2006 Super LT Starting Issue

[Merlin2014]

Gentlemen, looking for a little help with my starting issue. The engine is the Courage 27hp and I have checked the battery, its good, and cleaned all the major connections with the battery cables. I have even used a jumper cable from positive battery terminal directly to the starter and it does not want to turn over. If I jump it with my pickup truck it will turn over and start up but you still have to keep bumping the switch before it will eventually turn over enough to start. It kind of reminds me of some of the old v-8 car engines with a lot of initial timing. It really is hard to start. Once started it runs and mows fine. However, with the spark plugs removed it turns over seemingly without any drag at all. Still my first thoughts are that it’s the starter but then I’ve read somewhere that some of these engines have some sort of mechanism to bleed off compression during the start process. What are everyone’s thoughts on this issue? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[cubs-n-bxrs]

I myself would pull the connector from the backside of the ignition switch and check it out. I have found numerous issues with corrosion on some of the hot wires that go to the starter. Clean them up with sandpaper real well and give them a coat of diaelectric grease.

[Merlin2014]

Cubs -, thanks for the quick reply. I haven’t checked the connections on the secondary circuits I was thinking that using the jumper cable from the positive battery terminal directly to the starter bypassed all of that. Am I incorrect?

[Moark Willy]

If you pull the spark plugs, does the problem go away? My LT1050 has the same issue...but not always. I suspect it's compression related.

[Merlin2014]

Moark, I did remove the spark plugs and turn the engine over and it seems to turn easily that way but I’m not really sure that means the starter is okay though it would kind of imply that it is. At this point I really don’t know what the problem is but I am hoping that someone on this site will have the answer. Hopefully we will both find the fix we search for before long. Good luck!

[Merlin2014]

I spoke by phone this morning with a mechanic at a local mower repair shop and he suggested I check the starter drive. He stated that just last week he had a mower in with the Kohler engine and the starter gear was staying up against the flywheel instead of retracting out of the way after startup. That meant that any time an attempt was made to start the engine the starter was trying to turn the engine without getting the usual “running start” at it. In other words the starter didn’t get to spin up before engaging the flywheel (the load) and that was causing the starter to strain badly to spin the engine. He instructed me to spray a very little Wd-40 on the starter shaft and try to coax the gear back down. So I removed the shroud off the engine to check and mine was up against the starter so I did as he had suggested. However mine has been that way all this year and I suspect that I am going to need a new starter as unfortunately I got the starter very hot a number of times trying to get the engine to start. I have been jump starting mine all this year and here lately the starter was still struggling to spin the engine enough for it to start even with a jump. At first I was thinking that the battery was just weak and kept trying to charge it up. After a time I decided to take the battery and get it checked at which time I learned that the battery was good. That’s when I started researching other remedies and that has eventually brought me to this conclusion. I hope this information will be helpful to others and now if someone can direct me to a site with a good price on a new starter I would very much appreciate it. Thanks,

[dbuck]

Originally Posted by Merlin2014

I spoke by phone this morning with a mechanic at a local mower repair shop and he suggested I check the starter drive. He stated that just last week he had a mower in with the Kohler engine and the starter gear was staying up against the flywheel instead of retracting out of the way after startup. That meant that any time an attempt was made to start the engine the starter was trying to turn the engine without getting the usual “running start” at it. In other words the starter didn’t get to spin up before engaging the flywheel (the load) and that was causing the starter to strain badly to spin the engine. He instructed me to spray a very little Wd-40 on the starter shaft and try to coax the gear back down. So I removed the shroud off the engine to check and mine was up against the starter so I did as he had suggested. However mine has been that way all this year and I suspect that I am going to need a new starter as unfortunately I got the starter very hot a number of times trying to get the engine to start. I have been jump starting mine all this year and here lately the starter was still struggling to spin the engine enough for it to start even with a jump. At first I was thinking that the battery was just weak and kept trying to charge it up. After a time I decided to take the battery and get it checked at which time I learned that the battery was good. That’s when I started researching other remedies and that has eventually brought me to this conclusion. I hope this information will be helpful to others and now if someone can direct me to a site with a good price on a new starter I would very much appreciate it. Thanks,

I have had good luck with dbelectrical for starters.

[Merlin2014]

Well, my new Dbelectrical starter arrived today and I installed it this evening after work. So far it works great. Only time will tell as to how long it will hold up but it went on without any issues and starts great. For now I'm pleased.

[ACecil]

Originally Posted by Merlin2014

Well, my new Dbelectrical starter arrived today and I installed it this evening after work. So far it works great. Only time will tell as to how long it will hold up but it went on without any issues and starts great. For now I'm pleased.

Glad to hear it!