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Discussion starter · #21 ·
Okay here is an update. I spend the evening trying to fix it...or atleast I planned to. When I plugged in another fuse tonight trying a trial and error approach it sparks like crazy. If I leave it in smokes spews out of the starter and the main cover on top of the engine. I haven't changed anything since the last time I put a new fuse in and it let me drive around but would just blow it everytime it started.

This thing has a mind of its own...
 
#24 ·
It's very difficult for people to help you when the scene keeps changing. You were making progress a while back; now you are introducing other wires and getting smoke.

I suppose pix would be useful; but I don't know what happened with the smoke. Perhaps someone can follow you through all that - BUT - I think I could safely recommend that YOU FOLLOW the instructions given by one particular person who is willing to walk you through this.

At this point, I don't know where things are at - that's ok - I am not the expert on all this anyway. But I have been guided by those who are.

But when I needed help from these amazing people, I followed instructions, and I reported back, and received more instructions, and reported back - that way, everybody knows what's going on.

You need a starting point (pun) and then you move on from there - but - one tiny boring step at a time - it's not about the big wowee or the great ahah either.

Where are we, where are we going, one baby step at a time.

You are the eyes and ears. BUT the helpers are the ones with vision; and they can only act on what you report. When you take off by yourself, it might mean start over; and you might find yourself alone. And unfortunately, smoke might mean game over, or replace parts, and still have to start over.

Perhaps I am all wrong; perhaps someone can still tune in to what's happening here - to me, it seems a bit more complicated now - and the multimeter might be the only way to get back to a level playing field. I hope it's easier.

I am not the expert. I simply know nothing.

I have learned that an empty vessel can be filled. But filling a moving vessel, makes for a lot of messy waste. And if the vessel is closed, with a lid on top, it gets even more futile. Maybe that's just a lot of spilt milk; but it all matters when one is thirsty.
Sometimes the best way to start is to stop. Sometimes things stop for a good reason. Other times, things are endless. Some things need to come to a natural end. Other things need to begin; or begin anew. Everything has it's qualities. Pix may help.

Rocket science. :fing32:

Good luck.
 
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Discussion starter · #25 ·
Gray said:
It's very difficult for people to help you when the scene keeps changing. You were making progress a while back; now you are introducing other wires and getting smoke.

I suppose pix would be useful; but I don't know what happened with the smoke. Perhaps someone can follow you through all that - BUT - I think I could safely recommend that YOU FOLLOW the instructions given by one particular person who is willing to walk you through this.

At this point, I don't know where things are at - that's ok - I am not the expert on all this anyway. But I have been guided by those who are.

But when I needed help from these amazing people, I followed instructions, and I reported back, and received more instructions, and reported back - that way, everybody knows what's going on.

You need a starting point (pun) and then you move on from there - but - one tiny boring step at a time - it's not about the big wowee or the great ahah either.

Where are we, where are we going, one baby step at a time.

You are the eyes and ears. BUT the helpers are the ones with vision; and they can only act on what you report. When you take off by yourself, it might mean start over; and you might find yourself alone. And unfortunately, smoke might mean game over, or replace parts, and still have to start over.

Perhaps I am all wrong; perhaps someone can still tune in to what's happening here - to me, it seems a bit more complicated now - and the multimeter might be the only way to get back to a level playing field. I hope it's easier.

I am not the expert. I simply know nothing.

I have learned that an empty vessel can be filled. But filling a moving vessel, makes for a lot of messy waste. And if the vessel is closed, with a lid on top, it gets even more futile. Maybe that's just a lot of spilt milk; but it all matters when one is thirsty.
Sometimes the best way to start is to stop. Sometimes things stop for a good reason. Other times, things are endless. Some things need to come to a natural end. Other things need to begin; or begin anew. Everything has it's qualities. Pix may help.

Rocket science. :fing32:

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Well the root of the initial problem was solved right here in this thread. I didn't even think of a fuse and that was the problem. That was the starting point and problem after problem it has continued to get worse.

