Fried my 149 Hydrostatic
 

As I was installing a pin for the lever that connects to the hydraulic lift, I must have been touching some electrical contacts with my vise grips-- the sight and sound of smoke followed shortly by the heating of the vise grips in my hand.

Now, it seems I'm getting no electrical flow-- no starter, no lights.

I'm going to check/replace the fuse (which I cannot seem to find), but my initial search on this site suggested that the fuse impacts the lights only (and not the starter, for example).

Any ideas, insights, or guidance would be very helpful, and I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks.

First, welcome to OCC ----- :Welcome2:

Go to the Technical Library Section and on Page 5, download the 1x8/9 Wiring Diagram. Take a VOM or a DVM and set the dial to at least 12VDC scale. Start at the battery, hook up the Black Test Lead to the Battery Negative ( - ) terminal. Place the Red Test Lead on the Battery Postive ( + ) terminal. You should about 12VDC. Advance the Red Test Lead at each device connection until you see and absence of power. There is the problem.

You let the smoke out of the wires!!
That will do it darn near every time.

Roland, thanks for the kind welcome, and for the lead on the diagnostics. I'll be digging into this tomorrow, and am hoping for some success (today was one of those days in which it seemed the technology gods were really testing my meddle).

#1 to do before you work on these is to disconnect the battery and spark plug wire.

Finscruskw: Ha! I'm grateful that it was wires and not integrated circuits (or my own nervous system) that got smoked!

AND it was not just any smoke, it was Magic smoke!! :bash2:
When you let the magic smoke out, it will never be the same.
The crank will never crank again, the valves will never valve again, the Carburetor will never carb again and the worst of all, the piston will never piss again.:angry:
Just parts it out, it is done!

Darkminion-- Good advice that I plan to follow from this day forward.

Re-trace your steps.
This time, w/the battery disconnected.
Must have been a bare wire somewhere that you touched.
Or was the end of your vise grips up under the dash where it shouldn't have been??

Progress/Confusion of Fried 149
 

Some progress, and plenty of confusion...

Things I verified.

1. Battery is putting out 12.47v.
2. 12.47 volts constant at battery pole of solenoid.
3. Jumping the solenoid poles engages the starter/alternator.
4. [X] Turning key to start or ignition positions sends no current to activator pole on solenoid.
5. Turning key to start and ignition positions sends 12.47v to charge indicator + pole.
6. PTO and Neutral safety switches provide continuity at the switch poles when engaged.
7. Fuse is okay.

Confusing parts: I THINK I measured 12.47v at the Neutral safety switch when I turned key to start and ignition positions. Then, I got nothing doing the same test at the PTO safety switch. It seemed odd because it looked like the PTO safety came BEFORE the Neutral safety in the circuit (but I may be misreading the diagram). Also, when I went back to verify that the Neutral safety behaved properly, it then showed NO voltage when engaging the key.

I went over this same sequence two more times and got no voltage to either safety switch, but continued to get voltage to the charge indicator.

The fact that after frying the system I lost power to the lights AND to the starter plus the fact that I'm getting 12v on/off by turning they key makes me suspect the voltage regulator. But I am so new to this (first attempt to diagnose/fix any kind of electrical system), that I have little confidence in this suspicion. (I must need some kind of real DUMMY's guide.) I love this machine, and I think I'll love it even more as I learn to repair it

Any ideas, guidance, referrals would be great, and I'd very much appreciate it.

Here is the 1x8/9 "start" circuit, in sequential order and with correct color coded wire. Starting at the battery, work your way along the circuit and test wire and device.

Bear in mind, at the Ignition Switch, B & S has to be made, the PTO has to be "off" position, and the Brake Pedal must be depressed.

Thanks so much, Roland.

I understand closing the circuit with the PTO in the off position and the break engaged. Regarding the ignition switch, I'm not sure what is meant by "B & S has to be made". Is this turning the key to the first position?

Also, I had tried following the directions from your initial post to go to "the Technical Library Section and on Page 5, download the 1x8/9 Wiring Diagram", but was not able to find the post in the section Only Cub Cadets > Resources > Technical Library - Tractors. Was I perhaps in the wrong neighborhood (or is there a URL I could follow to find the schematic you embedded in your message)? I assume there will be other useful information in this area of the site.

Thanks again for your help with this!

B and S have to be made means put the key switch in the start position thus linking the B or battery terminal to the S or start terminal inside the key switch.

As I said before, you need to go to page "#5". It is there. Been there for 12+ yrs.

[QUOTE]the key switch in the start position thus linking the B or battery terminal to the S or start terminal inside the key switch. /QUOTE]

B = Battery Terminal, S = Start Terminal. BTW, "I" = Ignition Terminal on that Switch

Fried 149 SOLVED.
 

Thanks again for the guidance, Roland (and, yes, the diagram was just where you'd said I'd find it).

Once I saw the starting circuit, I went back to the full diagram, and it hit me-- it was the Amp Gauge! (I mean, maybe it wasn't-- what do I know? But having checked what I'd checked, and thinking about how I'd fried it in the first place, I suppose I had a strong hunch).

Anyway, I jumped the terminals on the gauge, reconnected the battery, turned the key, and heard the delightful sound of that engine starting again. New gauge is on its way.

So glad I found you folks and this site. Thanks again for the help!

Congrats, Matt! With the help of great people like Roland and many others here, you can fix anything!
Regards,
Andy

I could not agree more. Thanks for the kind and encouraging message, Andy.

Step 1 make sure battery connections are good and ground cable is good to frame. 2 lock down clutch pedal..hook jumper cable from positive battery post to A post on starter generator, not the F post!!! If it rolls over the starter generator is good. If not recheck connections and try again. If still no roll over, get starter gen. Rebuilt. If it rolls over step 3. Unplug safety switches and jump the harness terminals to get her and try rolling over with key switch. If it rolls over then hook one safety switch at a time to see if it won't roll over, if this is the case then you found your problem. 4 if nothing yet jump wire across the large terminals on the solenoid. Good luck

Success!
 

Thanks for the help, all. Hooked up the new DC gauge, and all is well on the electric front.