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MF-135 won't start

S

smithjr31

New User
Keep in mind, my mechanical skills are amateur at best. I have an MF-135 Gas, with a Continental Z-145 that I purchased about a year ago. I used it for a couple of months blading snow on the driveway then used it all summer mowing my yard. I never had a problem with it starting. I last used it in September for mowing and I just now tried to start it and nothing happens. No clicks or anything, but the gas gauge does move when the key is turned. I charged the battery and it has a full charge. From what I've been able to research, it could be a rusted out connection or the starter solenoid. I've read that you can use a voltmeter to pin-point the problem but am not really sure where to start on that. I have posted pictures that will hopefully help. Thanks for any advice you can give me, the more details and "dumbed down" the better.

Photos on picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/jrsmith31/1232011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJGLkprjuMbTFw#
 
It would be better to post your question on the MF forum. If it's not turning over sounds like a bad ground. The gas gauge requires very little power to work. Dave
 
Clean all your battery connections until they're shiny. That includes where your battery is grounded. You can post pictures using the Advanced Posting Tools. Take a screwdriver and short across the terminals on your solenoid. Make sure your tractor is out of gear and the brakes are set. It should start if your ignition switch in the run position. If it starts you're probably not getting battery voltage from your starter switch to your solenoid. Hal
 
I agree with El toro. Sounds like a bad connection between the battery and the starter. Clean all the connections and snug them back up. Then if it still don't work try shorting the two termanials across on the solenoid.
 
I got it to start by using a screwdriver to connect the posts on the solenoid. Can you give me more specific details on how to check to see if I'm getting voltage from the starter.

Thanks

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r50696.jpg
 
on the solenoid, there are two small terminals, one should energize the solenoid when you go to start it. with the key off and tractor in neutral, momentarily touch the big terminal on top to one then the other of the small terminals. if the starter engages, the solenoid should be good. the small terminal that energized the solenoid is the wire you need to trace back. there may be a neutral saftey switch or a clutch interlock switch that is not working.
 
Take your battery ground cable off and clean all those battery connections. One of those small terminals on your solenoid has the letter S on it.
The other terminal should have battery voltage on it. It probably feeds battery voltage to your ignition switch and to your lights. When youn twist a key or push a button to start your engine battery voltage will flow to the terminal
with the S. When the engine starts you let off the key or starter button and no more voltage will flow to the letter S. You're bypassing your starter button or key start when you short across the terminals. You probably have a bad connection. Use your volt meter set on DC volts and see if there's battery voltage on the S terminal when a helper presses the starter button
or twist's a key. Be Careful when doing this where you place your hands. If you're getting voltage to the S terminal your solenoid may be defective . Clean those battery cable connections. Hal
 
Thanks for all of the great advice and responses. I took all of them in to consideration and went to it with a multimeter. The problem ended up being a rusty connection on the solenoid with the wire coming from the switch on top of the gearbox. Used a wire brush to shine the connection, washer, nut, and post, and then the tractor fired right up. I think every other connection on the tractor is rusted at least some too, so hopefully I'll get around to cleaning them all on a rainy day.
 
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