Simplicity 9020 Starter

[powermax_paul]

Ivan, I've had the same problem in the past. I think it's a dead spot on the armature. Can you hear if the solenoid is kicking in? Anyway, sometimes you can intermittently operate the starter switch and get it to turn enough to kick in. Be careful not to hold the switch in the start position as you can actually melt the copper plates on the armature. When it gets really bad you'll have to replace the starter. This involves pulling the engine. The last time I replaced the starter, a rebuilt one was about $180 from Engine Generator Specialties in Madison. My brother told me also to check with Fondy Electric in Madison as they may be able to rebuild it cheaper. Powermax_Paul

[BenB]

Ivan I also had the same problem. At first I was able to operate the starter by switching on one PTO, holding the key switch to start position and then turning the PTO Switch off. I don't know why this worked, but after a few weeks even that did not help. I checked out the wiring and PTO switches as per instructions in the service manual and determined the problem was confined to the starter. Although pulling the engine to gain access to the starter looks like a big ordeal, it is really not all that that difficult. (With the engine out you will have access to other items and areas on the tractor that may require cleaning, lube or repairs.)I found that water had gotten into the solenoid, and it was also packed with grass to the point where it had been struggling to engage. I replaced the solenoid ($85.00 from Onan) and that cured the problem. A new starer complete with solenoid is approx. $265.00 from Onan. You may want to have the starter bench tested by someone like Fondy Electric. There was a solenoid in the for sale section (Message #2311). Hope this helps, Ben

[Sandy_Lake_Imp]

The problem sounds like insufficient voltage to completely close the solenoid and make the hi amp contact. The draw u see is the primary winding in the solenoid. Problem could be due to weak or sticky solenoid or low volatge available to the solenoid. Low voltage can be caused by a safety switch or key switch making poor contact. A new solenoid may fix it short term but the low voltage will still be there to cause future problems. Some owners have had us mount an auxillary solenoid to provide a full 12 volts to the starter solenoid. Easy & tidy job. Bill

[Guest]

My Simplicity 9020 runs fine but will not start. I turn on the key and get a 20 amp discharge on the meter, but no starter engagement and no sound. For a while it did this intermittently but now no starter engagement at all. Battery is OK. The book shows a 20 amp fuse in the circuit but where is it located on the tractor? I would hate to take apart the whole works just for a fuse. Maybe someone has a better idea of where it might be?

[KraigTM]

What I found on my AC620 when it had almost the exact symptoms was that some oil would drip down onto the starter when the oil filter was removed during an oil change causing the starter to get sticky. If you remove the oil filter, it's likely time for an oil change anyway, you can see down into where the starter is located. Spray some WD-40 or similar product down into the solenoid area. You might be able to free it up, if this doesn't work you'll need to pull the engine so that you can move the solenoid by hand after spraying it with a lubricant to free it up. At each oil change I now spray some WD-40 onto the starter to thin the oil that can't be prevented from dripping. So far so good.