Putting an age difference on the side, mowing a lawn is beneficial for all physically and as well as mentally. But on the other hand, it turns out to be a headache when it creates problems in starting up the mower.
While there can be any reason for a mower having a problem in starting, however, the most common reason for this problem to occur is the condition of a lawn mower starter solenoid.
What Is a Lawn Mower Starter Solenoid?
To fully understand the issue, you must know what a starter solenoid is and what role it plays in starting up the process of a mower.
A starter solenoid, in simple terms, is defined as a magnetic device that is normally to be found inside the starter motor.
To talk about the role of a starter solenoid, we all know that every engine requires a substantial amount of power to start, and in most of the cases, it is supplied by the battery.
In the case of a lawn mower, just when you start a mower, the battery sends the electrical signal to the starter solenoid.
The job of the starter solenoid is then to complete the switch or the circuit and connects the battery to the starter motor, it lets the electricity to flow around the circuit, and thus a mower starts.
Starter Solenoid
In a situation where a mower does not start properly, it means that there might be a problem in the starter motor, and you need to test a lawn mower starter solenoid.
The importance of starter solenoid can be seen from here that if it doesn’t work, you will not be able to start a mower, and if by chance it starts, it will not run smoothly.
The issue can only be resolved only when you know how to detect a problem, and therefore to inform you about how to test a lawn mower starter solenoid, we have come with an article where you will get all the required information under one heading and without going to the mechanic, you will be able to determine the condition of starter solenoid yourself.
Testing a Lawn Mower Starter Solenoid
Once you notice that the mower is having a problem in starting up the process, you should immediately test a starter solenoid.
As you are going to deal with electricity, you should take appropriate safety measures and should proceed with care and protection.
If you follow the safety protocols and the steps to test a starter solenoid, there is no doubt that you will be able to do it in no time.
The best way to test a starter mower solenoid is to run the mower and then check it. Let’s move on to the steps and see how we can do it.
- Step 1: Only proceed with the steps when you have equipped yourself with the safety gears. The first step is to locate the starter solenoid, and as mentioned before, a solenoid is usually located inside the starter motor of a lawn mower. A solenoid is connected with a battery through a red wire, trace that wire along the way, and you will be able to find the starter solenoid.
- Step 2: Now comes the testing phase; remember to wear appropriate safety gears while performing the testing phase. One way of testing a solenoid is by observing the click sound as you start a mower. Ask your partner or a friend to start a mower, and as soon as he ignites a key to start, try to carefully listen to the metallic click sound. If you hear a click sound and it is loud and clear, the mower will start, and it means that the solenoid is working perfectly. On the other hand, if the clicking sound is not loud and clear or if you hear it repeatedly, it means that there is a problem in the starter solenoid.
- Step 3: Move on to this step only if you are not sure about the condition of the starter solenoid from the above steps. The other way of testing a lawn mower starter solenoid is by using a Multimeter.
To do this, you need to connect it with a multimeter, make sure that you connect the right set of wires. Typically, a positive red wire of the multimeter is joined with a positive connection plug of the solenoid.
Now you need to start a mower, and from the multimeter, if you see a significant amount of variation in a voltage, it means that the starter solenoid is not working fine, and you need to either fix it or replace it.
Other Issues
Although a bad solenoid is a serious issue and needs to be fixed immediately, but there might be some other problems in other parts rather than in a solenoid.
It is preferred that you check these basics elements before testing a lawn mower starter solenoid.
- There is a chance that you are facing an issue in starting up because of the low charge battery. If a mower battery is not charged to a sufficient level, then it won’t be able to send a charge to a starter solenoid, and as a result, the mower will not start.
- Other than that, there might be issues in connection, causing a problem in starting up the process of a mower. Do check all the electrical connections between the solenoid, battery and the starter motor. If you find any loose end, you should fix them appropriately.
- It would be best if you also made sure that there is no corrosion or grease in the connection points.
If none of the issues is found, then move on to test a lawn mower starter solenoid and then you will be able to determine whether the issue is in the solenoid or the motor itself.
As long as you follow the steps and the safety protocols, you will be able to do it yourself without facing any problem.
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