Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Was told mower started but cant seem to start it

Snapper LT160H482BV Was told my front engine snapper riding mower would start just not move but doesnt seem to start. I know they guy told me it had a bad starter so he would have to jump a wire from battery to starter. Is this possible or how do i know if starter is bad or if its just the module before the starter? Id appreciate a some advice here guys. Mower doesnt seem to do anything when i turn key and i have ran a wire from battery to starter and it just sparks and every once in a while it will nudge the engine because i can see the top of engine turn a little.. thanks people

The wire you're using may be too small. It needs to be at least a #6. You might do better just shorting between the two terminals on top of the starter solenoid with a screwdriver.

It sounds like the solenoid may be bad, or there may be a problem with the wiring or keyswitch. Can you hear any clicking sound when you turn the key to start? You can use a jumper from the battery + terminal to the small terminal on the solenoid to see if it's the solenoid or the switch/wiring.

As Rogerflies mentioned above, I think you are using too small a wire, use one half of a set of jumper cables.

well... it doesnt seem to be too small of wire im using. Im using wire from a washer plug prong.. Seems to be same size as the wire run from the solenoid to the starter.. And i also tried shorting the two terminals on solenoid with a screwdriver and it did the same... Just sparks and you can feel the starter jump every time i shorted the two terminals but didnt turn the engine everytime.. Just everyonce in a while it would bump the engine to barely turn it not even an inch. But you can feel it hitting the starter. Now with the positive wire just run from solenoid to battery it does nothing so the solenoid must be bad? correct? And when i turn key i hear no clicking just the key turning.. Would you guys say the starter is bad also? What else can i try?

It does sound like the solenoid is bad.

However, shorting across the terminals on the top of the solenoid should have made the starter crank the engine, so you've got other problems to deal with.

See if you can turn the engine over by hand with the key in the OFF position. You should be able to get enough grip on the screen on the flywheel on top of the engine to turn it.

If it turns without a lot of effort, continue on.

I'd start by removing the connectors at the battery, cleaning the contact surfaces with a wire brush, and tightening them up again. Try the jumper across the solenoid terminals again.

If it doesn't crank, do the same thing on the rest of the connections in the starting circuit and the ground connection from the battery to the frame.

Let us know if doing that helps or not.

Oh, the conductors in a washing machine power cord are about 1/4 to 1/3 the size you need to deliver enough power to the starter from a 12 volt battery.

Since the engine wont even crank there is a possiblity that the battery is low or dead......

ok.. ill try all that you have mentioned. I just came in and is there anyway for me to test the key switch? Hooked up voltmeter and on black one is all i get the 11 volts of the battery. The other wires get like .14 volts when i turn the key. Battery is brand new not dirty at all so there isnt any cleaning i can do to the battery.. Also i tested the output side of the solenoid to the starter when i turned the key it would come up to .14 volts. Now is any of the volts with meter useful or since im jumping across terminals going to throw off voltage anyway? When i jumped across two terminals on solenoid i tested the volts at the starter and it came up to 2.0 volts.. thats all.. Is this helpful at all or jumping across not going to deliver ample amount of volts? I definetely can turn the engine by hand. I been turning it and its not loose loose but it turns with a little bit of resistance. I have taken the belt loose off the pulley at the rear where the transmission is because the mower rear is locked up like a brake stuck so i was seeing if the engine not starting was a cause of mower rear end being locked up.. Anywho the engine will turn and does have a little bit of resistance but doesnt seem locked up or anything. Also i tested the positive cord to the solenoid from the battery and does measure the 11 volts so this would confirm a good ground correct? And i have tryed jumper cables also to straight from battery to the starter and it does the same. I can feel the starter click but no movement. i have four wires from the dryer plug cord and im going to hook them all up to jump from the battery to the starter see if this makes a difference. Ill let you guys know what is going on.. Also none of the dc amperes gauges work on the mower, nor oil light but i believe they are disconnected. Im not sure if this could be one of the problems but ill take a look to see if they are disconnected.. Ill be back. thanks for you help..

ok i hooked up three of the dryer plug wires to the starter and then touched the other ends to the positive on battery and it sounds like the starter turned more than it normally had been. I normally just got a small nudge. i wasnt able to see how much it moved because it wasnt that much more... I tried it again and all i would feel is the little clicks in the starter. it wouldnt turn.. I tryed banging the starter with a hammer as i ran the ends across the battery positive terminal but no difference. I tryed jumping the terminals again on the solenoid but all i got was the clicks on the starter again. battery still showing 10.48 volts.. Engine turns fairly easy.. no restrictions there.. The spark plugs shouldnt have anything to do with what we are trying now correct?

