Hey everybody. I have a Cub Cadet xt1 lt46 enduro series that stopped working on me. For some reason the display shows low battery when trying to start and only clicks once at the starter solenoid but doesn't crank. The battery is good and has been load tested but when I turn the key, the voltage drops to around 8-10 volts but picks back up to 12.6-7 about 30 seconds after I stop turning the key. Could something be draining the battery that fast as to not start when turning the key or am I missing something else? Good battery, new carb, good spark plugs, and oil topped off. Any help appreciated.
Low Battery Issue
Kalei808
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Hey everybody. I have a Cub Cadet xt1 lt46 enduro series that stopped working on me. For some reason the display shows low battery when trying to start and only clicks once at the starter solenoid but doesn't crank. The battery is good and has been load tested but when I turn the key, the voltage drops to around 8-10 volts but picks back up to 12.6-7 about 30 seconds after I stop turning the key. Could something be draining the battery that fast as to not start when turning the key or am I missing something else? Good battery, new carb, good spark plugs, and oil topped off. Any help appreciated.
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First clean your battery terminals, battery cable connections at both ends and where they connect/ground. Let us know if that works as corrosion at those points will do exactly as you described. If that doesn't work, get a multimeter and test both cables for ohms should be less than 1 ohm of resistance.
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Also, read this article for ideas on what causes this single "click" at the solenoid.
www.mytractorforum.com
Starter Assist Relay Assembly and Install
***Update! MTF Member Stripmine drew up some illustrations to help with the CORRECT way to install a Starter Assist Relay. It's with his permission that I have inserted those drawings into this submission. It really shows "how to" and especially "how NOT to". My thanks to him for the use of...
www.mytractorforum.com
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How are you load testing the battery ?
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It's a bad ground, replace the battery cables with new ones. Replace them completely from battery terminal to frame and solenoid. The cables corrode on the inside and cause resistance.
Bill
Bill
My local auto parts store did a load test for me.
Cleaned the terminals, connections from battery-solenoid and battery-frame but still same one click no crank issue. The resistance on both cables are 0.00-0.01.
I'm getting 0-0.01 ohms on the ground-frame, positive-solenoid, and solenoid-starter
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Jump the solenoid - if it cranks that tells you the circuitry through the key switch has a major resistance problem.
Bill
Bill
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Did you read the article that I linked? Just might save you a lot of headache. Plus, very good chance that the issue is a connection or contact involving a safety switch.
If you want to continue to troubleshoot, take a wire from the + side of the battery and touch it to the small tab on the solenoid. My suspicion is the engine is going to immediately turn over, thus pointing to a good starter, good solenoid, dirty connection or switch somewhere in the system.
If you want to continue to troubleshoot, take a wire from the + side of the battery and touch it to the small tab on the solenoid. My suspicion is the engine is going to immediately turn over, thus pointing to a good starter, good solenoid, dirty connection or switch somewhere in the system.
Yes, I read your link. I had to order the parts online so they're on their way right now. I'll try that as soon as I get home from work.
I have two small tabs on the solenoid, one with a green wire and one with a orange wire. Does it matter which one I touch the positive wire to?
Happy to be here. Everybody is so helpful.
I have two small tabs on the solenoid, one with orange wire and one with green wire. Do you know which tab goes to the key switch or does it not matter?
It depends on the solenoid. For some, the smaller connectors have markings indicating which get power and which should get ground (these are for the smaller wires that switch the solenoid on and off), and others work either way.
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Test with your volt meter. Put the black lead on the engine/frame, put red on either green or orange. Turn the key. Do you get a voltage reading? If so, that is the tab you want to touch. Just for fun, test ohms between the other wire and your engine ground. Should show no resistance.
The solenoid clicks when I turn the key but nothing happens when I tried to jump the solenoid. No click or starter engagement. I put in a new solenoid to test again and still nothing.
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This is going to sound ridiculously basic - pull the spark plugs and try cranking it then. You could be hydro-locked or have some other major internal issue.
Bill
Bill
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You say it clicks when turning the key but nothing happens when jumping the solenoid. How are you jumping the solenoid? Which terminals are you connecting?
I'm jumping the two terminals on the solenoid with a long screwdriver.
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