# Need help! Scott's S1642 -H (JDeere)



## glenn27

Need some help/advice, if possible....

Did the springtime maint. thing over the weekend on "my daily-lawn-mower"...

Changed oil, all filters, greased it, new blades (good thing-one was cracked)...put a new battery in (again-good thing, because down in the hole under the seat where the battery sits, the main Pos. battery cable had rubbed againe, and a spring, and most of the insulation was rubbed away--that would have shorted, for sure!!! Anyway, made up a new, longer cable, re-routed it, wrapped in cable-loom...All good to go!!!
NOT!!! 

Went to put the lever in gear to move , and as soon as I let out on the pedal to engage the hrdro, it stalls the engine.

WTF??? Did it two/three times....It was fine a month ago when I last used it and put it away....Any ideas???

It is a belt drive to a back/pulley

P.S. on the back under the rear board is a little lever, you can pull out--that puts the hydro in neutral, and you can move it around-well, that's how I got it back in the garage: question: 

Any ideas???--I didn't really have time as it got late on Sunday--I will look into it again this evening when I get home this evening, and the last thing I want to do is call the JD dealer...
Oh--the tranny really has no way to have grease added, or whatever...

This thing seems to be the same chassis as a L110-115 series Deere...
Tkxs in advance for any ideas...:secret:


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## glenn27

*Scotts S1642 H problems*

Update #1..Well, had time to go piddle with the mower last night... Started by checking the wireing for all safety switches, as I had been advised, and have seen how JDeere is very safety-concious....so went about tracing wires---VIOLA!! 
:thumbsup: Now we are getting somewhere-coming off a solenoid under the seat is a small red wire tying into the under-seat safety circuit---it had chaffed/burned--maybe when another wire in the battery compartment was touching a release spring for the shifter handle...
I replaced bad wire with a longer 14 gu. fusiable link, that way, it would burn if anything else shorted out, and rerouted it out of the way...took apart, cleaned, and coated w/ electro-gel all electric connections, safety switches, etc,---

HOUSTON---We have Igniton!!!

But....Big But!!
While looking under tractor up on jack-stands noticed the drive belt to tranny (out of normal sight)--belt is all warped/cracked...I replaced the other two last summer--why didn't I catch this one????I'll p/up one, and replace it this weekend........outta here


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## Fordfarm

Yup - that's the thing about tractors, lawnmowers, machines in general - just when you THINK you got a handle on 'em, they find new and imaginative ways to frustrate the heck out of you!


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## glenn27

*update #2*

Still working on my little orange monster--
Fixed the electrical probs...w/ a new battery, a couple of new wires, and pulled apart/cleaned/lubed as many electrical connections as I could find.......
O.K. that part is fixed...
The engine to unidrive belt was way up under the foot rest-I replace the deck drive belts last summer-you had to have a periscope to even see this one.....

Well-long story short--I go to JDeere to get the belt--also the lady there (I've known here for a long time)--she made me a photo-copy of the belt/routing-----then I go over to the service dept as I had a couple questions about the fluids in the unidrive tranny....The svc manager made me more copies with everything I need to know..... (Wonderful people)

A bit** of a job to put it on---drop the deck, pull out to side, put way up on jackstands/big blocks of woodtake off two springs to releive tensioners---boy-one of them I had to stretch it like crazy w/a big pry-bar to get it hooked back up......

Took the deck outside-cleaned the underside good, new blades, greased the spindles, and sprayed down good with "Pam" to keep the grass from sticking.......
Whee weee-that's enough for one evening...:night:


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## chrpmaster

glenn 

Good to hear you are back in business again! I always like reading how others go about their "spring cleaning" of their tractors. I was wondering how often you need to apply the PAM to keep it working. Great idea.


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## glenn27

*update #3*

#3 Update...

Scott's tractor off the operating table, and back in service.....
All I need to check the level of the deck--ran out of time the other night......

Bruther---we are going to cut some G R A S S this weekend!!

:thumbsup:


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## glenn27

*Back on operating table*

Well--- the Scott's is back in the garage on the operating table--This time I'm seeking advice from some _small-engine guru's_

I fixed her up (previous posts,) backed out side, motored on across the back yard, and let it sit there idleing for about ten minutes while I walked over to talk to the attractive neighbor-lady :crazy: 
O.K.-got on it/engaged blades-it went about 15 feet, and just died out-like you shut gas off.....WTH??? I push it back into workshop, change spark plug, check fire w/ a tester-it's got good fire @ plug, and turns over good (new battery)...
Gas tank is full-I can see gas in clear in-line filter about 6" from carb....I even poured a little gas down i n carb-still didn't fire off...
OH, sorry-This is a Kohler command 16 h.p. (single cylinder)-has 275 hrs on it, always maintained..
The svc manual for the engine says to check elect. fuel-shut off mounted on bottom of carb, for voltage-Yep, w / key on more than enuff volts..I haven't taken it off and tested on bench yet thou...
What perplexs me (got a Smiley scratching his head here?) is that all four safety interlock seem to be working , as my understanding of this JDeere product-if one is bad-the engine will not turn over at all--I unplugged them one at a time, and it would not turn over.......