It really sounds like the battery is dead. You have about 10 volts at the battery terminals??? Measure the voltage under load as when the engine is supposed to crank with the key in the start position....You said the battery is brand new,, But what is the state of charge like in it?? You have to test that under load,, not just with a voltmeter, as betteries can show 12 volts but can't put out the amps required to crank an engine!! Roger

well i did leave the multimeter on it while i was trying to start the mower and it didnt drop the volts any.. Well this is something i will look into tomorrow. Im going to pull the battery out of my pickup and use it on the mower. ill let you know how mower reacts to other battery.. thanks for this input..

Ok removed truck battery and tried it on mower and still just the clicks. I tryed jumping the terminals on solenoid and running straight from the battery to the starter and same thing. It did make bigger sparks but that was about it. Im in the process of putting new spark plugs but cant seem to find the right size... Is there special sockets for the spark plugs?

I would suggest since you haven't had the plugs out of the engine that you try to turn it over while the plugs are out, the engine may be frozen and all the battery/starter/jumper stuff is a waste. Have a good one. Geo

You need a "deep" socket wrench to go over the insulator and terminal and to fit between the fins and the plug. They make special spark plug wrenches that have foam liners to prevent damaging the insulator and to keep the plug from falling out as you're getting it into position.

At least the solenoid is clicking now, but it sounds like the engine is locked up or the starter is dead.

Do you have any recourse with the guy you bought this thing from? Sounds like he did you wrong, but maybe it wasn't intentional. I'd at least ask him about getting your money back, since it's obviously not as described.

Are the battery connections tight? If the battery voltage drops from 11 volts to .14 volt, then either the battery is bad, or there is a bad connection.

Also, if the starter was good, it probably isn't now since it has fixed ceramic field magnets that break when you hit the starter with a hammer.

No it wasnt the solenoid clicking it was the starter that was clicking.. And didnt know that about the starter having field magnets. I just related it to my truck when the starter was going bad i used to beat it with a pipe and it would turn on for me.. (whoops).. Well ill get a hold of the guy to see how he started it.. He said it used to start.. thanks for great info you guys.. ill keep ya posted.

Ok was told that the previous owner of mower had no problems starting the mower.. He would remove the belt to rear end off the pulley so engine would crank up but when he would put the belt back on the pulley the engine would not crank up to normal... Would be hesitant.. Also the way it was started was jumping from battery straight to the starter. If starter was bad would it still click? Do starters go bad slowly or do they jsut quit when they go bad? Please post comments thanks

The brushes and bushings in the starter wear out after lots of use, and can cause problems that get progressively worse.

The belt is usually loose enough with the clutch pedal all the way in that it doesn't put much load on the engine while it's being cranked. There may be some wear in the linkage, or it might not be the correct belt.

The clicking noise is probably the gear on the starter engaging the flywheel gear as the starter tries to turn.

Take the belt off, and remove the spark plug. Then see if the starter will spin the engine. If the starter and battery are good, the engine should spin pretty fast.

Ok i got the engine turning now.. It was the starter. I started taking shields off so i could get to sparkplugs to remove them. The spark plug sockets dont fit through the engine fins around the spark plug.. Really sucks... Anyways i got them off and i tryed to turn the starter with channel locks and it finally broke loose.. Sounded really nasty but the sprocket wasnt even up with the flywheel to turn it so i can see i never got it to budge. Anyway... i sprayed it down with some lube and kept turn it.. Then i gave it a bump with the battery and the starter sprocket gear jumped up with the engine flywheel so i just kept turning the flywheel which was also turning the starter by hand.. Finally i gave it another bump with the battery by jumping the solenoid terminals and away it went.. Now is there anything else i should look at or check to see if its gummed up? Im going to go get some spark plugs to see if it will crank up.. Im going to order that solenoid too because now i know that that is a problem.. Any comments you guys?

