My MTD 14.5 hp yard machine has been hard to start for a while. Turn the key and back off several times before it will start.. I replaced the ignition switch and the solenoid and now it does not even make a sound. What else could it be.

Make sure you put the solenoid in right (wiggle the wires) and got the correct switch... wiggle this to, then check the fuse.

The solenoid may not be earthing out on the body, I had this problem, I scraped away a little paint under the solenoid and tensioned it up again, good luck