Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Riding mower engine won't turn.

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AJ Valentin
05-04-07, 11:17 AM
Hey all,

I have a Murray riding mower. ~2002 model. It worked fine for about 2 years. Then this year I noticed it was dead. I replace the battery with a new one and I get the same results...a completely dead machine. The lights won't come on, the engine won't turn...nothing. I even hooked up my truck engine to the mower engine...nothing.

Any suggestions? Grass is getting out of hand.

Thanks.

puey61
05-04-07, 03:36 PM
Many possibilities, but first double and triple check that all safety switches/levers/controls are set to neutral. If all good AND you are absolutely sure the battery and cables and terminals are good, then you need a test light to check for power to the starter then work your way backwards (electrically) eventually to the battery checking all switches for proper operation.
cheese
05-04-07, 11:56 PM
A quick place to look that might save some diagnostics is look at the fuse. It could be blown. If so, replace with an identical fuse. If that blows, you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

If the fuse is good upon inspection, you'll need to backtrack as Puey61 mentioned.

AJ Valentin
05-07-07, 08:51 AM
Thank you.
AJ Valentin
05-07-07, 09:00 AM
It seems that I need to get the steering wheel off in order to get the top metal casing off in order to check these things out. Is there some special tool to do this? I cannot seem to get the steering wheel off with normal tools.

Thanks.
strobel19606
05-07-07, 02:46 PM
tap the pin out..but be careful. i did it and i disengaged the sprockets down on the deck that steer the mower. if it is rusty, get some wd-40 or something like that. just try not to beat on it. the pin holds the steering wheel onto the steering shaft.
puey61
05-07-07, 07:12 PM
I'm not suggesting that you don't, in fact, need to remove the steering wheel/shaft, but I've worked on hundreds of Murray's and never recall having to go to this length to diagnose and repair the electrical system. Sometimes, however, I've had to remove the gas tank to make it easier to access the components behind the dash panel (if your tank is mounted just ahead of the steering shaft in the engine compartment, that is).
cheese
05-07-07, 10:03 PM
I agree with Puey...and if the tank does have to be removed to gain access, and if it is one that won't come out without removing the top part of the dash..don't worry...you can pull the top part of the dash up far enough to remove the tank without removing the steering wheel.
AJ Valentin
05-08-07, 07:59 AM
Thank you everyone, I will get to that this weekend and let you know how it goes.
strobel19606
05-08-07, 05:54 PM
puey61...you are a genius...remove the gas tank! i never thought of that. ive been trying to test wires and check for shorts with the tiniest spaces possible. i will try that tomorrow. thanks!
msidan
05-08-07, 06:45 PM
On my Murray, there are panels on either side of the dash that unscrew and allow access to underneath the dash. Something to look at before you go taking off the gas tank.

Seems like Murray went to extra trouble to make us go to extra trouble...