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Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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Posted by binski (My Page) on Sat, Sep 19, 09 at 17:25
| I have a Craftsman lawn tractor 917.252580 with a 15.5 HP Kohler engine. To make a long story short, my dogs chased a squirrel into the tractor below the battery. The dogs tore up some of the wiring trying to get at the squirrel.
The wiring schematic is less than perfect in the manual. My problem is connecting the engine to the tractor plug. The tractor has 6 wires from the chassis a brown and black for the headlights OK, another black which goes to the white from the engine- OK, a blue which goes to red from the carb solenoid-OK, and a red and orange that I have no idea where they go.
The engine has the red from the carb solenoid OK, a white to the chassis black OK, and a yellow and a black from the engine that are a mystery.
The motor starts with a booster start to the battery, and runs well but the battery is not charging. I have blowen 3 30 amp fuses to date and I am afraid that I may have blown something in the alternator or the diode?
If anyone can help I would appreciate it. Thanks, JIM |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Jim, what manual you referring to? If you have an owner's manual from Sears that has any wiring diagram, you saw more than I saw in the online manual for your tractor. I already likened the online version as half a manual in another thread. Below is a link to the "next in line" Craftsman OM. It also has the 15.5 Kohler. But I'm gonna need to see the Kohler manual and hope it has a Kohler engine diagram that I can correlate to the Craftsman manual diagram. Please find the Kohler model number from the engine and post that so we can get the right Kohler manual. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Close, but not exactly......
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| The engine is a Kohler CV15S, Family # SKH426U1G2RB. The link to the wiring schematic is similar to the schematic I have in my owners manual but there are a few differences. My schematic does not even list a yellow wire, maybe I am just not good at reading it. If you can point me in the right direction that would be great. Thanks. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| binski, do you have any way to scan your diagram and post it here? Or maybe another member can post the diagram that is missing from the online version saw. Answer this question. Before this dog-on-squirrel incident, could you turn on the headlights without having to run the engine? Or was it neccessary to have the engine running for the headlights to burn at all? The answer will provide clues to which alternator configuration is used on this application. Meanwhile, I'll look at the Kohler manual. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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Do you have a volt/ohm meter, or multi-meter? You stated "My schematic does not even list a yellow wire".
What yellow wire are you referring to here? If you are referring to the "Y" on the key switch, that is not indicating a yellow wire. The Y is simply a standard "terminal identifier" We need to get the purpose of the wires you question and we can do that by testing, not quessing. Before we can do that, I need to know what you see. OK? |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| I think that I could turn on the headlights before running the engine. But I can't be 100% sure. I do have a multi meter. The yellow wire comes out of the engine near the top along with a white and black wire. I have internet quality pictures and can scan the manual, but I am not sure how to do it on the forum. Jim |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Photos are on link. Thanks http://www.flickr.com/photos/42703269@N02/ |
Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of wiring and schematic
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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Jim -
1. Yellow off engine goes to ORANGE @ 4 wire harness (lights)
2. Black off engine goes to RED @ 4 wire harness (charge)
3. White off engine goes to BLACK @ 4 wire harness (ign shutoff) - you have this correct already
4. Red off carb goes to BLUE @ 4 wire harness - you have this partially correct. Pic 002 shows the red wire going to GROUND - thats why you're blowing fuses. This red wire should go to the lug at the bottom of the carb solenoid. Remove the BLACK wire at the bottom of the carb solenoid & attach it somewhere to a METAL part of the solenoid (ground). You will need a diode to go in between the Black wire off engine and the RED to the 4 wire harness. However: I noticed your schematic shows an electric PTO. Usually, a Kohler will have a 15 amp charging system/3 lug rectifier when an electric PTO is utilized, and not a single wire/diode arrangement like yours. So I will ask - does your tractor have an electric PTO or not? Is there a 3 lug rectifier on the flywheel shroud? Marty |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Thanks for the help, I will try it. No electric PTO and no rectifier. Thanks again |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| I believe majorxlr8n has this one firmly by the neck. All the details add up nicely. I hope you can post the dog-on-squirrel video at youtube. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Sorry no video, but my Lab mix will go through a wall to get to a squirrel. He nearly tore the hood off the tractor to get him. He went throught 1/2 particle board today and got another one. I hooked up the wires as suggested by majorxlr8n. Runs great but the charging gauge on the dash is pegged to the negative (left). I may have burned something else up when I was doing trial and error. Or the battery is toast? |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Well, if the battery was toast, I doubt it would have cranked the engine. But having the ammeter pegged at full discharge indicates that the current is flowing OUT of the battery instead of into it. Your charging system apparently has the low output, 3 amp alternator with a basic diode to rectify the AC. Try to locate the diode in the wire that comes from the alternator. Diode can be tested with Ohmeter (or a continuity tester). Diode needs to be disconnected from the wiring before testing. Test as follows: Connect a lead from Ohmeter (or a continuity tester) to each lead of the diode, watch what the meter reads. If the meter reads "nothing", reverse the leads. If the meter now reads "something", the diode is OK. If the diode continues to read "nothing", the diode is open (burned out) and needs to be replaced. If the meter reads "something" with the leads connected either way, the diode is shorted, and will have to be replaced |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Thanks for the direction, will do. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Observations: If the diode was shorted, the fuse would blow. I have seen this many times - this condition goes hand in hand. Since there is no electric PTO as Jim has stated, there is no way the ammeter can read full discharge. The only electrical load on the system whatsoever with the engine running is the carb solenoid. Or the starter is not disengaging electrically. Even if the stator was shorted out - again, the fuse would blow. If the diode was open, a slight discharge would show at the ammeter due to the active carb solenoid. Jim - are you using the factory diode or did you have to add a new one? Either way - I'm thinking that the diode polarity is REVERSED! Opinions?
Marty |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| I'm thinking that a diode (being comprized of semi-conductor material) may be able to collapse into a "shorted condition" capable of allowing the ammeter to register full discharge but not carrying enough amp to blow a thirty amp fuse immediately (I would think that this ammeter probably has a range of 10 amp max reading). Try unplugging or disconnecting the red wire that leads to the diode. If the ammeter then shows less discharge, the diode may be doing what I described. If the ammeter still shows full discharge, something else is causing a high current draw. With the AF solenoid being the only real current user in the rectified electrical system, there are not a lot of possibilities. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| I will try disconnecting the red wire and let you know. By the way I used a booster battery to start the motor, when I take the booster off it keeps running. The tractor will not start with the battery alone, slight click at best. Thanks again for all the help0. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| When I disconnected the red wire from the black wire to the alternator, the tractor would not keep running after I took off the booster battery. I think I blew the fuse again. I am not going to be able to work on it for a few days, will get back to it over the weekend. Thanks again, I will check this forum if you have any other thoughts. |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| With the wire disconnected & the boost box disconnected, you had no voltage available to the solenoid on the carb, which shut down the engine. Your battery is definitely not up to par. When the boost box was connected, and the red wire disconnected, what reading did the ammeter show? Mownie - interesting data on the diode. Thanks for posting that. Marty |
RE: Craftsman Lawn Tractor Wiring Problem -HELP
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| Thanks, will try again next week. Jim |
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