Craftsman Lawn Tractor will NOT "turn over" or even "click"

I know how important it is to have a good working Tractor in your home so that you can keep your grass maintained. While you are waiting for an expert answer, I did manage to find a link that will provide you with some good information about what may be causing your problem.

Check the fuse (under the dash) to make sure it is good. If the headlights are not coming on then we may have a problem getting power into the ignition switch. If the fuse is good, follow the wire it's on in both directions to make sure there are no bad spots in the wire.

Let me know what you find with this and we can proceed if necessary.

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Wade, I think I threw you off when I mentioned the headlights. As it turns out, both bulbs were bad. I checked the DC volts and had 12 volts all the way to the white wire on the solenoid. Therefore, I think John is correct....it's probably the solenoid. I plan to purchase one today and see if that fixes my problem. If not, I will e-mail back.

Thanks for your help John and Wade.

Yes, you did. If you have power to the white wire (when trying to start) at the solenoid but do not have voltage to the starter then I would say that the solenoid has indeed failed.

We have just replaced the solenoid and battery and it still just clicks and won't start. What is our next step.

@Linda: Check to see if you have voltage at the starter when trying to start. If you do not have a meter to check voltage: Remove the spark plug(s) and see if the engine will spin over when you try to start. If it does not, see if you can manually turn the flywheel. Let me know what you find.

we checked the seat shut off switch and found it very dirty. We cleaned it and now it works great. Thanks for this site it helped us alot!

hi I have a riding mower (john deere x320) this year I tried to turned it over but didn't
I checked all fuse ,and wires , finally someone told me to change selonoid and I did
it start very good but doesn't turn over, I connect a spark plug to one of wires it doesn't have any electricity
what is problem
thankyou

I have a craftsman riding mower and it will not start i have changed the solenoid and the fuse and the ignition switch the only way i can start it is by passing the ignition switch and with the chock on full all the time

Donna

I have a craftsman riding mower and it will not start i have changed the solenoid and the fuse and the ignition switch the only way i can start it is by passing the ignition switch and with the chock on full all the time

Donna

I have a craftsman riding mower and it will not start i have changed the solenoid and the fuse and the ignition switch the only way i can start it is by passing the ignition switch and with the chock on full all the time

Donna

I have a Craftsman yts4500 that just stopped running, I tried to start it and nothing, no click, no nothing, the lights do not work and i have an hour meter on it that does not light up. I have changed the battery , the solenoid, the ignition switch, the fuse, and still nothing No click anything . what the heck am I missing ?

you might have a bad solenoid on your lawn tractor or a bad starter those are the only reasons i can see it not starting you said you have a new battery a new ignition switch i would check and make sure your battery terminals are tight and cleaned of any corrosion if that doesnt change anything i would try to see if the starter is bad but i believe its a bad solenoid issue from all indications you stated hope this helps you or gives you a starting point to resolve your problem. a expert will anser your question soon good luck