Baymee - according to that machine s/n, s/b a model 71,102 or 122. built back in the mid 60's
see link to serv manual for all 3 below - may help.

Here is a link that might be useful: manual

What are the color(s) of the wire(s) from the stator?

I don't think it's that old. It doesn't have points/condensor. It has a seat safety switch, clutch switch and blade switch.

It's a black wire, which plugs into a red wire just outside the shroud. The hood says it's a 1015 model

There is continuity between the terminals of the ammeter and the fuse is intact.

The engine was built April 6, 1988.

You show the Tri circuit stator, having 1 Black wire.
This shows 2 possible scenarios, both with a Green connector-

1. A 5 or 9 amp (1 wire) regulator. Yellow wire to its' Green connector 1/2.

2. A Green connector 1/2 that has 2 diodes in it and splits to a +5 Amps DC (Red) and a -5 Amps DC (White/lights)

So, you are saying that the problem is in the stator, under the flywheel. And, I shouldn't be getting 28V AC out of the black lead coming from the stator? I should be getting 13.5DC instead because the regulator is in the stator.

sorry about the bad steer on machine models, baymee.

Any voltage delivered by the stator will be Alternating Current.
There has to be a rectifying component to convert the AC to DC so the battery can utilizes it. AC will not charge a battery.
According to what I see in Briggs documents, 28 VAC is exactly what you should be reading on your stator.
Your description of "Black engine lead to red chassis harness lead" fits a "5 amp, unregulated" charging configuration. There should be a sort of "lump wrapped in black tape" on the red wire.........that will be the rectifying diode, which is likely defective.

"So, you are saying that the problem is in the stator, under the flywheel. And, I shouldn't be getting 28V AC out of the black lead coming from the stator? I should be getting 13.5DC instead because the regulator is in the stator."

I don't see where I'm saying that?

The description you provided should have a Green connector from the stator.
That's one half of the connector.
The OTHER HALF of the connector should also be Green and one of the 2 configurations I listed.
You get ACV from the stator. The other side of the connector takes the ACV and does one of the two things I listed.

Thank you men. I found the problem. Mownie, it was more like a cyst, not a lump, but I saw the melted area and, as you said, it was there.

Where would I find a repair diode? I don't see it in the parts IPL

Get thee to Radio Shack.

IIRC... part # 276-1661. its a 4 pack of axial diodes for $2.99

And REMEMBER... diodes are directional

This post was edited by justalurker on Fri, May 3, 13 at 17:36

Yes, that much I know about diodes. I learned that in military Radio school 40+ years ago. Does the point of the triangle face the alternator?

Thanks for everyone's help.

I agree with Lurk.
Choosing the correct orientation of the diode before you make "hard connections" can be done using a simple test light or volt meter.
Here's how to do it.
Connect your test light clamp lead to the battery positive post of the starter solenoid.
Then, hold one lead of the diode pressed against the test light probe (so that other end of the diode becomes a "probe").
Touch the free lead of diode to the black stator wire.
If the test light burns........turn the diode around because it is conducting the wrong way.
The diode needs to be oriented so that current can flow "out of" the alternator windings, but not back the other way.
If it is turned wrong, it is a dead short.
Looking at the picture you posted I would suspect it may have been caused by someone connecting booster cables in reversed polarity, or connecting the battery backward.
It may have been that the diode "innocently" became shorted of its own volition and thus got fried...........but usually what you see here is the result of human error (as described above).
There is a Briggs diode part number (Briggs calls it a harness)

But there is a caveat if you do that part # on YOUR application.
That part comes as a "2 diode,1 input wire, 2 output wires" (red and white) configuration which allows for DC positive on the red wire for charging the battery and DC negative on the white wire for headlights.
If there is no need for the white wire (no lights) you will need to tape that white wire up soundly so it can never short to ground.
There seems to be a hint that Briggs made some kind of change up on the tri circuit wiring in 1988 and that might account for how come you aren't seeing a white wire on the beast.
For it to be a "true DC only" system you would be looking at a RED stator wire and a RED connector on the engine side.

This post was edited by mownie on Fri, May 3, 13 at 19:04

If it comes marked with a triangle the "point" of the triangle needs to point away from the stator (because in this case the positive half of the AC wave coming from the stator needs to pass through the diode to reach the battery).

The Radio Shack diodes work perfectly and live long.

Many diode failures I've seen are from heat and vibration but I suspect quite a few are from the loose nut with the jumper cables as mownie said.

Quick way to test a diode is to use that little known position on the DVM knob that looks like a diode... it is a diode checker. Even the FREE Harbor Freight DVMs have a diode checker.

I am prepared for tomorrow with my Radio Shack diodes in hand. Will follow the instructions above and also save them in my files. These diodes have a silver band on one end.

Does this help?

I'm trying to remember by electronics courses...I never grasped electronics because I can't see anything move.

As I understood mownie, AC voltage is coming from the stator and entering the diode from the right. Do I do the test above from the battery pos. post to the black wire, with the engine running or off?

By the way, this unit does have headlights and the owner, who inherited this from his father, was always disconnecting the battery terminals because the battery "never held its charge" and they thought there was an electrical leak. So they would disconnect both battery terminals after each use and then use a charger to start the engine the next time.

You test with engine OFF. All you are testing at this point is whether the diode will provide a path to ground through the stator windings that will permit the test light (or volt meter) to show a continuous circuit.
But remember, if it does show voltage/light burns..........it is oriented wrong. If the light does not burn or show voltage, it is in the correct direction.
I can guarantee you that the headlights were not causing any drain on the battery because that AC circuit is completely separate and independent of the charging circuit.
Besides, if they were STILL having to charge the battery to start the engine after it sitting without ANY cables connected, it was not system parasitic draw running the battery down. No indeed, it sounds more like a defective battery to begin with.

Thanks to all the help I received here, the charging system is now putting 14.5 VDC into the battery. I put the battery on trickle charge and when the indicator said it was fully charged, I tried to start it. Nope. The battery won't hold a charge. It barely turns the starter.

I had been using a portable jumping set to start it, so I didn't suspect that the battery wouldn't hold a charge.

Those portable batteries are made to keep in the car. That has turned out to be one of the most useful tools I've had in a long time. I use it for lawn tractors, cars and even the large diesel delivery trucks at work. It starts anything

@baymee, itâÂÂs great to know that your issue got resolved. I actually had a similar king of issue too recently but it was because of my carâÂÂs faulty alternator. Somehow I found out that the over-voltage protection circuitry had blown up and the alternator went on to supplying higher voltages to the whole circuit in the car. Needless to say that a lot of things got fried, including my car locking system which made me realize the problem instantly. I had to get new over-voltage protection and alternator for battery charging.

pcb assembly house

This post was edited by civi on Tue, Jun 10, 14 at 17:42