Suggestions? Be sure the electrodes on the spark plugs are at the proper gap. I don't know what that is, but some one here will I'm sure. I'd dump the fuel in the tank unless you know it's fressh. I'd change the oil and replace it with a good quality straight 30 weight. I'd at least clean the air filter or replace it if in real bad condition.

Thanks bontai... Ok guys what is the gap on a snapper riding mower? Or is standard gap from store ok? 0.38 I went ahead and put the spark plugs curious to see if i could get the engine running but it just spun. I emptied gas tank, cleaned air filter, still has oil but ill change it as soon as i get this thing running. The fuel filter is new but when i removed old one it smelled awful like some strong fumes and it was gummy. I cleaned out the plastic hose going to i guess the fuel regulator? A little grey looking box that has three places to hook up plastic hoses. I know one line when i disconnected it and spun the flywheel it would puff up positive pressure through. Also when the spark plugs were removed and spun the flywheel it would also puff out positive pressure.. So looks like i have good air flow correct? I can test the plugs by leaving them hooked up to wires and seeing if they arch across gap correct?

:cool: cleaned out the plastic hose going to i guess the fuel regulator? A little that has three places to hook up plastic hoses. I know one line when i disconnected it and spun the flywheel it would puff up positive pressure through........... thats the fuel pump, the positive pressure drives the pump...if your coil is bad and you replace the fuel pump it doesn't fix the problem.... ( don't ask me how I know ):rolleyes:

Ok mower is up and running. The only thing i have not done is put on the belt to engage the blades. Should all the pulleys turn and alll blades move by turning one blade or do they have to be engaged to spin? Just making sure i dont need to lubricate more before i put on belt and engage blades with mower.. please respond. thanks

Dont think one of my deck belts is the right belt for my mower. How do i go about finding a deck belt? contacted sears and they dont find any belts.. Do i have to go through snapper?

Look up the belt for your mower and see if it's the same number as the belt on yours. Why do you think it's wrong?

I didnt see a number on the belt i have and the reasons why i think its wrong belt is it doesnt look like the other two belts on the mower nor like any belt ive seen on other riding mowers i went to look at. This belt has teeth looking jagged edges on the inside up against the pulleys like a sprocket.. Also its super tight.. I cant disengage the blades because the belt is too tight.. It could be i didnt put it on right but im really sure that the belt is not the right one. I got Snappers number and im going to try and order me a new one. They cant be that expensive. I was able to start the mower without this belt now i can hardly turn the engine by hand with the belt on..

Sounds like an automotive belt. You're right, it's not the right belt.

Expect the snapper belt to cost you 25 to 55 bucks.

replaced solenoid and mower still will not start from keyswitch.. So does that mean it has to be the keyswitch or what else could keep mower from starting with key switch. It will still start when i jump terminals on solenoid..

Could be the keyswitch, the fuse, one of the safety switches, wiring problem, or bad connection. Got a test light?

went out and bought a new battery and deck drive belt for mower. Now when i try to start the mower the deck belt wants to engage even when i have the lever down to disengage it. The pulley below to engage it is moved over. Looks like i have the belt on the right pulleys.. Is the belt supposed to free spin on pulley when deck is not engaged or is the pulley supposed to swivel? if so can anyone tell me which one.. Thanks

Do you have the belt routed correctly? The belt should be loose with the blades turned off, and tight with them on. The tensioner arm should move the one pulley back and forth to tighten/loosen the belt.

yes i believe the belt is on there correctly. Its on the bottom of the double pulley below the engine and around the top of the pulley for the deck blades. The pulley to engage and disengage does do just that but it seems with the pulley disengaged the belt slips some but the it grabs the deck blades at times also keeping mower from starting. There is slack in the belt but it seems a pulley is not operating the way it is supposed to. Is the deck drive pulleys all one pulley? Meaning that when the engine is started the belt would either slip but still get turned from double pulley below engine so it would be burning up belt. OR Not exactly sure how they should work. Can someone run it by me? I believe i have everything the way it is supposed to be on pulleys... Just not seeing something.. Please reply.. thanks

