Polarizing s/g
 

I recently had the s/g rebuilt and put it back on along w new voltage reg, ignition coil, points and condenser. I’ve read I need to polarize the gen before starting or something bad can happen. I understand touching a wire to the batt tab on the vr to the a terminal al on the gen will spark and polarize it. That much I understand, it my question is does the tractor need to be on and exactly what needs to be disconnected while doing so so I don’t fry anything? May be a stupid question to all you cub cadet experienced gurus. Thanks

Battery has to be hooked up, engine off, nothing else unhooked.

I usually do it anyway, but these S/G units self polarize when you turn on the key the first time.

Why did you replace all those parts? I have a hard time thinking they all had failed? Or were they just in bad shape? Like rusted terminals.....:bigthink:

Thanks j mech! Well, it had a really REALLy hard time starting since I got it. It sat outside for many years it looks like. So I started with the simple fix and after a new battery, and new ignition coil it ran fine for a bit. Then wouldn’t start at all. So I did points and condenser And took my s/g off and dumped out a handful of rust. So I had it rebuilt, and when I got it they had bench synced a new vr to it so I put it on as well. Ready to put some gas in it and try to fire it up tonight! This is all relatively new to me so I’m kinda figuring it out as I go. The forum has been a great reference.

No juice
 

I polarized the gen, saw a spark. And when I turned the key... NOtHiNg . Nothing whatsoever. The batt is putting out 12.3v but seems like nothing going past the new voltage regulator? If I put the black on my tester to the f tab on the vr and the red on the batt tab it reads 12.3v but I get 0 at the starter gen and ignition coil. Any ideas? Perhaps this new vr is wonky and doesn’t match up right? Or the wiring to it isn’t right?
I have batt to batt, f to f on starter, the L tab taped off and the guy at pasco told me the unlabeled tab on the bottom goes to the armature on the gen. My old vr had a ground tab as well, this one does not. I was told that it’s grpunded by the mounts when you attach it.
I feel like an idiot about now. :bash2:

The VR usually sits on insulated rubber shock isolators, so it may NOT be grounded.

When you're saying it doesn't start, do you mean it won't crank, or it wont fire once it's cranking?

WIthout 12V at the coil, it's never going to start. I'd download the schematic for your tractor and trace the wiring carefully. Whether you have power at the coil or not does NOT depend on the VR. It DOES depend on the function of the key switch.

Do a little research on the schematic ...and think about what has changed.

The VR has NOTHING to do with the starting system!

You have likely hooked up something incorrectly, or have a bad connection.

If you want any more help then we need to know what model of tractor you are working on.....

To be more specific, when I turn the key absolutely nothing happens. No cranking, no clicking, no noise or change or any sort. So it appears something isn’t wired correctly. It’s a 129 hydro, kohler k301 motor. And everything is black on the motor Instead of yellow so it appears to have been rebuilt or replaced at one time.
Little history, I bought this tractor over the summer. It was always hard to start but always ran and I cut my grass all summer with it. Then one day just died while running and I haven’t been able to get it started since. But before I had the s\g rebuilt it would crank, just not start. Now that I’ve done that, nothing

Go to the Technical Library Section on Page #5 and download the Wiring Digram for the1x8/9 Series.

Your tractor should emulate that drawing.

IF....your tractor is wired correctly, then you have a (A) Component Failure (ie: switch), (B) bad connection (ie: rusted terminal) or (C) a broken wire.

Time to dig out the multi-meter and start doing some tracing down.

I finally got it started today. Thanks everyone for your help. Now time for some paint!

You don't get off that easy, we want to know what you found wrong. :bigthink:

Honesty and embarrassingly it was one of two simple things. Either I had accidentally had the handle for engaging mower blades all the way forward (from taking off the belt and mower deck) which obviously will kill your starting system. Or when I pushed the tractor backwards to move it, it spun the starter backwards and did something. Either way it was a very simple and accidental thing:bash2:
BUT that means that my wiring and electrical system replacement was all correct the first time! Which relieves a lot of frustration. I just knew I had everything right.
This feels like working on my old bmw, trying to go at it all complicated but then you realize how it works you can take apart the whole machine with one wrench and a screwdriver.

129
 

Glad you got it running. Now that BMW that you can work on with one wrench and a screw driver. Is that a car or motorcycle? Have a great day.
Bob

Good work Sean. These things are remarkably maintainable machines . Congrats on getting yours running.

There's nothing quite as educational as beating your head against the wall on a problem and finally winning.

John

You are not the first person to have a PTO switch mess with you.
If truth be told, a whole bunch of us have had our butts exposed like that.
One thing about it, you will never have it happen again.
That rates right up there with an empty gas tank, Ha,LOL!
(Or installing an electric fence, turning it on, and still walking into it and almost pi$$ing yer pants,--- more than once) LOL!

Oh no!
 

I got my tractor out and cut my grass for the first time this year! It ran great the whole time. Then I was riding it around the garden for fun and it started pouring smoke from the starter I just had rebuilt! It got waaaay hot. I shut it off and now can’t get it to start again. Turn the key and I get a click but starter doesn’t try to crank and is only getting 5v. The s/g isn’t seized, I can turn the pulley by hand very easily. Battery still reads 12v
At this point I’m thinking the starter was getting too much power and overheated (perhaps due to the vr not doing it’s job) and perhaps that ruined the solenoid and/or something in the starter.
What do you think guys?

I’m on the verge of loading it up, taking it to pasco and asking them why the starter and vr they rebuilt didn’t function the same as the original and what thy can do to fix it.

Wait a minute, I'm confused here, I have a 129 and there is no electrical safety switch on the PTO. He said he had the belt and deck off so shouldn't be any drag from the deck when trying to start it.

Is mine missing something or does his have something added? I had to replace the VR on mine, that could be the culprit.

My 149 has a PTO safety switch.

They gave me a new vr that was “bench synched” to my s/g that they rebuilt so I put em both on. That’s my guess is that the vr wasn’t doing it’s job, allowed too much juice through and fried the s/g again already.
If I have the lever forward/ pto engaged, it won’t even click or try to do anything electrical. Some kind of a failsafe. It’s always been that way, at least on this one.

I feel like the problem is something that pasco did incorrectly or told me to wire incorrectly. I’ve just dropped it off there and explained to them the issue and that this is the first time I’ve used it since they rebuilt it. Hoping they don’t charge me much.

Glad you got it going. Mine don't have that safety feature, someone must have taken it off. I looked at the diagram and sure enough it shows one. Sorry to pop off about it, but mine don't have it and I figured none of them had it.

I hope they don't over charge you either. Good luck, Ray :beerchug: