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gpendergrass

312 8

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gpendergrass

Hello, I am working on getting a 312 8 going again and I know very little about the electrical system. I have a diagram and I don't see a voltage regulator. Does a 312 8 need a voltage regulator?

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rmaynard

:WRS: What is the model ID for your 312-8, or at least what year is it ?

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Sparky

If you have the 15 amp charging system you will have a regulator but I think the ones built with the 3 or 5 amp charging sytem might not have one :scratchead: that you can see externally (might be under the flywheel).

Mike............

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gpendergrass

I am not sure what year. How do I tell what year it is?

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tunahead72

Can you find an ID plate or tag for the tractor? It could be on the rear fender, either in front of the seat, or on the left side.

What engine does it have? It should have a Kohler 12 HP, either a K301 or a Magnum, there should be an ID tag on that also.

Do you have any photos you could attach to your next post?

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rmaynard

Should be an ID tag somewhere on the fender pan around the seat.

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gpendergrass

Hey guys I took the seat and fender pan off and cannot find any numbers anywhere. I can say that it only has reflectors as tail ligthts and it does not have the lights on the dash. the motor is a kohler k301 12 hp but the tag on the motor has been painter over so I cannot read any of the info on it.

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pfrederi

Do your head lights work when teh engine isn't running...do they get dim at idle bright at full throttle????

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can whlvr

if the engine is original (which you dont know)it would be a 1985-1986,in 87 they went to magnum,so model number would be 21-12k801,1985 21-12k802,or 21-12k803,both from 1986

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gpendergrass

Thanks guys. I do not have it running. I just got the starter and coil in today and I plan on putting them on tomorrow. I want to just make sure but doesen't the condenser wire go on the negative side of the coil?

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Save Old Iron
CoilbasedignitiondiagramII.jpg

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pfrederi

Have you ascertained if you have a regulator yet?

Does the wire to feed you head light switch come from the ignition switch (A terminal as in SOIs picture above) If so you should have a 15 amp system and a regulator somewhere.

If the wire from the head light switch seems to go directly back to the motor wire harness than you have the unregulated 3-5 amp charging system. The head lights are powered directly from the engine stator...hence they only work when th engine runs and they are dim at idle bright at full speed.

Apparently WH saved some money on the cheaper models like my 310-8 by not having a normal charging/lighting system.

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gpendergrass

Thanks everybody. I have been away for a while and I am back to work on the 312. I wired every thing up according to my switch. I run a wire from the B terminal on the switch to the battery. A wire from the S terminal to the silenoid. I then turned the switch on and used a test light to find a hot wire to run to the coil. I have a spark to the spark plug and the motor will turn over but I do not have a gas line hooked up yet so it will not run. This terminal had an L beside it. I thought this would be the one to run the lights. I then run a wire from the terminal that had a G to a ground. I then hooked up the voltage regulator and run a wire from the B+ terminal to the battery but is started sparking. The other terminal on the switch has an M beside it. I figured this one was the magneto but I am not for sure and since I do not have a magneto do I need to put the wire from the B+ terminal on the regulator on this terminal on the switch. That would use up all the terminals on the switch and would leave no place for the accessories. My father in law said it might be a bad stator. Is there an easy way to test if the stator or regulator is bad? I know it will be easier to tell what is going on if it were actually running and I hope to have it running next weekend if I get time. Thanks.

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Save Old Iron

You may have an ignition switch similar to this one - used for magneto based ignition systems. There are a great many variants on mag based switches but this would be common for a Wheel Horse mag system.

103991backterms.gif

you need this style for a coil based ignition system - then wire it per the diagram I posted earlier in this thread.

103990switchterms.gif

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gpendergrass

Thanks saved old iron. I bought a switch just like the one in the diagram and wired it up just like you said going through the volt meter and all. I do not have any safety switches on it. It would not do anything at all. I figured my volt meter was bad so I bypassed it and hooked the battery wire straight to the battery. I don't know if this makes any difference or not but it did turn over. I then noticed smoke coming from the flywheel area so I quickly turned the switch off and unhooked the battery. I got up the nerve to hook the battery back up and try it again and as long as the switch was off everything was good, and also when I just had the switch on it was ok. When I turned the switch to start and then back to on it started smoking again. I took the wire going from the switch to the regulator off and it was ok. I took a test light and tested all the prongs with the switch on and they all had fire but the start one. I checked to see if I had fire at the coil and I did so I took the spark plug out to see if I was getting a spark and it was not sparking when I turned the switch to start but I noticed that when I turned the switch back to off it would spark, so I tried it again and it did the same thing. It will not spark when the engine is turning over but as soon as I turn the switch back to off it will spark everytime. I am a beginner at this and this is really the first time I have tried to wire up a lawnmower but this just does not make any sense at all. I don't know if my regulator is bad or what but I checked and checked again and again to make sure that I had everything wired up just as the diagram showed. I am ready to get this wiring stuff over with and get on with the fun stuff like painting and tilling. Thanks for all your help.

