My lawn mower won’t start. Why is it completely dead?

I inherited a 1998 Scotts 42" riding mower. It hasn't been used in 3 years. I used this weekend to give it a complete tune-up & clean-up. Replaced many parts, including the battery & solenoid.

When turning the key, the mower shows absolutely no signs of life. No clicking, nothing. The battery is fully charged. The replacement solenoid sat under the shelter with the mower for 3 years, having never been installed. I'm curious if this, or the starter switch, could be the problem.

I know about the safety switches. The seat switch has been bypassed by shorting. The transmission is in neutral. The blades are disengaged. My foot was on the brake.

Any ideas?
The spark plug is new. The battery is new & fully charged.
The fuse is 10 amps and is not blown.
I've tested all of the relays and they're fine. I've now replaced the ignition switch. Still no signs of life.

Comments

10 Responses to “My lawn mower won’t start. Why is it completely dead?”

miketyson26 says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

Have you actually checked the "new" battery to see if it has a charge?

Miketyson26

And have you checked the wiring going to the key switch? You said this mower had set for a long time. Are you sure rodents haven’t chewed your wiring all to heck?

Miketyson26
negrito con sabor says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

Check your sparkplug?
create62 says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

gremlins have taken over it.
Amy P says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

Try reconnecting the seat switch properly. I tried to jump mine and it didn’t work.
Whoda thunkit? says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

It’s possible that one of the safety switches are either bad or out of position. You should locate each switch and jump/short them out one at a time.
If this doesn’t work, you might have a faulty ignition switch. You can ‘hot wire’ around the switch to find out.
Andy says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

Look for a blown fuse. There has to be a fuse in the system somewhere. How do you know the solenoid is any good?
jester says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

try to short it out at the starter and see if it will turn if so it must be in the switches.
thepitboss says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

I realize that this really is not part of the problem, but if you haven’t removed all the fuel then you might have problems then too. When you add new fuel to it pick up a product called seafoam. This will help remove the varnish build-up in the carburetor.
As for your other problem double check ALL the wiring and make sure that there is not a nest of something that decided to use the wires as a home.
kid360roadrash says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

Hmm, have you actually checked the starter motor? To make sure it still rotates? Ive bot some non runner tractors and the starters have rusted in place from non use. The starters can be disassembled /cleaned and reassembled. Id double check that starter solenoid as well.
The motor does turn over as well too, I take it? Sometimes when sitting the belts ‘rust’ onto the pulleys and it wont turn over – turn the motor by hand, if need be- remove the spark plug and see if itll turn easier. Im hoping youve cleaned the carb and dumped the old gas as well as changed the oil – when mine sit, i use some oil additives like Lucas oil treatment or STP- it helps ‘grease’ everything up. I dont use fuel stabilizers or fuel fixers – i dont believe they do anything, its just easier to replace with fresh. How about changing the fuel lines and fuel filter? The carb has been cleaned as well? I used those cheep plastic screen filters , but recently changed to the actual automobile filters – the plastic ones you can see thru and tell how dirty it is. Putting a shutoff valve inline before the filter helps in filter changes.
If you have any questions, let me know.
nickname says:

July 26, 2009 at 10:42 am

I don’t have a good answer. But the first thing I would want to do is make sure the engine itself can turn. I would make sure that the engine hasn’t seized. I would take out the sparkplug and try and turn the flywheel or some part of the mower that would spin the crankshaft in the engine.

It sounds like you have replaced everything. I would want to test the starter and see if it still works or if it is frozen.