Electrical problem rather than a governor issue?

[katwoman012 0]

I posted questions in a few different threads because I've been having problems with my 416-8 wheel horse lawn mower. At first I thought it was a problem with the governor because the throttle handle would not stay up unless held there, and the RPMs sounded like they were rising and falling. We looked at the throttle arm and what not and thought perhaps the spring had lost tension, but before we had a chance to change the spring the deck side belt broke. We went to get a new one and just dropped the deck to change it. We successfully did so, but when we (my son and I) got the deck back up the mower wouldn't start. We have, in the past, been forced to bypass both the seat switch and the safety switch which prevents it from starting when it is in gear due to problems with it starting. Today, we tested the clutch switch and that appeared to be intermittently bad so we bypassed that as well. Still, however, the power seems to be interrupted before it even gets to the solenoid. It definitely seems to be a problem with the electrical, and it's intermittent. We know the battery has power because the timer continues to clock the time whenever we turn the ignition. When we finally did get it started to move it back into the barn, the RPMs no longer seemed to be rising and falling and we noticed a new issue - the handle that makes the blades turn (not the one that lowers the deck) will not stay in place when it is in the off position. After several seconds of running with it disenaged, the handle wobbles and the belt begins to turn on its own graudually engaging the spinning of the blades without the handle being completely lowered. We know that the ignition switch is one possibility, but before we get into that, does anyone else have suggestions of what it might be? Thanks for all of your help, I really appreciate it...

[TT-(Moderator) 1,169]

the handle that makes the blades turn (not the one that lowers the deck) will not stay in place when it is in the off position. After several seconds of running with it disenaged, the handle wobbles and the belt begins to turn on its own graudually engaging the spinning of the blades without the handle being completely lowered.

Just a guess, but..........

Look inside the hood stand under the right side of the battery. (follow the PTO rod back from the engine)

There should be a return spring attached between the "eye" of a cotter pin (installed sideways through the rod) and the back corner of the hood stand.

Rod removed from tractor:

Spring location (sorry - very hard area to photograph):

This spring might have accidentally unhooked at the front attachment point while you were replacing the mower belt.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,169]

Here's the general area to start looking:

[katwoman012 0]

Thanks for the replies guys. Those answers apply just to the problem of the handle that spins the blades, but we still can't figure out the actual start-up problem. I've talked to my mechanic son and he is sure it's an electrical problem and he's pretty sure (not positive though) that it's in the ignition. We do have a few more questions - the whole ignition system is *definitely* electronic, right? What, if anything, else is integrated into the circuit board that controls the LED lights (what my son calls "dummy lights")? Does anyone happen to have have a schematic of the ignition system? Thanks again, everyone.

[katwoman012 0]

And by the way,thanks for a hard to photograph area, your pics were great. Even I was able to see where the spring attached to the rod!! Just please keep in mind, I'm called "NEWBIE" for a reason. Oh, and when I checked, the spring is attached to the cotter pin, but might be time for a new spring. It still looks sturdy and all, but it is old and rusty, and like anything with miles on it, there might be just enough 'give' in it to let the vibration of the engine jiggle things loose. I got half my cutting done and if anyone out there read my posts on governour problems a few weeks ago, I hope someone can shed some light on what's happened because the original problem I was having is totally different now. The throttle does need a little help (very little) staying in the right spot to keep the engine revved (?) so she runs smooth, but there is no up-down in the engine no. The difficulty is in getting her started, and its intermittently.

[YNOT 0]

I have the schematic for your tractor.

sent

Tony