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Pullstart

In the middle of moving... tools all packed... C-120 intermittently looses power to coil?

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Pullstart

Hi Everyone,  It's been a while since I've been able to play with the Wheelhorses, been working on my house so much and we bought a new place with plenty of barn space.  All my tools are moved to clean the garage out for the realtor/showing and now that I'm away from my tools (I have a flat head, phillips, my screw gun, some channel locks and a few sockets handy) (oh yeah this started the day after I moved my tools) I've got a wiring problem. 

 

From the start, I'm mowing along and the tractor starts to die.. almost gets to stalling out then picks up again.  I limp it back to the driveway then after letting it sit it won't start at all.

 

I first checked my points and I had no spark.  So I had some sand paper and just cleaned the points a bit and had spark again.  Great, right?  Tractor fired up and ran great for about 10 seconds, then died again.  Lost spark, I had the points cover off while I ran it for a bit in the garage.  I figured I'd see if the coil or condenser are giving fits not helping to produce spark but don't know if I have power to the coil or not.  I had a loose wire dangling from my truck (license plate light I think) so I cut it off to try making a jumper wire.  Pinched it into the battery terminal and held it on the coil and the problem went away!  I pull my jumper off and it dies after a few seconds.  I ended up jamming the jumper into the eyelet of the coil wire and zip tying it in place to finish mowing.

 

Obviously I have a wiring gremlin.  The seat safety is bypassed, has been since I got the tractor.  The PTO safety is in place, but this is acting the same whether mowing or not.  I don't get though, how the problem can come and go when the machine is even sitting, not driving over bumps or terrain.

 

Any ideas how to troubleshoot, with very limited tools at this house?  I almost think I might grab a toggle switch from Walmart and manually kill the coil until the move is complete... then I'll have my toolboxes, meters, etc.  Can't wait to get my 502 out of storage and play around with that soon too!

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gwest_ca

Depending on the model and year

There is a good chance your ignition is powered by the seat switch when the pto is ON.

When the pto is OFF the ignition is powered by the pto switch.

Perhaps the jumper at the seat switch is causing the problem.

 

Garry

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ohiofarmer

I have had stuff like that before when a wire had a loose connection and the wire would heat up and thus thermally expand and disconnect itself

 

A few places it has happened on a Wheel horse is the ammeter, seat switch, a connection inside the switch itself, Even the one where you depress the clutch to start.

 

 You already have shown that you know how to evaluate problems and keep things running. You could just run a wire from the light switch leg off the ignition switch until you get your multi meter back. I recently purchased a c-141 that had an electric fuel pump wired in this fashion

Edited by ohiofarmer
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Pullstart

Thanks Garry, I had found this manual and was studying the wiring... So there are just the two safeties and the ignition switch, between the battery and the coil.  It must be pretty simple if I just take the time to study what's there...

 

 

Yeah @ohiofarmer, I'll get it... I think sometimes it helps to put it out there and think about what I'm saying then figure out it's not that difficult!  If this model had headlights, I'd for sure use that circuit to assist in the meantime, however this one just has the block off plate in the hood and no light wiring. 

 

I'll see about my problems later, my kids deserve a day at the lake since we haven't been to the camper once yet to play this year.  Off we go, we can sell houses and work on tractors another time!

 

Cheers!

Edited by pullstart
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ohiofarmer

 If the ign. switch has the 'lighting' lug present, it will have a fuse right behind the dash..........

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953 nut
8 hours ago, pullstart said:

grab a toggle switch from Walmart and manually kill the coil until the move is complete... then I'll have my toolboxes, meters, etc.

:handgestures-thumbupright:       Sounds like a good plan, enjoy family time and do the repair when you arrive at the new address.    

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Big_Red_Fred

That's right 953 ! The Horses can wait, Family 1st, Oh my , the Dog is giving me that Look hahaha, wants me to go get that 486

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Pullstart

I ran a toggle switch to the coil, all is well!  I've got a hot wired horse, look out world!

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Big_Red_Fred

Man, im on that too LOL

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