I have a Cub Cadet mower, It was given to me, The starter solenoid is shot so I've been bypassing it.... I used it 4 days ago and I went to run it again yesterday and no dice, the onboard Voltage meter says 11.1V and my battery meter agrees (11.2V) when I used it the last time the battery showed 12.2 or 12.1V.. there's not enough power to kick the starter over enough to get this thing running.. I never leave the key in it, PTO is always off I'm at a loss to know where the power loss is. the battery is new, it was put in just before I got it... anyone have any ideas? my cables are good and tight no loose connections as far as I can see... any ideas out there? other then this recent problem it has run almost flawlessly (I still need to adjust the carb some)

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Put a test light in series with one of the battery cables and see if there is a parasitic draw. If there is, look for the problem. If not, I would suspect the battery.

Any chance checking the specific gravity of the battery?
12.2 volts indicates a 50% battery charge.
Check the gen/alt for output. Should be around 14.1v or better at idle.

Not necessarily at idle. If it's an old CC with a starter-generator, it won't really charge at idle. Flywheel alternator systems are rated with the engine at 3600 RPM, and also produce almost nothing at idle.

Regardless.......

Bought a Firebird in 91. I was the first owner. 3 months later, I was driving to the bank and shut down. Would not start. GM towed it back, replaced the battery. A bit later, SSDD. This time they checked the charging system. It was picture perfect. Replaced battery and it lasted 5 years. Why did the first 2 die? Hard to say. Batteries can, not will, can go bad soon out of the box.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

battery is fully charged and sits there. my starter is bad, so checking charging is going to take awhile since they want 160 bucks for a starter....

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Can you bypass the starter solenoid?
Put 12v to the connection from the solenoid to the armature and ground to the starter case.......if it spins, its most likely the solenoid. Sometimes the contactor in the solenoid gets all carboned up and can be cleaned....sometimes you can get a solenoid.

My Jetski battery had the voltage (a little lower, maybe mid 13) but not the amperage. Try to turn it over and all you hear is "click, click, click". Take the starter out and send it to AutoZone and they can test it, I would think.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Dudesky rode Jetski once.

Solenoid has been crap for some time now. I've always bypassed it. Starter turns the engine a little then stops, cable gets hot if you leave power to the starter. Will follow up with this problem later. Other issues have developed beyond my control....

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Check out partstree.com I just looked and picked a Cub Cadet at random and they wanted about $134 for the starter.

They even break it down into components. The brush retainer is only $22, you might only have to buy this or brushes, maybe something simple.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

Just because the battery is new, doesn't ensure that it's good. This size battery is not very robust anyway and they often sit on the shelf for a long time before the sale.

Take the battery to one of the battery retailers that tests batteries for free. Once you get it started, put a voltmeter across the battery to make sure it's getting charged. I wiould expect about 13.5 to 14.5 volts while engine running. With something so small, the charging system might not show up so well on a DC voltmeter, but you can get an idea.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

there any rhyme or reason a mower starter costs 180 bucks...?

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

because its a cub?