The fact that the problems keep changing is what is giving me the hardest time. One day it is this and the next it is something else.

To sum it up I am trying to find out why the fuse keeps blowing when i start it and more recently why it sparks and smokes when I replace the fuse.

As I stated before I will get some pictures tonight.
 
#26 ·
Except the problem has not changed - the problem is what blows the fuse - the fuse is protection - to defeat a fuse is not the way.
 
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Discussion starter · #27 ·
Gray said:
Except the problem has not changed - the problem is what blows the fuse - the fuse is protection - to defeat a fuse is not the way.
Click to expand...
I am doing all that I can and reporting back when I find out something new. I took a suggestion and it allowed me to discover the problem. I have now moved on to fixing it which is a more difficult job considering I have no engine knowledge at all.
 
#28 ·
I'd like to stress some important points:

Number ONE!! Be safe. Remember, you have gasoline and gasoline fumes. If you are generating sparks and smoke, you are generating heat. Heat and gasoline are not best buddies outside of the combustion chamber!!

Number TWO: Think carefully about your next test or other step. Then think carefully about the data you get and what it means. Do not get emotional about test results. Think analytically and logically. If you don't have the knowledge, experience, and expertise to move sequentially ahead, stop right there and report back to the forum. The knowledge, experience, and expertise you need are all right here, so think of yourself as a test robot programmed by the folks here who know what to do (I'm not one of those!:fing20: But I do understand the test, diagnosis, and repair process.)


Number THREE: There are very few successful shortcuts in life. So don't try to save time by bypassing the process of:
Do as instructed;​

Carefully and accurately note what happened;​

Report back to the forum; and​

Wait for further instructions!​
Good luck!
 
Discussion starter · #29 ·
wjjones said:
This wire going into the engine can you pull the cover to get at it? That starter wire could be causing some trouble to.
Click to expand...
The wire that goes into the engine is connected to the alternator. I just found this out when I opened up the engine cover. When the wire broke I cut off a section of it. In that section was some sort of lump in the wire with shrink tubing and a quick release system of some sort that had a male and female end. In order to join the two ends I needed to add a piece of wire so I cut out all that junk and just put a straight wire of the correct gauge to connect the broken ends. I am starting to think that "junk" had something to do with the electrical system.
 
#30 ·
The starter motor with the dangling wire keeps attracting my attention. I would pull the starter and take it to an automotive electrical repair shop for inspection/rebuild before burning up much more time chasing ghosts. The ghosts won't run away if the starter is fine, but if it does need repair, the ghosts may disappear. Smoke and sparks get my attention every time.

Bob :rauch10:
 
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Discussion starter · #31 ·
TUDOR said:
The starter motor with the dangling wire keeps attracting my attention. I would pull the starter and take it to an automotive electrical repair shop for inspection/rebuild before burning up much more time chasing ghosts. The ghosts won't run away if the starter is fine, but if it does need repair, the ghosts may disappear. Smoke and sparks get my attention every time.

Bob :rauch10:
Click to expand...
I have ordered the bottom piece of the starter through briggs and stratton. That will eliminate that potential problem once it gets delivered.
 
#32 ·
j.willard1 said:
The wire that goes into the engine is connected to the alternator. I just found this out when I opened up the engine cover. When the wire broke I cut off a section of it. In that section was some sort of lump in the wire with shrink tubing and a quick release system of some sort that had a male and female end. In order to join the two ends I needed to add a piece of wire so I cut out all that junk and just put a straight wire of the correct gauge to connect the broken ends. I am starting to think that "junk" had something to do with the electrical system.
Click to expand...
The lump in the wire was the diode for the charging circuit. Did you isolate the splices from any metal?
 
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Discussion starter · #33 ·
MontyJ said:
The lump in the wire was the diode for the charging circuit. Did you isolate the splices from any metal?
Click to expand...
So does this sound like it could be the root of my problem? What symptoms would I see if I cut out the diode? Does this make the sparking fuse box make any more sense?

