B-100

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Well....just when I really needed "ol reliable" she won't start.

To start with I was adjusting the stop-nut on the top of the lift rod and

suddenly it snapped off. When it did there was a shower of sparks

under the dash tower. I could not see as I did not have my head down

that far. Well....got everything repaired and went to plow snow and

it won't start. Won't even "click" when the key is turned. I know it is

a good battery. Turned the key and measured voltage to see if anything

was on the regulator.....nothing. So I thought maybe I fried up the

key switch. I took one off of one of the other tractors of the same type

and was known to have worked.

Put it on and still nothing when key is turned.

This tractor was repowered with a 10hp Kohler magnum. Then along the

way I had trouble with something. Took it to the wheel horse guys long

ago. They bypassed the rectifier. They added a fuse near the switch on a

orange wire. Checked it and it was not blown.

The only thing that is near the lift rod is the ammeter. Could this have

been fried up? It had to be something that was "live" even when the

key switch is off. It was not the battery as the top of the lift rod broke

backwards toward the dash tower area.

Could one of the safety switches been fried up?? (one on PTO lever

and one on clutch pedal)

Hope someone can help as I am getting buried in snow.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,350]

Mike,

I by no means an expert here, but maybe something shorted out and fried your battery. I had JD 214 once (JD's 200 series uses car batteries - this one someone put in a GM type side post battery) and when I was trailering it home from the church after mowing one day, the battery slid forward on me, shorting it out and fried the battery. So check to see if the battery is still good - and look over both the positibe and negative cables real good to see if one of them is fried. Then go from there back checking the starting circuit.

[pond195520032003 27]

I have had wires on vehickles burn in half on the inside of the coating and you could not tell it the only way was to pull on the wire(not too hard) and the coating would stretch and this was the bad wire maybe something like that has happened another possibility is the amp meter(like you said) is shot and not letting the current go through use a jumper wire to see if you get anything keep us posted and we will try and help :hide:

[ol550 830]

Yes it is possible to burn the shunt in the ammeter. Kind of like a fuse. Check for voltage on both posts or just jumper them together and maybe . Mike

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Thanks guys....

Give me till tomarow..... I am fffffffffffrozen... I have been laying on the ground

in 10 degree weather taking the plow off of the B-100 and putting it on the C-195.

I had to do some fabricating to make it work... I will likely post on that too.

I am no longer buried.

I replaced the positive wire from the battery to the voltage regulator. Still nothing.

This does not make any sense. I can check the battery (at the post) and it gives me 12.5 volts. But the positive lead at the voltage regulator (coming directly from the battery) does not register at all (and this wire is brand new). It is a direct connection to the positive post on the battery I just measured. Should it not be 12.5 volts also? Heck it is only 12" away. But maybe the positive cable won't carry any voltage if something has gone wrong with the ground like you said?

Man....it's cold out there!

I will try to post tomarow......

[linen beige 14]

I can check the battery (at the post) and it gives me 12.5 volts. But the positive lead at the voltage regulator (coming directly from the battery) does not register at all (and this wire is brand new). It is a direct connection to the positive post on the battery I just measured. Should it not be 12.5 volts also? Heck it is only 12" away. But maybe the positive cable won't carry any voltage if something has gone wrong with the ground like you said?

Isn't the wire between the voltage regulator and the positive battery post meant to carry 12 volts TO the battery FROM the regulator? If the engine is not running there should be no voltage flowing through this wire.

I tend to agree with the others. It sounds like the ammeter gave up.

[Teddy da Bear 11]

OKkkkkkkkkkk.... I am now emotionally and mentally drained.......

I replaced the key switch, replaced the positive battery cable, replaced the solenoid and jumpered the ammeter...... nada.....to all.

I found that the clutch pedal safety switch (one of the things I asked about earlier) had come slightly loose and therefor was not grounded/could not be grounded and therefor the tractor would not start.......sheeeesh.... It had nothing

directly to do with the shower of sparks when the lift rod broke....weird coincidence.

Well when I tightened that nut up, she cranked then but would not run.....

What in the world could be wrong now? So I took the spark plug out and grounded it to some bare metal and turned the key switch... Could not see a spark until after the key switch was off..... yes you read that right..."after the key had been turned off" the spark plug discharged a spark across the metal

with the final rotations of the engine!! :wtf:

Well I could not imagine what it could be....but I started going back over the things I had replaced. I thought maybe the ammeter wires were backwards...nope.

The solenoid was wired correctly. The key switch was off of my C-120.....that could not be it......or could it? The key switch looked identical except the accessory tab was on the opposite side in relationship to the tab pattern that

the plug fit into. That should still work shouldn't it?

Nope! I switched the switches back and it fired right up!!! I'll be switched!!

There are 5 contact tabs for the plug of the wiring harness. And both switches fit both harnesses on either tractor. But internally they must be different. That is my only conclusion unless someone else could come to another conclusion?

Anyway....tractor now runs.....owner now sleeps......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Duff 206]

I love a story with a heppy ending!

Duff :hide:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,129]

The key switch looked identical except the accessory tab was on the opposite side in relationship to the tab pattern that

the plug fit into. That should still work shouldn't it?

Nope! I switched the switches back and it fired right up!!! I'll be switched!!

There are 5 contact tabs for the plug of the wiring harness. And both switches fit both harnesses on either tractor. But internally they must be different.

There's an excellent lesson for all who think that ignition switches will interchange just because the terminals look the same...... they won't!

A switch for a magneto ignition grounds the coil to kill the spark when the key is turned off (used on Kohler Magnums, Commands, & most B&S and Tecumseh engines, and Kohler K series engines without battery ignition, including both "Solid State" and conventional magneto.)

The Kohler K's with the automotive style coil require 12VDC to the + terminal to run.

If by chance this switch would be used on a non-battery ignition application, the 12V power could burn up a magneto coil - providing the terminals are matched correctly between the harness plug and the switch.

Not to sound sarcastic, but now you have all been warned. Good intentions can sometimes be expensive - and when in doubt, spend the $15.00 for the correct switch instead of $80.00 to replace a coil that was perfectly fine until it got electrocuted. (if the switch is actually found to be bad)

[HorseFixer 2,012]

A schematic and an VOM go a long way too! :hide:

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Glad I could help (serve as a bad example). :hide: