How to Troubleshoot a Walker Mower That Won’t Crank or Start

If the mower won’t turn over, the problem likely lies in something preventing the starter motor from engaging.

A Walker mower won’t crank or turn over if the battery is dead, the wires are slack or rusted, the fuse is blown, the safety switch is broken, the starter solenoid is malfunctioning, or the beginning motor is broken.

Before attempting any electrical repairs, the black negative battery line must always be disconnected. To avoid harm, make sure to use the Walker in accordance with all safety instructions listed in the manual.

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Before diagnosing, repairing, or operating, be sure you’ve read and understood all of the safety recommendations in the equipment’s operator’s manual.If you don’t feel confident in your abilities or lack the necessary knowledge to make the repair securely, you should get some help from a specialist.

Reasons Your Walker Mower Won’t Start

Your Walker Zero Turn’s Battery Is Weak or Dead

If the battery isn’t strong enough, the solenoid won’t be able to energize the starting and the engine won’t turn over.

It’s especially important to keep the battery charged in the winter, when it’s freezing outside and the battery could potentially freeze and break.

The answer is to run a battery test according to the guidelines provided in the article, 5 Things That Are Draining the Life of Your Lawn Mower Battery.

Walker Mower Battery Charging

You may charge your 12-volt battery with a battery charger. Please safeguard your eyes and skin from potential electrical shock by donning protective gear before proceeding. To use a charger to replenish the juice in your lawnmower’s battery, do as follows:

• Get at the terminals and batteries. To get to the battery, you might need a screwdriver. Keep the battery inside its case at all times.
• Assemble the charging cords with the positive cable in place first. The plus sign cable, or the red cable, is this one. Connect the cable to the battery’s positive pole.
• Link the battery’s negative terminal to the negative end of the cable. This is the negative-sign cable, sometimes known as the black cable.
• To avoid electrocution, avoid touching anything that isn’t covered in rubber.
• Adjust the charger’s voltage and current to suit your needs. Lawn mower batteries typically have a voltage of 12 volts. A higher current charges a battery more quickly. The recommended starting point is 2 amps, with a maximum of 10 amps. It’s best to charge slowly.

If your battery isn’t holding a charge, you’ll need to get a new one.

Problems with the Walker’s Connections and/or Wiring

Examining the wires and their connections is the next step after making sure the battery is healthy and fully charged. Wiring and cables frequently become disconnected.

Cables, wiring, and connections can become loose due to engine vibration and the mower bouncing over uneven ground.

The solution is to check all of the connections and make sure that there is no corrosion that could break the circuit. Connections and terminals are vulnerable to corrosion when exposed to moisture.

Use a small wire brush and a baking soda solution (two cups water to three heaping tablespoons of baking soda) to try and get rid of the corrosion. To clean the parts, disconnect the batteries and take them apart.

If the corrosion is too severe to remove with cleaning, you may need to replace the terminals or the part.

A Blown Fuse in Your Walker Mower

The electrical installation has a fuse for safety purposes. Make sure there is no blown fuse in the mower.

A blown fuse can be tested by measuring the resistance between the probes of a multimeter placed on the fuse’s prongs.

If the resistance reading is close to zero, your fuse is fine. A blown fuse is indicated by a reading of infinite resistance.

To fix a blown fuse, use a replacement fuse of the same amperage. If you keep having problems with blown fuses on your Walker, you should have it looked at by a professional.

The Walker Mower’s Faulty Ignition Switch

If nothing happens when you turn the key in the ignition, it could be the switch. You won’t be able to get your Walker to turn over and start.

A multimeter continuity test might help you figure out if the ignition switch is malfunctioning. Find the prongs labeled “B” for the battery and “S” for the starter solenoid.

Put the key in and turn it to “on.” One probe is touched to the B prong, while the other is placed on the S prong of the plug in order to measure the resistance.

The resistance of a high-quality key switch for the ignition should be close to zero. If the resistance reading on your ignition key switch is infinite, you need to replace it.

The Walker Mower’s Faulty Safety Switch

The safety features of your Walker include an operator presence control system. Your Walker might not start because of a faulty safety switch.

Put your switch through its paces with a multimeter. The safety switch can be temporarily disabled, although this should only be done while troubleshooting.

Never mow the lawn without first flipping the safety switch.Never operate a lawn mower with the safety switch removed. You never know when you might need a safety switch, but having one is always a good idea.

Switch out a faulty safety switch.

Your Walker Mower’s Starter Solenoid Is Bad

Your Walker’s engine relies on the starter solenoid, an electromagnetic switch that, when activated, sends a signal to the starter motor to begin cranking the engine.

When the spring weakens or the copper plate corrodes, the starter solenoid can fail. The solenoid might fail for a variety of reasons, including a weak starting, faulty battery, or poor ground.

To solve this problem, make sure your battery is completely charged before trying to test the starter solenoid. Carry on testing the solenoid using the procedures outlined here to identify a faulty starter solenoid.

Your Walker Lawnmower’s Starter Motor Is Bad

If your Walker still won’t start after you’ve checked the battery, cables, wiring, ground, and starter solenoid, then it’s time to look at the starter. The starter may be unplugged for inspection.

Before you go out and buy an expensive replacement starter for your Walker mower, get the one you already have checked out by a local repair company that specializes in starter and alternator repairs.