Customer connected their wiring BACKWARDS! Mower won't start now. CHECK THIS FIRST!

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My name is Bre. I took two years of small engine repair at the local college. When I left school, I fell into a wonderful job at a local small engine shop where I worked the counter for a couple years. In 2010 my husband and I opened up our own small engine shop in central Arkansas where I am able to work alongside my family and best friends. We see over 2,000 pieces of small engine equipment every year, and answer 1,000's of small engine questions. We specialize in brands such as Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, Echo and Shindaiwa, but work everyday on MANY other brands like Stihl, Husqvarna, Honda, Craftsman, Remington, Red Max, Troy Bilt, Scag, Bad Boy, Hustler, World Lawn, Poulan, Mantis, Etc.. Hopefully, my experience I share, will save you Time, Money and Frustration in the future!

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!

Although very informative, these videos are for entertainment purposes. Please use all possible safety precautions when repairing and operating your small engine equipment.

[robertheinkel]

When I was a ag mechanic, I went on a service call for a dead combine. Custom stated it ran when parked. I found lots of disconnected wires at the engine. Customer finally admitted they had replaced the main wiring harness, after they parked it. Lots of time and effort tracking all the wires down.

[KGatLC]

Thanks! That fuse saved me from my own stupidity.

[andybonneau]

You forgot to check the voltage regulator for proper output. Reverse battery connection could easily fry the regulator.

[KHWindham]

Good morning from Florida. As a retired 30 year Submarine Missile Technician, your channel is worth the time to invest watching .

[ScottHenion]

Fist thing I would have done after starting is see if it charged. Reversed battery can burn out the stator in the alternator or more often the diode in the wire. That is what draws high current when reversed and should just blow the fuse.

[richardcranium]

they probably had the wrong battery in it at one time. the only difference between a group u1 and a group u1r is the terminals are reversed on the battery case. real lucky it didnt fry the rectifier(i hope you checked the charge system). the no mow in reverse that uses the relay saved those magnetos. fancier riders with modules get real expensive with that mistake!

[jimbrewer]

Roger Roger on the fuse. First thing I look for or tell customers to look for. I have the heat shrink butt connectors and the I also have the solder seal butt connectors too. Good fix Bre!

[f.k.burnham]

If you don't have an originally configured battery you can get into big trouble. Some mowers are configured with the posts reversed. Sometimes the parts clerk will give you the wrong one if they fail to verify the post configuration. Sometimes a box store will have only one battery with the posts reversed also. You need to pay attention, or at least verify where the positive post is before buying the battery.

[danielcarysr]

My future son-in-law at the time, hooked up the battery backwards in my daughter's Audi 100. The results were much worse than just a blown fuse. The solid-state voltage regulator in the alternator was fried, the solid state radio was fried, and most of the components in the dash were also fried! Give some folks a wrench and they think they're a mechanic!

[joeolejar]

I learned to tag any wire I was going to disconnect. Keeps the smoke from escaping.

[TheOnespeedbiker]

I think the person that rewired the battery was a little confused 🤔

A couple years ago I rebuilt an old L100 that was in pretty rough shape. My first problem was I couldn't get the ignition to work. I knew nothing of these mowers and the problem was staring in the face. I first thought the empty fuse holder was an unused connector (the headlights had been removed from the mower I was working on). It was only after I found a wiring diagram that I realized it was a fuse holder. BTW thank you so much for the video on the compression release on the cam. I couldn't figure out why I had to back off the crank to start the engine. Now that I know I will likely leave it the way it is as it still starts every time, as long as it's past the compression stroke and hopefully the weight will stay in it's new forever home in the sump.

The reason the fuse holder melted is because the fuse partially failed, all that should have happened is the fuse filament should have burned, leaving the holder intact. The position of the fuse is terrible and should actually be covered. When dirt and moisture gets into the fuse holder, add heat and it forms oxidation and compromises the fuse connections in the holder, so it takes more amperage to burn the fuse. This causes excessive heat (this can also be the result of a cheap fuse). Further if the circuit this fuse was protecting would have had smaller gauge wires it likely would have melted them; I have seen this happen in older cars with old fuse boxes. Anyone with a similar setup should remove the fuse, blow out the dust, use some WD 40 or better deoxidizer spray, blow it out again and reinstall the fuse (its best to replace it with high a quality automotive fuse like "littlfuse", they are much more expensive but they blow more consistently and faster), then cover the fuse holder to keep the moister and dust out.

[bobbynash]

Goodmorning from alabama. Im suprised anyone anywhere has anything broken down. With all the information you give out for free. Ive used much of it to keep additional items repaired. I take junk just to repair why garbage it. Thanks to you just like going to school but we like the teacher much better. You an family have a great weekend.

[rickdff]

I bet they added those longer cables (and connected them wrong) because the previous battery probably had the + and - reversed. Just a thought. Awesome video as always. Cheers.

[larryjohns]

I have used a negative (black) cable for positive, but installed a red heat shrink tube at each end.

[craigjohnson]

My former neighbor did that, on his single cyl. Crapsman Kroller rider he was very proud of. He smoked the stator in a big cloud that was a $250.00 batt. replacement. Good video Bree!

[timraber]

I fixed my Echo trimmer with your tip that the exhaust screen maybe stopped up…… And it was. A $2.00 part worked magic. Thanks

[wmcomprev]

2 possible reasons for the tape on the cable they spliced together:
1) Since they didn't know what they were doing, they knew enough to think that there shouldn't be any bare connections that could cause a problem.
2) Since they hooked the positive to the frame, they may have accidentally shorted the joint to the frame and realized that they needed to insulate it.

[mitchs]

I had a neighbor that replaced the battery on his craftsman rider, starter turned, but wouldn't engage the flywheel. My other neighbor asked me to look at it, thinking he hooked the battery up right, I didn't check. Installed new bendix, and same thing. Only then did it dawn on me to check the battery. Sure enough, it was hooked up backwards. Switched cables, and presto, engine starts!

[wkgdnzp]

Thanks! I bought a battery at Walmart. He gave me a battery with the terminal reversed. I Installed it and turned the key. One thump and then nothing. I checked the battery and realized the positive and negative were backwards. I returned it to the store and got a new one. After installing it, nothing. And your video told me about the fuse, which I changed, everything's fine. Thank you for this video.

[patrickflohe]

Wow, that customer was a genius!
I have that exact same meter.
-nice.