I also have not pulled the wholke plastic cover off the top of the engine yet, but that will be my next step this afternoon when I get home...
Any help/ideas greatly appreciated...
Thanks in advance....:beer:


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## Live Oak

Completing a compression check to see if a valve is bent or stuck comes to mind. Either fuel, spark, or compression.


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## Archdean

Glenn while you were screwing around with the neighbor lady enough time went by that your orange monster swallowed a big gulp of h20 that was in the botom of the tank!! At least I'd check it!!


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## mongoose_1

Take Deans advice on the H2O! 

Also make sure that the plug for the fuel shut off is snug when plugged up. Sometimes these will work loose and make the engine run erratically.


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## glenn27

*working on her!!*

Well got to work on it again Sat. afternoon (no distracting neighbor-lady in sight this time):argh: 
1. Gas is good, fuel filter full, even pulled the little fuel-shut off out, bench-tested--good to go....Dribbled some gas down carb throat-still didn't fire off....

**Pause for the cause:cheers: , as I sit there pondering the 148-pg. svc manual for that engine.**
2. Checked fire with in-line tester after installing new plug-I have fire to plug....

mmmhh,mmmhhh......Another pause here....
Went by a buddie's shop-talking to his small engine guru....He loans me another kind of spark tester (made by Ampro tools)...

Back @ the home-20 workshop, I use this lttle new toy-- attach the spark plug terminal to one end, then ground the wire on it to a good engine ground, it's got a know you dial the "gap" in/ot, at about.18 I get fire jumping--increase it to .24-.27--NO FIRE!!

HA! Now I got YOU!!mg: I take top engine cover off--the manual says I should have 7,000-14,899 Ohms secondary resistance across coil sitting there.....Checked air-gap to flywheel-right on the money....

NADA!! Only showing 2,000 or less on Ohmmeter---

**Coil is bad/breaking down--not hot enuff ti fire off spark plug as this is gapped @ .30 on this engine....
Going to Kohler warehouse Monday fore replacement parts--on this engine, there is also an electronic spark advance module mounted on outside of engine housing, and thsi is supposed to come w/ new coil (or engine module, as Kohler calls it)

Sorry for such a long post, but this might save some one else aggrivation/heartache of last five hours I worked on this thing...
Also, going to buy that little tester that "Shaggy" loaned as he wants his back...:wontshare


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## HarryG

Glenn27,
thanks for the update. I've been the recipient of hair pulling and head scratching over ignition intermittent malfunctions several times. 
Just last September I was trying to find out why a old generator would quit after running a while. It is a 1950's Briggs & Stratton 35K gen set. Would run fine for about 1 hour then all of a sudden just sputter and quit. Would restart (of course) and run for 30 minutes and same thing. 
Caught it in the act right after stalling and had no spark, waited 5 minutes (cooled down enough) and had spark. 
I replaced coil and no more problems.

Thanks for the follow-up. 
Regards, Harry G :usaflag:


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## Bunceman

Hi Folks, I reached the end of my rope on this issue.
I recently did a Semi-Overhaul on my Scots S1642 replacing a bunch of the gaskets (head, cylinder, carb, exhaust) and finally got it out of the basement to kick her over.
1st issue, the positive lead cable end had broken when I took out the battery last winter so I had to jam the end into the battery lead. I was then able to turn the motor over. The engine would not start, even with a bit of starter fluid spraying into the Carb.
2nd issue, I took the spark plug out, and turned the motor over but could not see any spark.
3rd issue, about 7 or 8 years ago, I had to replace a couple of the connectors to the Ignition module due to some Mice eating the cables. 

When I put the ignition module back in place, I gapped it to the recommended 0.203/0.305 mm setting. 

What I am not 100% sure of is the connection paths for the cables coming off the Regulator and from the ignition.

Anyone have any thoughts, because I just put down my Step 1 fertilizer and I can hear the Grass starting to grow?


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## Jim D

I have a Scott's (John Deere) S1642. I recently acquired a John Deere 38" front mount de-thatcher. Has anyone attached this to a S1642?
John Deere does have a front end mounting fame for this de-thatcher just do not know if its would fit the S1642.


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