fire unless it gets 9 - 11 V ( few of them ) thus no more warantee claims for burned out starter motors due to flat batteries or dirty terminals.
Next step was to fit a stack of relays so you could play with a + switch and/or a earth control wire.

Waiting in the wings is all black wiring to make it harder for idiots to bypass the safety switches and safety switches with inbuilt resistances or cross over switches to make it even harder to by pass the switches.
This is because the legislators are all God fearing Creationists who see it as their duty to legislate out stupidity.

Pieso electric seat switches are alresdy being fitted into cars to prevent theft and mostly kids accidentally starting them and these are also on the plate for mowers once they all go EFI which will be around the end of this decade.