702 will not start

[rex iii 0]

I was mowing today with my 1962 Wheel Horse model 702 and it just died. when i try to start the ground wire connected to the (generator?) starts to smoke. Also the starter push button gets hot. Any ideas?

[rmaynard 14,864]

Can you rotate the engine by hand? Did it stop with a clunk or did it just stop running as if it ran out of gas or lost ignition?

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

burning wires, hot switches = excessively high current thru those wires

either an external wiring short to ground or internal electrical defect in the starter generator unit.

repair the ground wire and grab a multimeter

if you can't find visual evidence of chaffed wiring in the harness, then we will have to do a few resistance checks of the starter gen unit

[rex iii 0]

There was no noise when it stopped and i can turn the motor over by hand, just like someone turned the key off. Thanks i will check the ground wires and make sure there is no contact.

[rex iii 0]

checked all wiring and it looked ok. How do you test the generator/starter? Also could it be the push button starter switch that is bad? How do you test the regulator box on top of the generator?

Thanks

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

Rexiii,

since you experienced a "smoked" ground wire to the SG regulator, start by replacing the ground wire or creating a substitute ground wire from the regulator case to the engine ground.

FOR SAFETY REASONS - UNHOOK THE BATTERY FROM THE TRACTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING

Open the case of the SG regulator to see if any contacts of the relays inside the unit are "welded" together from wear or excessive arcing.

ALL RELAY CONTACTS SHOULD BE IN THE OPENED POSITION UNTIL THE TRACTOR IS STARTED AND ENGINE REACHES IDLE SPEED.

If the Cut-out relay contacts are welded together, starter current can be drawn thru the regulator assembly and smoke the internal relay wiring of the SG reg unit.

If the cutout relay contacts are welded together, try to gently separate the contacts without bending the relay arms.

If you can see the contacts burned or pitted, you can use a points file to TEMPORARILY get the unit working again. Once the silver coating has been eroded off the relay contacts by arcing, contacts will again pit rapidly during future use.