I have a john deere 175 hydro lawn tractor. I installed a new starter. My problem is still the same. The solenoid clicks but the starter won't engage. With the old starter if I tapped on the starter or just kept turning the key on and off it would finally start to turn over and then start. What else can the problem be? Thanks for your help!

Hi,
If this model is over 20 years old, it should have a 14HP OHV Kawasaki with a solenoid-shift starter that cost about $300. If the old and new both do this, it is probably bad battery cable(s) or battery that cause it.
The old one doing it indicates the shift solenoid has gotten weak and a Low Voltage Kit would cure it less expensively than a starter.
When a new starter does not cure it, it means that not enough current is getting to it.
If this is not the machine, it is newer, has letters of the alphabet in front of the 175; then you have failed to provide correct info for an answer.
Peace,
Clarke

hi clarke, this mower ismore than 20 years old. It is marked 175 hydro, and has a fc420v-csoo kawasaki. It also has amodel # jd moo 175x487581. I put the battery from my old 110 in it and now turns over but will not start. When I had it out the other day it was running rough. I added a little heet to it which at the time seem to help, but now it won't start.thanks

Hi clarke, forgot to ask you if it does need a low voltage kit, where can I buy one? Thanks again. Merritt.

hi clarke, this john deere 175 hydro is more than 20 years old. It is marked 175 hydro on the side and has a fc420v-csoo kawasaki. It also has amodel# jd moo 175x487581. I put the battery from my old 110 in it and now turns over but will not start. When I used the hydro the other day it was running rough under a load. I added a little heet to it which seem to help, but now it won't srart. I have also put a new spark plug and a new air filter in it. If it does need a low voltage kit where can I buy one? Thanks again.

Hi,
Thank you for the numbers; now I can tell you what you have. Six machines were made in three families.
The ones that ended in "0" were gear drives and were the 160, 170 and 180. They had 12.2HP (FB460V), 14HP (FC420V) and 17HP (FC540V) engines.
The ones ending in "5" were hydros and were 165, 175 and 185 with the same corresponding engines as their gear-driven siblings.
The first engine (FB460V) is a valve-in-block engine. The others are OHV engines. The first letter, "F" is a designation for four-stroke. The second letter is for the engine family; "A" was a valve-in-block engine with only smaller horizontal crankshaft models. The "B" introduced larger engines and vertical (V)crankshafts. The "C" was the first OHV, and the "D" was a water-cooled V-twin. The next set of letters and numbers are the version and vendor numbers; "C" is third version and "S00" is Deere's vendor number.
As far as that serial number, I guess you saw that "175" was a part of it and the last 6 digits are the actual serial number. The earliest machines started at 420001 and continued in increments of 10000 per year, so yours ought to be year 6.
Well, enough is enough, and the low voltage kit is part #AM10421. It is available from a Deere dealer and probably online at Deere. It was in fact invented by a local fellow mechanic (technician) named Mark Carter.
Try:
John Deere - Parts Catalog (http://jdpc.deere.com/jdpc/servlet/com.deere.u90490.partscatalog.view.servlets.HomePa geServlet_Alt)
To look up parts, and:
Operator's Manuals for John Deere Equipment (http://www.deere.com/en_US/homeowners/services_support/manuals.html)
To get to parts and manuals.
Peace,
Clarke