You stated that you get nothing at the starter side of the solenoid. Since I don't know how you tested that side of the solenoid, I am going to post for you a diagnostic procedure for you to follow. You should be able to make it through the procedure in less than five minutes. I have an idea of what is wrong but I would like you to follow the procedure and report back with the test results for each specific test.

Lawn mower no crank diagnosis

I wrote this procedure with tractor style mowers in mind but this works on zero turn mowers as well. For a zero turn mower, the steering levers must be out, parking brake engaged and the PTO switch in the off position. Some mowers have an operator presence switch in the seat and you may need an assistant to sit in the seat while performing the following tests.

Electrical problems can be very easy or very difficult, depending on four things:

1. How well you understand basic electricity.
2. What tools you have and know how to use.
3. How well you follow directions. Ahem.
4. You don't overlook or assume anything and test/verify everything.

Remember, I cannot see what you are doing. You are the eyes, ears and fingers in solving this problem. You must be as accurate as you can when you report back. The two basic tools I will ask you to use are a test light and a multimeter. If you have an assistant when going through these tests it would be very helpful. These steps work the best when done in order, so please don't jump around. Now let's solve this problem.

First, make sure parking the brake is engaged and the PTO switch is in the off position. Physically remove the negative battery cable first and then the positive battery cable and clean both the battery terminals and cable connectors with a wire brush. Reinstall cables after cleaning starting with the positive first and then the negative. Next, turn the key to the run position, check all fuses with a grounded test light – should light on both sides of fuse. Check battery voltage - above 12.5 volts should be good. Believe it or not, this first step will take the most amount of time, usually around five minutes and the rest of the steps can be accomplished in under a minute.

Second, check for power from the battery to one of the large terminals on the solenoid. One of the wires is connected directly to the battery and has power all the time so one of the large terminals should light a test light or show battery voltage on a meter at all times.

Third, check for power at the small terminal of the solenoid while depressing the clutch/brake pedal and holding the key in the start position (you may need an assistant to sit in the seat to override the safety switch). If your solenoid is a four wire solenoid, check both small wire terminals as one is ground and the other is power from the ignition switch. If your solenoid is a three wire solenoid, make sure the solenoid body is not corroded where it bolts to the chassis of the mower as this is your ground path back to the battery. If in doubt, remove the solenoid and clean the mounting area down to bare metal. If there is no power to the small terminal then your problem is most likely a safety switch, ignition switch or in the wiring. You should have battery voltage on this small solenoid wire when the key switch is held in the start position.

Fourth, check for power on the other large terminal of the solenoid while holding the key in the start position (you may need an assistant to sit in the seat to override the safety switch). You should have battery voltage on this terminal when the key is held in the start position.

Fifth, check for power at the starter while holding the key in the start position (assistant again). You should have battery voltage during this test.

Sixth, check your ground circuit back to the battery. Just like the battery, make sure connections are clean and tight. Very Important!

This procedure is a simple starting point and there is more to it so after you have gone through each of the above steps, let me know what happened when you performed each test. At that point I will have great info to tell you how to proceed. Remember you are the eyes, ears, and fingers, so please be as accurate as possible. Some lawnmowers use a relay in the starter control circuit so keep that in mind.

Be as specific as possible with voltage readings as this will help diagnose your problem quicker. If you do not know how to perform the above checks, just ask and I will try to guide you through it. I prefer to use voltage drop tests but some people get too confused over this subject so in an effort to keep it simple, for now, just follow the procedure and report back with your findings.

 

This could be something you already checked, but it's worth looking at since you mentioned that only sometimes does jumping the solenoid work:

The starter itself gets its ground where it mounts to the block. Sometimes, there's a layer of shroud or housing between the starter and block which can be oxidized or dirty and prevent the ground from being secure. If you haven't already done so, remove the new starter and make sure the surfaces are making a good electrical connection.

Also: if you can jump the low power wires and the solenoid functions intermittently, it's probably a bad solenoid (I've had bad new ones). If you are jumping the high power wires and only get intermittent starter spin, I would suspect the starter connections. I know you changed parts and wires, but sometimes that pesky weak link is just out of sight.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the replies. I will try all of this tomorrow and report back

 

Don't forget part of the ground circuit are the engine mounting bolts.

 

I did my best to follow Uncle Knuckle's advice. I disconnected the cables in the proper order and cleaned the connections with wire brush and put everything back together.
12.6 V at battery, 12.6V at at battery side of solenoid (big lug) zero at the starter side (with or without key engaged). I couldn't get a test light so I used my multi-meter 12.6 V at fuse 12.6 at white wire into solenoid.

zero V at the starter.

I also pulled the spark plug and cranked. Gas shot out and the flywheel spun just like it should so I thought it was fixed. I reconnected the plug and now it's dead again.....so I pulled the plug again....still dead.

 

If you have no power on the starter side of the solenoid while the key is held in the start position and you have power on the small wire on the solenoid, then your solenoid is not making electrical connection internally.

