314-8 Park Brake Switch

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,507]

Yesterday I took the 314-8 to mow the church lot. After about 10 minutes of mowing the engine started to die and I notice the Parking Brake light on. So I move the shift lever into neutral and the engine begins to perked back up again. I move it into 1st and the engine starts to die again. The way the safety switches are on this 314 I knew if you have the parking brake on and you shift into gear the engine will die - that's the way the circuit is wired for safety.

The first thing I check is to be sure the parking brake lever did not somehow engage itself. It didn't so I began to fiddle with the lever and then I took a key and made sure the little finger on the switch was pulled away from the switch (that's how it works). Then I started it up again, put it into gear and everything was fine again and I was able to finish mowing.

Question is for me now is how do I defeat or bypass this switch? It looks like when the switch is closed it pulls in a "kill relay", but it also appears that when it's open it pulls in the other switches and relays. So a little trial and error would be in order when I do mess with the switch. Any suggestions??

[Curmudgeon 28]

If the circuit running through the switch needs to be open to run, rip out the switch, and you're done. If the circuit needs to be closed, rip out the switch, and crimp on a connector between the two wires so the circuit is complete.

Dale, been there, done that, both ways.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,507]

The way the circuit is set up, it also uses the neutral start switch as there are relays both for the neutral start switch and the parking brake. Not being an electrical guy (I'm a mechanical engineer), I studied the schematic to the best of my knowledge. When the switch is open (for lack of a better term) it pulls in the neutral start switch circuitry so it has to be in neutral. When it's closed it pulls in another relay that's titled the "kill relay". I just need to figure out what I need to do to bypass. Maybe bypass the neutral start switch so it wouldn't matter what the parking brake switch was doing. I'll get it figured out. But I never came across this type of circuitry before as JD's are more simple and easier to bypass. :D

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,507]

Okay, it's been bypassed. The switch has 3 wires going to it. With the switch disconnected, it behaves as if the parking brake is on, therefore every time you put it into gear it dies. So I did trial and error until I found which two wires to jumper across. Now it does not die rather the parking brake is on or not or if it's in neutral or not. Now I believe I could have jumper across the neutral start switch (disconnecting it does not work), but I think I want to keep that feature.