riding mower running but it quit and now I cannot even get it to turn

[Mike Sertich]

I had my riding mower running and when I put it in gear, it quit. Is there a fuse I may have blown and where might that be located? It is a Husquarna. I get nothing when I turn the key. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks

[LwnmwnMan2]

Did you take it out of gear?

Also, can you get it to turn over if you jump the starter with a pair of pliers or screwdriver?

[Mike Sertich]

put it back to neutral. No response

[IcePro]

Do you have a kill switch that is activated on the seat?

I had a rider that would not start and it was the kill switch.

I have a Snapper mower and the engine needs to be in neutral, clutch in and I need to be sitting on the seat.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Did you try jumping the starter?

[Mike Sertich]

No, I haven't tried jumping the starter. It appears that, that is all I have left to try. Clutch was in, I was on the seat and I tried it in neutral. No response from starter,battery or anything else.

[jeffreyd]

did you check the battery? is there oil in the engine?

[Mike Sertich]

yes and yes.

[LwnmwnMan2]

So start from the beginning. Run a pair of pliers across the battery posts and make sure there's sufficient spark.

Then head down to the starter. You should be able to use said pliers and jump from the power cable to a smaller post on the starter to get it to turn over.

[311Hemi]

If all above fails I would look online and see where the safety sensors are (seat, clutch, tranny position?). If the starters turns when jumped then maybe one of the sensors went bad.

[jeffreyd]

or starter relay, did you wash it off or anything? have you tried rocking it to make sure starter is not stuck or simply tapping on starter with mallet?

[cygnus]

Take a set of jumper cables and hook them to your battery. Take the remaining black end and put it to a good ground. Something unpainted on your engine is a good choice (bolt, heat sink, etc.) Then take your remaining red (hot) lead and put it the the post on the starter. If the machine turns over your battery and starter are good.

I would then hunt down your solenoid. Following the positive wire from your battery will lead you to the solenoid. There are 2 large terminals and either 1 or 2 small terminals on the solenoid. We are going to ignore the large terminals and concentrate on the small one(s). If you have a single terminal solenoid, run a wire from the positive post on your battery to the single small terminal on the solenoid. If the machine turns over, it is likely a bad safety switch and the solenoid is good. If you have 2 small terminals on your solenoid, one of them is going to ground and the other is the one that ultimately receives the 12 volts from the battery after it passes through ALL of the safety switches. The same process goes for the single terminal solenoid. You now need to determine which terminal goes to ground and which is the 12 volt side. It could be either terminal as there is no polarity between the two terminals. As I said, one goes to ground and one goes to power. It doesn't matter which one. When the circuit is made it closes the magnet in the solenoid and it puts current between the 2 large terminals and sends power to the starter. Use a continuity tester and find a good ground (negative battery terminal will work). Then check both small terminals on the solenoid. When you get continuity, that is your ground terminal. Once you have that figured out, put 12 volts to the other terminal. Again, if the motor turns over, the solenoid is good and it's a safety switch issue. A solenoid with a single small terminal is grounded from it's base to the chassis while the twin terminal setup uses one of it's terminals for the ground.

Your machine likely has 3 or 4 safety switches. Does your machine have an electric pto switch? These are notorious for shorting out and causing a no crank situation. If not you need to chase down the pedal switch, neutral switch and seat switch. These switches need to be tested to see if one has failed, or sometimes a switch may come out of alignment and may not be getting depressed fully to have it activated.

Good Luck!

[Tom7227]

I had a similar problem last year. I found a manual that helped do the diagnosis on a step by step basis using primarliy and ohm meter. Each safety switch had to be checked and the book helped me figure out where they were and what the results of each test should be. It took me a couple hours because the switches weren't in a logical place. It ended up that a lot of 'cotton' had formed on the back of the starter switch and had boogered it up. It was frustrating work but I avoided the hassle of hauling it to a shop and probably at least a hun to figure things out.

[dairyman]

I've got a "Husky" too..........kill switch is under the seat. Most of the time all I have to do is wiggle the wires going into the switch and it starts right up

[fasternu]

I had this same problem last summer. I had blown a fuse between the battery and the starter. To get to it and find it, there was an access panel between the seat and the motor compartment that had 4 screws in it. I took off the panel and looked and found a set of wires. When I pulled on the wires lightly, there was a fuse holder hidden. Sure enough, it was one of the mini car-type fuses. I replaced it and it ran like new! (This was after replacing the starter, key switch, and several other things!)

[Mike Sertich]

I finally got it going today. Checked the starter, solonoid, sensors and then stumbled on to the fuse. It was the fuse. Had to run into town to get some new ones, but it was worth it.

Thank you to all those that offered advice. I appreciate your help. Fixing the problem is one thing, going in blind is another. Thank to all of you.mike