Make absolutely sure your ground for the solenoid is good.

Do you hear the solenoid click when you turn the key to start?

Here is how to bench test a solenoid:

 

The gasoline shooting out the spark plug hole is a separate issue. Most likely the needle & seat in the carburetor. Make sure to check the engine oil level! If overfull, change the oil because gasoline is getting past the rings right into the crankcase and will dilute the oil which could cause major engine damage. This part is more important then the fact that the engine will not start.

 

Pulled off the solenoid and bench tested. I got perfect continuity. Put it back on and the flywheel spun around one full revolution and stopped. Now the solenoid just clicks

 

Use a test light, meters lie, and in this case you need a test light.
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Use a test light, meters lie, and in this case you need a test light.
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Meters don't lie. Maybe you are using a harbor freight meter, that I could understand. Try a Fluke. I have a Fluke 88 from 25 years ago and it sill works perfectly.

 

Pulled off the solenoid and bench tested. I got perfect continuity. Put it back on and the flywheel spun around one full revolution and stopped. Now the solenoid just clicks

Your engine has multiple problems. Briggs & Stratton by chance? Most likely valves are out of adjustment and the automatic compression release is not opening one of the valves to help starting. Some Kohler engines have adjustable valves, too.

Watch this:

 

Yes meters lie. No load has 12v. Load has 0. Lost the voltage
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Yes meters lie. No load has 12v. Load has 0. Lost the voltage
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Only malfunctioning meters lie. Get yours calibrated. Maybe there is a short and the meter is telling you that the voltage goes to zero when the load is applied????? In other words, you meter is working.

 

It's a kohler. I will try to adjust the valves tonight

 

Make sure to go to www.kohlerplus.com and download the service manual for your engine. Some Kohler engines have hydraulic lifters and do not need adjusting. The fuel in the combustion chamber is more of an issue and that could be causing a hydro-lock condition. Like I said, your engine has multiple problems and this is not uncommon.

Your first test of the solenoid revealed that power was not supplied to the starter side of the solenoid when the key was held in the start position but your second test did and when you bench tested, it passed the test. Conflicting readings.

 

Your missing it. The meter will always tell you that you have voltage with no load. The minute you apply a load, light, starter etc...that's what the meter misses. So hence a test light is needed to apply a load
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Pulled off the solenoid and bench tested. I got perfect continuity. Put it back on and the flywheel spun around one full revolution and stopped. Now the solenoid just clicks

Bench tested which side of the solenoid?
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Your interpretation of what the meter is telling you is what's missing. If there is no voltage for the meter to read then there is no voltage to light a test light. Go out to your mower right now and connect your meter negative to battery ground and your meter positive to the starter side of the solenoid. Key off = no voltage. Key on = no voltage. Key in start position = 11+ volts while cranking. Using a test light gets you the exact same response except you can't accurately measure voltage with a test light.

Now when you come back from testing your mower with the above procedure, please post your results. If your results are different from above you have a problem in your starter circuit.

 

Negative to battery ground...positive to starter side of solenoid
key off...no voltage
key on no voltage
key in start position....burst of power flywheel turns one revolution and dies voltage goes up to 12 and then down to zero and stays there

Also on the battery side of solenoid key off 12.6 V key in start position it drops all the way to 6V....I know it should drop but isn't a 6V drop too much?

 

Yep 6 volt is way to low. Go back to the pos batt terminal and try it again and see what you have there. Also Ck the grounds. At the battery and at the frame
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The battery should stay above 10 volts while cranking at a minimum. Take the battery to your nearest auto parts store that has the ability to load test the battery.

 

Grounds are clean and tight. 12.6V at the battery & battery side of solenoid still dropping to 6V. After I checked the grounds I turned the key and the wheel spun 2 full revolutions and ran out of power now it just clicks again

 

The battery does not have the reserve capacity (CCA) to start the engine. Have the battery tested and replace if it fails a load test.

 

Another test you can perform is a voltage drop test. Take your positive lead of your volt meter and connect it to the positive battery cable. Take your negative meter lead and connect it to the starter side of the solenoid. Measure voltage while cranking and you should have zero voltage drop. .5 volt (1/2 volt) is acceptable. Any more than .5 volt and you have high resistance in a cable terminal or solenoid contacts. You can work backward from there and find the problem when you meter reads under .5 voltage drop while cranking.

 

Your interpretation of what the meter is telling you is what's missing. If there is no voltage for the meter to read then there is no voltage to light a test light. Go out to your mower right now and connect your meter negative to battery ground and your meter positive to the starter side of the solenoid. Key off = no voltage. Key on = no voltage. Key in start position = 11+ volts while cranking. Using a test light gets you the exact same response except you can't accurately measure voltage with a test light.

Now when you come back from testing your mower with the above procedure, please post your results. If your results are different from above you have a problem in your starter circuit.

Dieselss,

I haven't heard back from you yet. What are your test results?