Cub Cadet 1862

[tony6264]

Originally Posted by ol'George

You get what you pay for as far as magneto/coils.
I bought a cheap one on evilpay and while it starts fine in warm weather,
in cold weather the engine turns slower and no spark.

Now as a test, where the plug wires go into the flywheel cover,
you will see a small white wire in that grommet, that is the magneto ground wire or kill wire.
it stops the engine when the key is turned off.
Follow that small wire a bit and you will find a connector that goes to the ign. switch eventually, and disconnect it.
Then turn the engine over and see if the spark is normal.
if so, the problem is between the connector & switch.
If it is still a weak spark, it could be the coil or it is debris around the coil in the fin area.
I guarantee the fin area around the coil is full of chit.
in that case you will need to remove the engine and blow it out good and replace the coil.
Do check the condition of the plug wires for obvious damage first, it is rare but sometimes they get damaged.
I have seen the coil packed with chit and when it gets wet, shorts to ground,
but not a common occurrence unless they are washed or left outside in the weather.
The guys here will walk you through things that you run into.
This should get you started and yer hands greasy
It is doable for a novice if you have a few tools and a bit of ability.

Thanks for the info. I am pretty handy and not afraid to take something apart. I also see the big advantage to pulling the engine and getting a better look at things.

[tony6264]

Wow am I lucky....it was the ground wire. it was loose. now it starts right up and runs and drives great. new problem is that it doesn't seem like the deck raises very much when I engage the hydro lever to raise it.