# Craftsman Rider w/ Voltage Issue?



## tinjet (Mar 8, 2011)

Hello,
I am new to this forum and hoping someone has some ideas. I have a Craftsman riding mower with a Briggs 15.5hp OHV engine. When I turn the key it turns over slowly and acts as though the battery is dead. I took the battery to a shop and had it tested and they said it was fine. Today I checked my ground cable and positive cable for corrosion and connection. All appear fine. So here is the question...what am I missing, is there a voltage regulator on these that could be bad? Is there a solenoid on these that could be bad? Could the starter be the problem? Is there a way to check these items out?

Thank you in advance for any ideas.


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## 1server (Mar 4, 2011)

I have the same mower, this is what I did to locate info
go to the following website http://www.briggsandstratton.com you will need your model,type and code in order to get a PDF file of your engine. I noticed that when I start my mower that the starter does turn slow but always starts. You can even down load the proceedure for checking your charging system or I would be happy to send you the PDF I have. Hope this heps.


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## tinjet (Mar 8, 2011)

I will look at that site. Thanks


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## K7M (Feb 27, 2000)

Follow the large positive battery cable, it should connect to a starter relay. From the relay there will be another heavy wire going to the starter. Make sure these connections are clean and tight. I would try to jump the mower from a car. Be sure the positive is connected to positive, negative to negative. If the battery is a replacement, it may have the wrong cca (cold cranking amps) You can have two batteries that look alike but one is actually smaller than the other and will not crank the engine over very fast as it is not large enough.


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## itsjusme (Aug 19, 2006)

> When I turn the key it turns over slowly and acts as though the battery is dead. I took the battery to a shop and had it tested and they said it was fine. Today I checked my ground cable and positive cable for corrosion and connection. All appear fine.


A weak ground is often the problem on these type machines. Most of the mfgs connect the ground to the frame somewhere instead of going directly to the engine block. That ground may have to go through many different frame members that are bolted together, have paint in between and may over time get rust, dirt, oil, or corrosion in between before it gets to the engine block. Try hooking the ground straight to the block and see if it helps. If not, try hooking the mower battery to engine ground and then directly to the starter with the +. If it starts ok, you have a connection breaking down somewhere. Could be the + cables at the solenoid, these are sometimes in hard to see/reach places, follow the + cable to find it. Also the contacts in the solenoid can become arc burned causing start problems. Always use the mower battery for testing, using an auto battery will give you false results. They have enough current capacity to start one even with a bad starter, making you think the starter is ok when it is failing. Have the battery tested somewhere that uses a resistive load tester, the solid state testers are easily fooled. I have a yard full of batteries from the scrap pile of a local auto parts store, their fancy 1200$ tester said they were bad, my 20$ tester said they werent. You might also borrow a battery from a friend, or try your battery in another mower. Also, most of these engines now have an internal , automatic compression release that works off the camshaft. If the valves arent properly adjusted it can cause starting problems, if all else fails, check that.


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