I don't understand what you're asking about the double pulley. It's just a double pulley, a way to get 2 belts on one shaft. Did you buy an original belt, or something that matches up to it? Do you have a belt routing diagram?

yes i bought correct belt.. Looked at the belt diagragm and it shows i have it correct. Is there a way to get more slack in the deck drive belt? It has a little slack but looks like i need more.. If the belt is supposed to have slack then would the belt spin at all if disengaged? Ill try to get the belt tight into the pulley grooves. see if that helps. Seems like there could be a way to get more slack in the belt. still looking...

When the mower is disengaged, there should be enough slack in the belt that it does NOT move at all. Is the linkage to your tensioning pulley adjustable? If yes, then adjust it for more slack, tighten it later when the belt stretches to account for wear.

yes its adjustable and looks like i can get a little bit more slack out of it. Thats looked to be my only option left. thanks alot..

ok loosened up on pulley tensioner for the deck drive belt but stilll not enough slack. i try to turn the engine by hand and it keeps grabbing and turning the entire blades. What else can i try? change to different pulley? I could put a wider gap pulley on the pulley that is above the blades? anything else i can try before i try replaceing pulleys?

I guess not knowing what was done prior to you getting it, it's anyone's guess.

I'd look at the idler/tensioner pulleys to see if any look to be larger in diameter than what should be there, look for missing belt guides, and bent pulleys.

hi,
yes you could be right about not know what was done to mower pulleys before could leave me hanging here.. But it appears that these pulleys are original and look to be the correct ones in place. The double pulley below the mower engine cannot be removed so i know that one is good and it doesnt seem to be in a bad condition to where it changes the way the belt goes in the groove and around the pulley. Also the only pulley that i see to be wider is the one that actually swings across to put tension on belt to engage the deck blades. The other one for the deck drive is a thinner pulley but also appears to be correct and was thinking about removing it to put a wider and smaller in diameter pulley there.. Cant think of anything else and doesnt look like i have too much more choices here.. Thanks u guys :wall:

ok the pulley above the center deck blade do you guys know if that is a double pulley or am i able to remove a single pulley? seems like the belt doesnt fit deep in the groove on this pulley like it does on the double pulley below the engine.. could have something to do with my belt tension..

The belt should ride deeper on the engine pulley on most all mowers. The engine pulley can be removed, however, I don't think it's the problem.

I think I've mentioned all I can think of without being there to see your mower for myself. If you want to take pictures of the belt routing and pulleys, maybe we can help further. As it is now, we've exhausted the possibilities I think. Got a digital camera?

ok here is the pictures of the drive deck belt. Maybe you guys can see something that is wrong here.. There is no slack in the belt.. Maybe you can see an obvious error here... Thinking maybe that center blade deck pulley might be my problem or my only fix here anyway... let me know. thanks

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/Alkatrio6023/IMG_5087re.jpg


http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/Alkatrio6023/IMG_5089re.jpg


http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/Alkatrio6023/IMG_5084re.jpg

The rust on the engine pulley can cause the pulley to grab the belt even when it has enough slack, simply because it is rough, not smooth and slick like it should be. Also, it looks like the rest of the stuff is rusty. Any chance the tensioner is too rusted and not moving away from the belt enough to disengage it fully? Is the belt too tight because the tensioner is keeping it too tight, or is the tensioner even putting pressure on it?

Well... I know it looks rusty but its not like there is rusty metal flakes coming off because its so rusting out... Also the tensioner is close to the belt but its not applying any pressure to the belt. Just cant get any slack in the belt. Ill try and clean up the pulleys with a wire brush see if that helps any.. Dont think as fast as the pulley would turn while engine runs would allow the rust on the pulley to grab onto the belt the way it is doing now.. Did that center blade pulley look like it might be the right pulley? The belt didnt fit down in the groove like it did with the other pulleys did on the mower. You can see that the pulley grooves are more narrow than the pulley below it.. <<< pulleys above center blade

If the tensioner isn't putting any pressure on the belt, and the belt is still too tight, then either the belt is wrong or the deck is too far back from the engine pulley.