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Save Old Iron

I bought a switch just like the one in the diagram

please confirm it was the 2nd switch I described - the coil based #103990 version - sounds like you have the correct switch.

and wired it up just like you said going through the volt meter and all

I feel we need to pause a second to confirm you either have an AMMETER (scale on gauge is marked -20 to 0 to +20 AMPS) versus a VOLTMETER which would be marked 10 to 17 VOLTS. The method you wire these up are completely different. If you have a VOLTMETER, battery current will not pass thru the gauge and you will have a problem identical to the one you have described

Please confirm if you have a VOLTMETER or AMMETER on your tractor.

I do not have any safety switches on it

I do not condone removing safety switches - personally, I understand everyone has a checkbook to balance these days, but I believe this practice is short sighted and irresponsible, Just my opinion. With the popularity of ag tires being used to cut grass on steep upward slopes, either way, going across the slope or against the slope, you are already half tipped over from the point of shifting center of gravity.

It would not do anything at all. I figured my volt meter was bad so I bypassed it and hooked the battery wire straight to the battery. I don't know if this makes any difference or not but it did turn over.

If you indeed do have a voltmeter, current to power your tractor WILL NOT PASS THRU A VOLTMETER. Current will pass thru an AMMETER.

I then noticed smoke coming from the flywheel area

only thing in the flywheel area is the stator which is now most likely cooked and will need replacement - more on this later - for now - disconnect the two stator wires to the regulator - insulate them and leave them hang for now - get the tractor running first and then we will investigate the charging system.

I checked to see if I had fire at the coil and I did so I took the spark plug out to see if I was getting a spark and it was not sparking when I turned the switch to start but I noticed that when I turned the switch back to off it would spark,

good, you basically created the same condition on the ignition coil as the points opening and closing - you powered up the coil then removed the power - the magnetic energy stored in the coil from being powered up had to collapse somewhere when you turned off the power - that power was dissipated at the spark plug gap - hence the spark. So far you confirmed wiring to the coil is good, coil is probably good, and at the time you performed this test, the points were closed and had some level on conductivity (the points may be ok too).

so I tried it again and it did the same thing. It will not spark when the engine is turning over but as soon as I turn the switch back to off it will spark every time.

same as above - this tells me the points are most likely not opening with the action of the camshaft. Remove the points cover and turn the engine over by hand, On the compression stroke of the engine (engine gets hard to manually turn) the points should open. This is what triggers the coil to dump its magnetic field in the form of a spark

I don't know if my regulator is bad or what but I checked and checked again and again to make sure that I had everything wired up just as the diagram showed.

We have not talked about the "magic smoke" from the flywheel area. REMOVE THE AC WIRES FROM THE REGULATOR ASSEMBLY. OK TO LEAVE THE B+ WIRE CONNECTED. I believe the stator may be producing power into a short circuit - hence the smoke from an overheated stator. This MAY be due to a shorted regulator. MAYBE.

I am a beginner at this and this is really the first time I have tried to wire up a lawnmower but this just does not make any sense at all.

This all makes sense to those who have experience with and spent time learning the fundamentals of how the ignition system works. If you choose to spend time reading, studying and learning the function of the parts in an ignition system , all this will eventually make perfect sense to you too.

I am ready to get this wiring stuff over with and get on with the fun stuff like painting and tilling.

To paraphrase a Robert Frost poem - "Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."

You my friend have stator wires to check and points to gap before you sleep. And possibly many $$ to invest before you paint or till deep.

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gpendergrass

Thank you for taking so much time to answer my post, they have been extremly helpful. I have a voltmeter. I will check the points within the the day and get back sometime tonight. I know I need more patience but I want them right now.

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varosd

Chuck, youre a poet and didnt even know it! :laughing-rollingred:

Gpendergrass: :wwp:

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gpendergrass

I will try to post some pics soon, if I can figure out how. I checked the points and that was my problem as far as getting it to fire corectly. It cranked and ran for a short while and then went dead and would not crank again. I think I have a bad fuel pump. It still have to fix the stator and regulator but at least I know she will live again soon. Thanks again for all your help. I have already learned a whole lot from this forum and would not be as far along as I am without it. I will get back as soon as I can with some pictures and an update.

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varosd

there is a "finding your way around in RS" area on this forum showing you how to add photos and video. no doubt better posters will chime in. I use the photobucket.com site to do all my web based pictures and then it is a breeze to past them into the RS posts. there are of course other ways but what happens is the size of the photo prevents it from being seen on your post.

http://www.wheelhors...d-in-redsquare/

This is a great site with dedicated fans and super admin/mods

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gpendergrass

Well I took some pics of my 321 8 and went to photobucket and went through the process and now lets see if it works.009.jpg

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gpendergrass

Well I guess it did but I now see the date in the bottom left corner and that is obiviously wrong. I need to change the date on my camera. Let me see if I can post more.005.jpg007.jpg008.jpg

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Martin

looks good. if you put a line or two between pic links it will separate them and put them underneath each other. same with the text next to the pics....

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