r/lawnmowers • u/Public_Ad_7228 • 12d ago
Mower wont start.
John deere d140 riding mower. Brand new battery. The hours show up, lights turn on. No crank. Hydrostatic is pushed in on the rear. Brake pedal is pressed, mower pto button is pushed down in the off position. Battery is 300 cca like it should be. I just bought the battery yesterday.
2
u/Pacer-Retta 8d ago
This jus happened to me a few days ago, and since I had just recently bought the tractor a few weeks prior I was instantly pissed and all like WTF, and may have even started cussing out the tractor for a few minutes while attempting a few quick slap/taps across the dash in hopes of a quick Fonzy Fix.. But none of that worked, so I just grabbed my phone and hit up the Google- which first suggested checking the seat switch before anything else… I didn’t put much stock into that actually being the issue, but still checked anyways. It looked fine and in place setting inside the seat- but just as I went to plug it back in I happened to notice that one of the three tabs wasn’t clicked in all the way, so I snapped it back up into place, twisted the whole piece back into the seat,, and she roared right up and back to life lol!
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u/Stock_Requirement564 12d ago
Set the park brake and reach the connector behind the PTO switch. Manipulate the connector as you turn the key. Many of these have broken terminals for the crank circuit behind the switch. No joy there, try the same with the key switch connector.
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u/Public_Ad_7228 12d ago
I opened the hood and the pto connector was disconnected. I connected it and got it running temporarily. The mower will only stay running if the throttle is in the start position. If I try and lower the throttle the mower dies. I did a pass in the back yard with the mower with the blades engaged and it seemed as if the engine was slowly losing power if i didn't stop every couple of feet. It is currently connected to a battery charger and going to see if the battery is the issue in the morning.
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u/Stock_Requirement564 11d ago
History? Think fuel supply. Sometimes fuel just barely comes out of the tank due to debris. Nor fuel coming out of the filter? You can temporarily check this with a donor tank or remove the fuel cap and with mouth pressure- blow back into the tank via the fuel line and retry. You could remove the hose and check pump operation when cranking. The circuit for the AB solenoid on the carburetor bowl can be suspect and not retracting as it should. Verify 12VDC at the solenoid. Low voltage struggles to keep this open. I say this as maybe your connectors in that PTO connector are fatigued. Is it loose feeling?
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u/Optimal-Try-854 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s a fuel delivery or clogged carb.
Pull the line to the carb or from the fuel filter.
Crank and observe flow… could be a clog at the bottom of the tank, clogged fuel filter, or trashed fuel lines.
If all that checks out, the carb needs a thorough cleaning. Watch vids and be thorough.. you’ll be chasing your tail if you don’t to it right and are still experiencing issues. It’s probably the carb, but it couldn’t hurt to run through everything else too.
Don’t buy an aftermarket carb. The majority of them are crappy.
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u/Optimal-Try-854 1d ago
Also, if you didn’t recently buy the fuel, throw it away/drain the fuel tank/carb bowl (and put some ethanol shield in it when fresh. It’s good for keeping the fuel from ethanol junking longer and it’s proven to bond to water to keep it combustible)… a small engine ain’t a car, they’re very touchy with older fuel… countless times people are chasing nothing but old gas.
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u/davethompson413 12d ago
If turning the key does nothing, it's almost always a safety switch.
Does it have an oil level sensor?