The center pulley looks fine.

well tensioner is not p utting any pressure on belt and doesnt look like i can do any adjustments with the deck so i dont know what else to do but to change out the pulley or replace the belt and i have a new belt so ill try to downsize the pulley.. not sure if this is right move but only thing i can think of doing right now. thanks... Let me know if u think of something else. thanks

ok cheese i got the pulley deal figured out.. just opened up on the center blade pulley with a pair of channel locks making the belt fit better in the groove. worked perfectly.. dont know why i didnt think of it sooner. Ok now my problem is i cant get the mower to start up again. Now the only problem was it wasnt starting up from the keyswitch. I was starting it up by jumping the solenoid. I have cranked it up this way. now i have let it sit for a month now. It has a brand new battery. SEems to turn fine but i cant get it to fire up. What can it be? Not enough juice? Could i have ruined something by trying to start it up many times without it actually star ting up? Im heating the solenoid wires up extremely hot so im wondering if there is something minor im missing again before i burn up more wires.. Please post. thanks

Is the engine cranking (spinning) when you try to start it, or not doing anything at all?

yes engine is trying to crank but im having to jump the terminals on the solenoid because keyswitch is not working. So engine keeps spinning and i got the choke out and pressing on the throttle also to try and get it to turn on. I got it to turn on once this way today but i pushed in the choke not letting the engine run long enough and it killed the engine and was not able to start it up anymore. I have to jump the battery because all this cranking ran the battery down. I definetely got enough juice but engine just cranks and runs down battery. im going to try starter fluid in the choke see if that will help. If not im putting a for sale sign on..

ok i finally got the mower running.. sounds good... The fuel pump was plugged off.. No fuel to carburetor. ive cleaned the carburetor tooo.. And fuel pump.. ok.. now its runs BUUUUTTTT..... the center blade pulley on the deck drive i adjusted because the belt was too tight and would keep the engine from cranking up now has too much slack in it.. belt works its way into the groove and when i engage it will run and cut for a little bit then it starts to burn up because the belt is not turning anymore due to too much slack in belt. I know belt has adjustments to tighten up but i cannot tighten up anymore. thats it.. I got it as tight as it will go so i tryed to squeezze the pulley back to its normal size but it will last for a little while then the belt works its way back into the groove from all the rotation... Mower runs great though... so should i deal with this pulley? thing that worries me is will it be too tight to start up mower again if i buy a new pulley? Im thinking about just selling this mower and get one that actually will cut grass. This mower is good for pulling stuff but cutting grass it dont like.. Lol... Sounds like me.... Ok please post ur opinions.. thanks

The thing should cut grass with no problems. That's what it was made to do, and I never saw a snapper that didn't do well cutting grass. I think you should take it to a dealer or someone who is familiar with mowers and get it fixed. It probably won't cost much, and you'll get it fixed instead of rigged. It's a simple issue I'm sure, but I am limited here on the other side of the monitor.

well mower probably would have cut grass with no problems but i modified the center blade pulley by opening it up with channel locks to get some slack in the belt now i cant get it back to where it was at.. bummer.. Im going to try and buy another pulley because mower starts good now.. ill worry about getting the keyswtich to work later but i just want to cut some grass.. Id never thought id sound this eager to cut grass but i want to cut grass... haha.. Im going to try and see if i cant find something that will make up the gap in the pulley to keep the deck drive belt from working its way deep into the grooves....



Thing to think about.. I have this black wire that is on the left side of the engine that act as the kill switch.. If i have the key turned to off and the black wire attached to the engine mower will start and run... But if i have the black wire attached to engine and i swap the keyswitch from off to run it wants to kill the mower.. Also when i have the black wire attached to engine and in off position and i engage blades it kills the engine.. Most times i run mower without the black wire attached. I just let it dangle freely and im able to engage blades.. Also i dont need to be sitting on seat to start up the engine.. So this would leave me to believe keyswitch does work but something else is holding me out. bad sensor? hmmm. just soemthing to think about. .. thanks.. bye