Question-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
i have a craftsman riding mower with a kohler
16 OHV engine. (mower model no. 917.271031)
the engine turns over fine, smells like gas is getting to the carb but will not start.
i have tried:
1. replacing the starter switch - no help
2. touching the plug wire to ground (the engine block)to check for spark, there is none.
thank you
steve
Answer -
Most likely you have a safety switch problem. Have you ever taken off the engine fan schroud and/or are you familar with some basic electronics?
Let me know.
Eric
eric:
thank you for your fast reply. have been having trouble getting through to
you, "maxed out".
i do have the shroud off and have located 3 safety switches and three
relays. don't know witch relay goes to which switch yet.
basic electronics - yes. not sure i understand the wiring scheme i'm
looking at but i can run a multimeter to get voltages and continuity.
looking forward to your next;
steve
AnswerBasic electronics is all you need. Almost all safety switches are either open or closed, like the light switch in your house. You can check them for continuity.
I sure that one of the switches is grounding out the spark on the ignition coil. This is how the engine turns off...when you turn the key switch to the off position the switch grounds the primary side of the ignition coil.
The way your safety switches work is a little more difficult to trouble-shoot. The first thing I would do is disconnect the ground wire on the ignition module; it will be a small, usually black wire. With the spark plug removed and the coil ground wire dis-connected, turn the engine over and check for spark. If you have spark then you know the coil is fine and the problem is a safety switch.
Probably the easist method to trouble-shoot your problem is to use the continuity function of your meter. Connect one of the meters leads to the coil ground wire, with the coil wire still dis-connected, and the other end of the meter to ground.
Start tracing the wires back from the ignition ground wire to the key switch and each safety switch. Make sure you the mower levers and stuff are in the start position. If you're lucky you could also start dis-connecting each safety switch. When the meter stops beeping you know that the ignition ground is no longer grounded and the switch you just dis-connected is the likely problem.
In a last ditch effort, you can dis-connect each safety switch and check for continuity or no continuity using your meter. This is a fairly easy tasking unless you have a swith with more than 2 pins.
Does any of this make sense?
Let me know.
Eric
