Husqvarna GT2254 won't cut, stops randomly

10 years ago

I have a 2006 Husqvarna GT2254 (960250002 or Electrolux 279090) ride on. All of the sudden the blades shut off and then after a while the tractor shuts down. When I turn the key, the starter does nothing at all. It acts like the safety interlocks are preventing starting even when the safe conditions are being met. I can still jump start it for some reason and it will work (run and shift gears) for a while (still no blades) before shutting down randomly. I thought it was the seat safety switch (532 19 27-49) which seems to be a common problem, but replacing that did nothing. I checked the push button switch that depresses when the clutch is depressed (maybe interlock switch 532 17 61-38) and it seems to switch okay (continuity between one pair of prongs and not the other reverses when depressed). I don't know what to check next or what part to try replacing. Would a faulty blade engage (PTO) switch cause this behavior? If so, how would I check it electrically (it's got 9 prongs)? Are there other switches that interact with the interlocks? Thanks for any suggestions.

Comments (5)

mownie
10 years ago
Because you are able to JUMP START it and resume operations at least temporarily, you probably have a faulty charging system.
You at least need to rule out that possibility before you start guessing about what else might be wrong.
Use a DC volt meter and measure the battery voltage while the engine is OFF. Write down the voltage. Crank the engine and measure battery voltage at idle RPM. Write down the voltage.
Now, speed up the engine to full RPM and measure the voltage. Write it down. Let the engine run at full RPM for about 5 minutes and measure the voltage again.
If the battery voltage does not rise to around 14 to 14.6 volts or so at the end of this procedure, your charging system is not working.
twelvegauge
10 years ago
FULLY charge your battery and have it load tested. Reinstall it (replace it if it is weak in the load test) taking care that cables are tightly connected (check both ends of each cable.)

You failed to mention the brand name and model number of your engine.
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bill_kapaun
10 years ago
I'm thinking you might have 2 different problems.

FIRST thing I'd do (after checking battery/charge system)
is to make sure the connector to the PTO switch is making good contact.
The cranking AND pto circuits BOTH go through that switch.
RikJ
Original Author
10 years ago
The engine is a Briggs & Stratton 22 hp model 40H777 Type 0241E1.

It seems like the battery isn't taking a full charge and loses rather than maintains (or increases) it when the tractor's running. I'll go over the numbers: Before hooking up to the car battery it read less than 6 V (pretty bad right there). After connecting to the car battery (12.75 V) for 5-10 min and running, it was at about 11.6 V. It was a bit too noisy (+-.3 V) to see an affect of the rpms. After running the tractor for about 15 min, it was down to about 10.9 V. I rode it around for another 2 min and it was down to 10.6 V.

I should have tried this before, but I engaged the PTO while hooked up to the car and it worked! So does the PTO need a full battery charge to switch on or what? Since the PTO failure first happened at my last Fall mowing after mowing for an hour, I never thought it was the battery. Also, turning the ignition key used to at least give me a click when I had a low battery and I get nothing now so I thought it was a different problem.

Anyway, unless you suggest otherwise, I will get the new battery and see if that's all it needs. I really hope it's not some other aspect of the charging system. At least the PTO switch seems alright.

Thanks for the help!
bill_kapaun
10 years ago
The PTO will "drop out" once the voltage drops to a certain point.
Ditto with the carburetor fuel solenoid.