Cub Cadet 149 Wont Start
 

My 149 wont start, the starter solenoid was just clicking away and was not turning the starter/generator. I went ahead and changed the solenoid and now its doing the same thing and still wont start. I put a meter on the starter and its only intermittingly getting voltage when I turn the key. After a few trys it wont do anything now. Also, the head lights will not work now also. The battery is showing 12.5 volts. Any ideas?

Try running a jumper cable from battery positive to starter/generator and see if it turns. Make sure to use the thick positive lug on s/g and not the field or F lug. If that works, it’s either a bad cable or connection from the solenoid to the battery, or it’s a bad cable or connection from battery to solenoid.

If not, you could have a bad ground cable, or a bad battery or a bad starter/generator.

So, if after doing the test you suggest.... all the parts between the key switch and the starter, along with every connection are still suspect, what good, exactly, is this test? I'll wait for an answer before I supply a real problem solving test procedure.

Well I reckon it's time to clean up all ground connections and all the connections in the start circuit.:bigthink:

The importance of proper grounds cannot be overstated.:ThumbsUp:

Performing a voltage drop test may also be helpful in isolating a faulty wire or connection;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paw8...t=37s&index=22

Good luck!:beerchug:

Pull both Battery Cables, on both ends. Clean & polish the cable ends. Make sure the newly cleaned ends come in contact with clean terminals and bare metal.

:IH Trusted Hand:

Ok, so I can get it started that way. So what should I be looking for next to fix this?

You should do what everyone else suggested.

Battery connections, solenoid and starter/generator connections look good. I guess check the wiring itself.

If it turns out your wiring needs replacement, I HIGHLY recommend forum member Mlamar for a new wiring harness.
http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=34457

Factory connectors and every single connector is marked so even someone like myself who isn't that good with electrics can hook it up easily. As an added bonus, they are a very good value too.

It eliminates the battery and starter/generator (and starter/generator ground) as being the problem, and, more than likely, the battery ground. That’s half the components.

It’s got a new solenoid. What’s left is cables/connections and, as you said, the key. So now you know it’s more than likely one of those two things.

If it hadn't cranked, it would have eliminated NOTHING. Only would have told you that the battery or the S/G could also be bad. Using a test light and volt meter is how you find and fix electrical problems. Using jumper cables and hooking them up here and there are for emergency situations where you need something to run right now so you can fix it later.

These circuits are about as simple as starting circuits can get.

Check battery for static voltage. 12.5v +-.5v

Load test battery.

Clean and check connections:

Battery 12v+
Battery 12v-
Solenoid 12v+
Solenoid Switched 12v+ Signal
Solenoid 12v+ Load
Starter 12v+
Engine 12v-

If you check voltage and clean all these connections you should have an almost definitive solution to your problem.

It might not have absolutely eliminated anything, but it would have pointed to the problem not being the switch, the solenoid, or the cabling (aside from the battery ground, and possibly the s/g wiring ground). Or if it was, it is a second fault.

No, it wouldn't have. You bypassed the switch, solenoid and most all of the cables. It doesn't prove anything..... other than maybe the battery and S/G work, if they do in fact work when you hook up a jumper cable. That's it. That is NOT a test to recommend to find and fix the problem.

It's like when someone says something won't start and you suggest shorting out the solenoid with a screwdriver. Then they say, well, it started, so what's wrong? Yeah... still no idea. You only know that the battery and starter do work when EVERYTHING else is bypassed. He was no farther to knowing what was wrong than before he used the jumper cable. Please, only recommend that test if you want only to know if the starter does in fact work, or that the battery isn't dead. But most people can pretty easily figure out if a batter is dead without using jumper cables to the starter. Jumper cables to another good battery will tell you if the battery you have is dead and you have no way to test it. A much better test than running to the starter from the battery in question.

Hey countywacker, so, utilizing Gompers test you have(most likely) determined that your starter is working, your battery is good, and you have decent ground paths. And, following the advice from cubs-n-bxrs and R Bedell, your connections are all clean and secure. And through use of your multimeter and following the advice from jsoluna and help from the youtube video, you have determined that you have 12 volts everywhere that you are suppose to. So,.. what’s next? Remember that just because you can get 12 volts through a battery cable doesn’t mean that it will carry any more than a few milliamps let alone 15 amps or whatever that starter needs to crank over. Battery cables are notorious for developing internal corrosion, thus reducing current flow (increase resistance).

So, using your multi meter, what do you have for resistance (ohms) in the, B+ terminal to starter relay, cable?:bigthink:

Sounds like you are getting some other juices flowing twoton!.

Otherwise ALL have given good advice.

Amen and right on. Using a Multi-meter to check voltages ONLY tells you part of the equation.

:IH Trusted Hand:

If you’ve got a wire or remote starter switch to jump 12v from the battery to the solenoid you could see if that will spin it over.

If it turns over, that would rule out the solenoid, the solenoid ground, the solenoid load cables and, well pretty much everything aside from the wiring between the switch and the battery and the switch and the solenoid.

If that doesn’t spin over, its more likely the solenoid load cables, since you just replaced the solenoid and it’s unlikely to be the solenoid ground.

Edit:
Forgot to ask, does this tractor still have the safety switches installed/connected? That could be another place to look.

Yes they have.


Well said.:ThumbsUp:

Actually, if a new solenoid was installed there is a good chance it isn't grounding. Again, using jumper wires isn't a definite test. Now, if you use a power probe, it can be, as most have a digital read out that indicates volts like a meter and also has lights to indicate a complete circuit. Bad thing is, as with a meter, it doesn't necessarily indicate a circuit capable of a load.

Personally I use a test light or my power probe before a multimeter. Just because as a general rule, a weak illumination of the light will occur if the circuit is weak. I save the meter for small circuits like sensors and signal wires to a PCM. My favorite is my power probe, as it's 3 tools in one. :biggrin2:

Doesn’t the solenoid ground through its body to the chassis?
Figure that would be unlikely to be it, but it would definitely match the symptoms! :beerchug:

I don’t like using digital multimeters to test intermittent stuff like this because its hard to see the voltage reading move around and know if that’s from the circuit or just noise from probes moving or averaging from the sampling rate or whatnot. After all, multimeters are designed to show the current level and not the level over time. That’s what an o-scope is for.

A nice power probe would be very useful and some of the fancy ones I’ve seen actually have little graphs on them to help eliminate that problem. If I did this stuff for a living I’d definitely snag one to help save some time. :beer2:

Lets let the OP do some checking. He has been given some very good and concrete information. We can speculate and discuss different ways of doing things, but now is the time for him to do something.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'm hopefully going to dig into it this weekend when I'm off.

To second what has already been said, if you could benefit from one, I would highly recommend a new harness from this guy http://www.mikescubcadets.com/wiring-harnesses/

Very pleased with the one he sent me.

I'm keeping that in mind for a spring overhaul project.

You work 24 hours a day, 5 days a week? :bigthink:
That must suck.....

10 days on with 4 days off every other weekend with mostly 13 hour days on rotating shifts. So with that and family obligations doesn't leave much time to play tractor. Besides, once I start a project I like to finish it as soon as possible and not let it sit.

Yep. That sucks.

Just curious what you do that you work like that?

Public Safety Communications, which is also my primary hobby. You guys have garages full of tractors and I have garages full of radio equipment I just cant part with...lol

But all seriousness I've had my 149 for the past several years and I enjoy tinkering with it more and more. So I'm quickly trying to absorb all the knowledge I can.

Oh..... so you travel a lot I assume?

Glad you are getting into Cubs. Old iron is fun. :beerchug:

Just a few weeks out of the year. Not bad at all.