Cub Cadet 72 Electrical question

[JL66REDCPE]

I was checking out a Cub 72 starter/generator for someone recently and some questions arose. The starter was turning over slowly using the key. When I applied 12V directly to the starter from my external battery box, it turned over fine. I next measured the voltage at the terminal coming from the solenoid and at first it read about 6V and then the voltage rose to 12V while the starter was turning. Is this a normal situation ?? I would have thought it would have read 12V right off the bat. I tried it several times with the same result. If this is not normal, I would suspect dirty wiring or a solenoid going bad - maybe. There is no amp meter or lights on this tractor. All responses are greatly appreciated.

[R Bedell]

First, welcome to our Forum.....

NO, you should have 12+ volts to the S/G at the point the power is applied.

You have an electrical loss issue. It is either on the positive side or the negative (grounding) side.

Check your Battery Terminals to make sure, they are clean, polished, and tight.

Check with your DVM or VOM, and make sure that you have zero ohms resistance between the case of the S/G and the negative battery terminal. If not, clean, polish and tighten all ground connections.

Check you positive battery cables and examine for cuts, abrasions, discolored insulation, frayed ends, etc. If the cables look good, then clean, polish and tighten all connection points. If not, replace the cables and it certainly wouldn't hurt to up the size (AWG) of the battery cable(s).

Lastly, this may take an extra set of hands, but check the voltage at the Starter Solenoid. While turning the S/G over, the voltage should be the same on the input terminal (from battery) to the output terminal (to S/G). If not, replace the Starter Solenoid.

Let us know what you find.

[JL66REDCPE]

Roland -- thank you very much