Why Won’t My Simplicity Lawnmower Crank or Turn Over?
A Simplicity riding mower or zero-turn caused you some trouble getting it started. The engine won’t even start, much alone run. The starting motor isn’t receiving power, thus the engine can’t turn over.
When the battery is low, the wiring and components are damaged, the fuse is blown, the ignition switch is broken, the safety switch is faulty, the starting solenoid is broken, or the starter motor is broken, the Simplicity lawn mower will not turn over or crank.
Please observe all of the security measures outlined in your Simplicity’s user guide. Before working on the electrical system, it is imperative that the negative black wire be disconnected from the battery.
Table of Contents
The Cause of Your Simplicity Lawnmower’s Refusal to Start
Your Simplicity’s Dead or Faulty Battery
If the battery in your Simplicity is low, you won’t be able to start the vehicle’s motor.
Keeping a battery fully charged is one way to make it last longer. When stowing the lawnmower and batteries, this is crucial. A battery that hasn’t been completely charged and has been left in cold storage might be damaged by freezing.
Follow the guidelines in “5 Things That Are Draining the Life of Your Lawn Mower Battery” to check the health of your battery.
Charging a Battery: The 12-volt battery must be charged using a battery charger. Please safeguard your eyes and skin from any electrical shock by donning protective clothing before proceeding. To charge the battery on your lawn mower, do the following:
- Get at the connections and batteries. A screwdriver may be required to access the battery. Keep the battery within its case at all times.
- The positive wire should be plugged in first when connecting the charging cords. That’s the plus-sign cable, often known as the red one. Connect the cable to the battery’s positive terminal.
- Join the negative end of the cable to the battery’s negative post. The negative-sign cable, or black cable, is this.
- To avoid electrocution, avoid touching anything that isn’t covered with rubber.
- Adjust the charger’s voltage and current to suit your needs. Most lawn mower batteries have 12 volts of power. Higher current speeds up the battery’s charging process. Beginning with two camps and no more than ten amps, you may safely expand. It’s better to charge slowly.
If the battery can’t keep its charge, you should get a new one. A replacement battery may be purchased at any local hardware shop, auto parts store, or lawn mower dealership.
Get an old battery and bring it with you. If you don’t bring in your old battery, most stores will charge you a core fee.
Problems with Your Simple Electrics
The continual motion of the mower might cause the cables and parts to get dislodged and unable to attach securely.
Check the connections on your Simplicity mower’s wiring to ensure there is no break in the circuit. Make sure there is no corrosion in any of the electrical components.
Unplugging the battery allows you to check for corrosion on any exposed wires, components, or terminals.
To remove the rust, scrub the area with a wire brush and a baking soda solution (two cups water to three heaping tablespoons of baking soda). Corrosion on the terminals that cannot be cleaned requires new terminals.
Your Simplicity Lawnmower’s Fuse Has Blown
Your Simplicity’s electrical system comes with a fuse for further safety. Make sure there is no blown fuse in your mower.
If you are unsure as to whether or not the fuse has blown, you may use a multimeter to check it.
In the event that the measured resistance is near to zero, your fuse is OK. If the resistance reading goes to infinity, the fuse has blown.
In the event of a blown fuse, a replacement fuse of the same amperage must be used. If the fuses keep blowing on your Simplicity lawn mower, you should get it looked at by a professional.
Problems with Your Simplicity Mower’s Ignition Switch
A malfunctioning ignition key switch renders the key ineffective. Despite your best attempts, the mower will not start.
If you believe the ignition switch is faulty, you may check for continuity using a multimeter. Find the terminals on the battery and starting solenoid that are labeled “B” and “S,” respectively, to complete the connection.
Simply insert the key and turn it clockwise to activate. Turn the multimeter’s S prong to measure resistance, then attach one probe to the B prong.
A high-quality ignition key switch won’t provide much of a challenge when turned. If the resistance goes to infinity, you need to replace the ignition key switch.
Your Simplicity Mower’s Faulty Safety Switch
Your Simplicity has a presence control system because, well, duh. If the safety switch is broken, your Simplicity could not turn over.
Make sure your switch is functional by testing it with a multimeter. The safety switch may be temporarily disabled during checks to assess its integrity.
It’s dangerous to cut the grass without first turning off the mower’s power. Never use a mower without first activating the safety switch. A safety switch is useful in many situations and should always be present.
A Simplicity Lawnmower with a Faulty Starter Solenoid
To get your Simplicity’s engine revving, you need a starting solenoid, an electromagnetic switch that connects to the beginning motor.
When the spring weakens or the copper plate corrodes, the starting solenoid might fail. The solenoid may fail if the starting is weak, the battery is weak, or the ground is poor.
A fully charged battery is required prior to testing the starting solenoid. Follow the procedures outlined in “How to Tell Your Lawn Mower Solenoid is Bad” to continue testing the solenoid.
Your Simplicity Mower’s Starter Motor Is Bad.
Why won’t your Simplicity turn over? After you’ve ruled out everything from the batteries to the wires to the ground to the starting solenoid, you should check the starter. The starter may be removed and tested if necessary.
Instead of going out and buying a whole new starter, have the one on your Simplicity mower inspected by a local repair shop that specializes in starter and alternator repairs.
