The mower will start, but it takes a while. When I turn the key it will just make a clicking sound or the starter will try to engage but doesn't seem to have enough power to turn the flywheel. I replaced the starter thinking that is the problem. The battery was replaced less than a year ago. The original battery would not hold a charge after my son left the key in the on position for two weeks. Once it does start it is fine until I cut it off. Than I have to go through the same procedure of turning the key on and off until it starts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jay

Jay,
When I have had that problem it was the battery. I would certainly have it checked. Even if it shows 12 volts it may not have enough cranking amps. A cheap tester at Harbor frieght is good to have around.

Larry:)

About a year to two is the life of a L&G battery... what brand? Everstart and the lesser brands can have speratic lifes... lasted years to barely a year.

Most of the lawn tractors seem to have a problem with the starter solinoid. I have replaced the one on my Deere twice, and my son's Weed Eater once. Life sems to be about a year. Sympton exactly like your's. NOT battery as they will not start with jumper cable from car. The "click" you hear is the solinoid actuating but not making contact.

Easy test. Jump solinoid terminels with jumper cable. WARNING!! THIS BY PASSES ALL SAFETY FEATURES. Be sure you are in neutral, blade is off. Throtle is in run/start.

Starter should turn when terminels are jumped. If not battery is probably bad.

If starter turns, replace solinoid. I have given up on lawn tractor solinoids, I use a small car unit with a single wire to activate. Takes a few minutes to adapt as bolt holes don't line up, but no big task. Contact terminels inside solinoid units seem to light for the job.

Good luck, Ken

Would also like to add... these solenoids get abused.. oil gets on them, dust... they get overheated by over cranking... etc.. and for the most part... they are built cheaply... had one mower, the solenoid lasted a year... another that's over 20 years old with the same one and that was caked in grassy grease before I got it.. but it was a well made one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jsawyer

The mower will start, but it takes a while. When I turn the key it will just make a clicking sound or the starter will try to engage but doesn't seem to have enough power to turn the flywheel. I replaced the starter thinking that is the problem. The battery was replaced less than a year ago. The original battery would not hold a charge after my son left the key in the on position for two weeks. Once it does start it is fine until I cut it off. Than I have to go through the same procedure of turning the key on and off until it starts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jay

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I have a L110 with a similar problem. Mine will just sit and click so I figured out that
If I push in and out the clutch while holding the key on start and listen for the "click"
I can determine the position of the clutch/starter engaging and just keep slowly pushing
In and out on the clutch pedal until the starter begins spinning. Sometimes it requires
20+ times to start; other times only one or two. I am not a mechanic but I think
It might be a simple adjustment underneath or perhaps a solenoid. My mower is about
Two years old and I have had the problem for about 5 months.

ED Rice/Reply

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jsawyer

The mower will start, but it takes a while. When I turn the key it will just make a clicking sound or the starter will try to engage but doesn't seem to have enough power to turn the flywheel. I replaced the starter thinking that is the problem. The battery was replaced less than a year ago. The original battery would not hold a charge after my son left the key in the on position for two weeks. Once it does start it is fine until I cut it off. Than I have to go through the same procedure of turning the key on and off until it starts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jay

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I have a 110 JD with same problem. I just replaced the Solonoid with a new part from
The JD Dealer - $16.00. I replaced it myself. Cranks like a dream now. The Solonoid
I removed was made in India. The new replacement was made in China. Both were labeled "Q.C. Tested." I think that means that Quincy Chung tested them and he is blind.

I've had the same problem w/ the clicking w/ no engine rotation or starting problem w/ my LT160. Like Ed I would push in and out on the brake pedal to get the tractor to start. After a couple years of this the engine started and got up to full speed after back firing then the tractor died when the deck was engaged. After this the engine wouldn't do anything other than low idle (put, put, put... ). The local JD shop found that the flywheel key was broken.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ED Rice

I have a 110 JD with same problem. I just replaced the Solonoid with a new part from
the JD Dealer - $16.00. I replaced it myself. Cranks like a dream now. The Solonoid
I removed was made in India. The new replacement was made in China. Both were labeled "Q.C. Tested." I think that means that Quincy Chung tested them and he is blind.

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I think that is Quincy Chong, not Chung. Ha ha ah ha ha, just kidding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jsawyer

The mower will start, but it takes a while. When I turn the key it will just make a clicking sound or the starter will try to engage but doesn't seem to have enough power to turn the flywheel. I replaced the starter thinking that is the problem. The battery was replaced less than a year ago. The original battery would not hold a charge after my son left the key in the on position for two weeks. Once it does start it is fine until I cut it off. Than I have to go through the same procedure of turning the key on and off until it starts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jay

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Rule out the charging system. Put a trickle charger on the battery for a while. I have the same problem, and mine is not charging.

Any luck yet?

John deere does have a decompresion problem and the do have a fix for it . Mine had that same problem

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kbpc

Most of the lawn tractors seem to have a problem with the starter solinoid. I have replaced the one on my Deere twice, and my son's Weed Eater once. Life sems to be about a year. Sympton exactly like your's. NOT battery as they will not start with jumper cable from car. The "click" you hear is the solinoid actuating but not making contact.

Easy test. Jump solinoid terminels with jumper cable. WARNING!!! THIS BY PASSES ALL SAFETY FEATURES. Be sure you are in neutral, blade is off. Throtle is in run/start.

Starter should turn when terminels are jumped. If not battery is probably bad.

If starter turns, replace solinoid. I have given up on lawn tractor solinoids, I use a small car unit with a single wire to activate. Takes a few minutes to adapt as bolt holes don't line up, but no big task. Contact terminels inside solinoid units seem to light for the job.

Good luck, Ken

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Having the same problem with my L110, I have a question in regards to testing by jumping the solinoid terminals. Are the jumper cables also attached to the battery or am I supposed to just jump across the terminals on the solinoid?

Do you live in cold climate and have a battery that was frozen than defrosted?

I had similar problem with x300 select series tractor 1 year old... turned key and only got clicking noise, no spinning of engine... turned out that it was a bad battery. JD repair changed battery and I was good to go.. thank god for warrantys..

I thought it was something more complicated because I initially neglected battery and it froze than I defrosted it and put trickle charger on it and put it back into tractor... tractor light etc had power but did not "turn over engine"... JD thought the battery was not deliverying enough amps to start engine...

so even though u replaced battery last year.. did it freeze?

good luck

QC does not stand for quality control anymore but rather quite crappy

I have a John Deere GX345. It stops suddenly when I am mowing and then won't start. After sitting awhile and sometimes over night it starts and runs fine. I have changed the fuel filter, spark plugs and air filter. Can you tell me what I can try next?

My problem is close to the same not having enough power to make the starter turn I've replaced the starter and the first pmt the motor turned super fast and started this happened one more time then I tried it again and it acted like it didn't have enogh power... crazy but after turning the switch off and on off and on it eventaly starts...