I didn't splice the wire I used one of these
 

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Discussion starter · #36 ·
coldone said:
When you put in the new fuse, does it spark imediately or do you have to turn on the switch?

When it starts smoking, does it start imediatley when you put in the fuse or do you have to try to crank it?
Click to expand...
As soon as the prongs on the fuse go half way into the fuse box there is a shower of sparks. If i pull it out immediately no smoke. If i leave it in for 5 seconds there is a smoke billowing out of the engine. I did not try cranking it while it is smoking.

The tractor is just sitting there shut down I plug in a fuse and am engulfed in smoke.
 
#37 · (Edited)
You have an electrical short. You have direct path for the electricty to go from the positive terminal to ground. There is a massive amount of current flowing when you put the fuse in and that creates heat, the heat then starts to burn off the insulation and that is where the smoke is comming from.

I would have to see an electrical schematic of your tractor to start pointing you in the right direction.

There are a few hints as to where it might be but without the schematic I can just generalize.

1: The effected system does not go thru the ignition switch. You dont have to turn the key to see the effect

2: The only eletrical components in the engine are the alternator and possibly the voltage regulator.

Wish i could help more but not being familiar with it and not having a diagram I cant do much.


Edit to add:
I was just thinking about the diode. A diode can be used as a sort of check valve for electricity. Electricty can only pass one way through a diode. It makes sense that it would be in a charging cricuit in that the diode would only let positive pulses from the alternator to pass onto the positive terminal of the battery. It would also block the positive voltage from then psaaing from the battery to the alternator. The alternator is nothing more than a stright piece of wire made into coils. One end would be connected to the frame of the mower and the other to the diode and onto the battery.

So it stands to reason that you removed the diode and thus created a short to ground through the coil of the alternator. So disconnect your wire that you fixed and see if the symptoms return.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
coldone said:
You have an electrical short. You have direct path for the electricty to go from the positive terminal to ground. There is a massive amount of current flowing when you put the fuse in and that creates heat, the heat then starts to burn off the insulation and that is where the smoke is comming from.

I would have to see an electrical schematic of your tractor to start pointing you in the right direction.

There are a few hints as to where it might be but without the schematic I can just generalize.

1: The effected system does not go thru the ignition switch. You dont have to turn the key to see the effect

2: The only eletrical components in the engine are the alternator and possibly the voltage regulator.

Wish i could help more but not being familiar with it and not having a diagram I cant do much.


Edit to add:
I was just thinking about the diode. A diode can be used as a sort of check valve for electricity. Electricty can only pass one way through a diode. It makes sense that it would be in a charging cricuit in that the diode would only let positive pulses from the alternator to pass onto the positive terminal of the battery. It would also block the positive voltage from then psaaing from the battery to the alternator. The alternator is nothing more than a stright piece of wire made into coils. One end would be connected to the frame of the mower and the other to the diode and onto the battery.

So it stands to reason that you removed the diode and thus created a short to ground through the coil of the alternator. So disconnect your wire that you fixed and see if the symptoms return.
Click to expand...
I think you are on to something... I disconnected my "fixed" wire and there are no sparks when I plug in a fuse. I am going to check my parts diagram from briggs and stratton and see if I can order the alternator wire with the diode that I cut out.
 
#40 ·
j.w
just sent you a pm.

Anybody got a Huskee book? If it is like my other machines, the fuse is inline with the starter solenoid operate coil. Atleast on my older Craftsman, Troy-Bilt and Wheel Horse machines, you go from battery positive, thru ignition switch to fuse to low current contact on starter solenoid. No current flows until the ignition switch is moved to 'start'..
j.w on the back of the ignition switch, the switch plugs into a multi contact plug. pull that plug off the back of the ignition switch. this removes the switch from the electrical system. insert the fuse. any smoke/flames/sparks?
 
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