# Lx 288 will not start please help



## tractorbroken68 (Apr 7, 2013)

I have a John Deere LX288. I have replaced the battery , starter , starter solenoid, fuel pump, fuel solenoid , carb kit and cleaned, new circuit boards , wire harnesses, oil, oil filter, fuel lines , belts , fresh fuel , and new starter switch . when I turn the all I get is one click and the pto engages, the fuel solenoid works properly , I can jump the starter solenoid and it spins the fly wheel but the engine dosen't run. Dose anyone have any pointers of how I can get this fine piece of JD to run .


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Welcom e to the forum TB! I'm going to say that it sounds to me like it's some sort of safety switch that's engaged and preventing it from starting. Just the fact that the only thing you get is a click and then the PTO engages makes m,e think that (if the PTO switch isn't already in the on position) the PTO switch is defective. Their are a few electrical gurus on the forum that will give you better, more specific advice, but I'd say that this is a good suspect and from your long list of replacement items, sounds like about the only thing you *haven't * replaced!:lmao:


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## tractorbroken68 (Apr 7, 2013)

Thanks , I bypassed the safety switch with a jumper wire due to the fact it is a little easier when you are working on the thing . Tractorbroken68


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## tractorbroken68 (Apr 7, 2013)

Ok i have over ridden all the saftey swithes and it still will not start.


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## Mickey (Aug 14, 2010)

tractorbroken68 said:


> I have a John Deere LX288. I have replaced the battery , starter , starter solenoid, fuel pump, fuel solenoid , carb kit and cleaned, new circuit boards , wire harnesses, oil, oil filter, fuel lines , belts , fresh fuel , and new starter switch . when I turn the all I get is one click and the pto engages, the fuel solenoid works properly , I can jump the starter solenoid and it spins the fly wheel but the engine dosen't run. Dose anyone have any pointers of how I can get this fine piece of JD to run .


First off, why in the world did you swap out all the parts/components you've listed? What testing did you do to isolate the cause of the problem?

Before you went to swapping out all these parts, how did the tractor behave? When you turned the key, did the engine turn over? If so, did it turn over very slowly or at normal speed. Did you check to see if there was any spark to the plug(s)? Did you measure voltage at any place and if so where and what was the measurement?

Hope you can see I'm trying to direct you towards a methodical method of trouble shooting. You need to have a method and be focused. Best thing to do when trouble shooting is to ask yourself, *if this item failed what would it affect and how*. With this simple approach a lot of things can be eliminated quickly and that leads you down to just a few possible items.

Lastly, I had a starting/running issue recently on my Cub. First acted like it wasn't getting fuel and then after testing it became clear it was an electrical issue. Fixed the problem by cleaning the contacts on a couple connections. After that, all was OK. Spent no money and took just a few hrs to isolate the problem.

Good luck


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## tractorbroken68 (Apr 7, 2013)

Mickey said:


> First off, why in the world did you swap out all the parts/components you've listed? What testing did you do to isolate the cause of the problem?
> 
> Before you went to swapping out all these parts, how did the tractor behave? When you turned the key, did the engine turn over? If so, did it turn over very slowly or at normal speed. Did you check to see if there was any spark to the plug(s)? Did you measure voltage at any place and if so where and what was the measurement?
> 
> ...


I have tested all the electrical . it starts and cuts and when you go to start it again it just clicked once , this tractor was given to me , a dog ate all the wiring out so I had to replace it . it run great last year and now not so much just a click I have done all the checking with a oms meter , very thing check out ok , so I checked the rocker arm gap at tdc ( top dead center) was a lil off. Now spins will not crank over .. I have done a over haul and now Im fit to be tied .. I thank you for your advise..


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## stickerpicker (Sep 16, 2003)

Locate and disconnect the magneto kill ( ground ) wire at the engine and jumper the starter with jumper cables to see if it will start. If it does start the remaining puzzles are why won't in crank and what is grounding the mag under normal operation.

Occasionally the mag wire can be chafed under the shroud on its way to the magneto and cause a ground condition. With a chewing dog in the area anything is possible.


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## bhale46 (Jun 6, 2012)

This may or may not apply: from a previous experience where the safety switch under the seat was shorted out to facilitate working on some issue, when it was time to start engine, would turn over but not start. After studying wiring diagram, I said " Remove the short and sit on the seat". Problem solved. Ran fine. Good luck.


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## mikey24ynt (Mar 27, 2013)

Did you check or replace the voltage regulator when you did all the electrical work? If everything on it now is aftermarket be careful. I would check to see if you cooked the stator. If your charging system is cooked at the stator it's gonna affect everything going back to the battery. Any melted connections would suggest this and/or a poor ground. Check behind the stator also for crap packed in there causing it to get hot and over volt .


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