# Craftsman DYT 4000 mower clutch won't engage when hot



## howza (Aug 9, 2019)

I have a DYT 4000, 24 hp with elec. clutch mower. It engages fine until I've used the mower for a half-hour or so. Then, if I disengage it, say to back up, it won't re-engage. The voltmeter drops when I pull the engagement button so I think the coil is activating but the clutch won't engage until I let the tractor cool down for a half hour, depending upon the outside temp. I suspect I need a new clutch but I hate to put $200+ into the old girl unless I'm sure that's what it needs. Any thoughts?


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## Ed Williams (Jun 13, 2019)

Had the same problem with a 20 yr old Cub Cadet. The windings in the coil get hot and drop out. No solution. Eventually will not engage at all. We stopped cycling the clutch on the Cub. Once on, it stayed on until mowing was finished. Got 3 more years out of the old girl before the clutch stopped working entirely. Clutch from Cub dealer was $350. Value of entire mower $75. Retired the old girl for parts. Sorry, not much of an answer, but really no options for a electric clutch going out. Replace if mower has value, retire mower for parts if cost of clutch exceeds value of mower


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

A coil will either become open (winding parts internally) or short circuits ( varnish wears off and winding's come together), a coil will either work on not work.
make yourself a jumper lead that can be connected to the battery and the other end can be connected to connector at the coil, there may be a double connector at the coil, make an earth lead and plug this into one receptacle and the positive lead into the positive receptacle, do this when the clutch fails to operate (hot), if the clutch works, it is time to trace the wiring, someone will have to be sitting on the seat when the clutch is engaged, if you have a multimeter you can place the leads into the clutch supply connector (from mower) and check for voltage there, if no voltage then you will have to do some wire tracing and safety switches, even the ignition switch.

If you have a crook battery and the charging system is not up to par, this will also give you bother at the clutch coil, they require absolute voltage to work.

You could even have an open in the supply wiring from the constant vibrating of the electric clutch and these work in strange ways, will work initially and then not work, had this experience with a V8 powered Dodge truck where I worked back in the 80's, did the usual, replaced coil, points, condenser, plugs and HT leads and still played up, removed the distributor and had a good look at that, ended up being the tail wire that went from the distributor body to the points, went open from the advance and retard mech., just a thought for you.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

I had the SAME mower 5 years back. It was the solenoid. Also, it's a PITA to get to the thing !!! Expect at least 3 hours of time involved getting to it because of how many things needing to be removed. The arm-lever for the deck height is totally in the way !!! 

Now, IF it was known ahead of time where and how to get at this solenoid, I would have just cut the sheet metal then swapped the part and riveted a cover piece in it's place in under and hour!


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## Middleton (Sep 16, 2017)

Hi new to the forum.some electric clutchs have an adustable air gap


Sent from my iPad using Tractor Forum


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

Middleton said:


> Hi new to the forum.some electric clutchs have an adjustable air gap
> Sent from my iPad using Tractor Forum


Middleton you are right, an oversight on my part


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

From my experience, if a clutch will engage and hold for a half-hour as described, it's not an air-gap issue. The usual symptoms of excessive clutch air gap are 1) Won't engage at all. 2) Engages slowly (no distinct clunk) 3) Won't stay engaged under a load (less than 1 minute). Most older Craftsman ran Ogura clutches and they are proud of them. I've become a fan of Extreme Clutches. Really well designed and durable clutches. I've replaced several Ogura clutches over the past couple of years and my customers love them. They engage smoother, run cooler, and the pricing seems to run about 30% below an Ogura for the same application. Much heavier bearings than an Ogura, or Warner, and the bearings are replaceable, where most Ogura and Warner clutches are NOT. That clutch will run you about $180 direct from Extreme with free shipping. The same application Ogura runs about $220 https://xtremeope.com/


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## Kenneth Miles (Oct 31, 2020)

I have the exact same problem on my Scag Turf Tiger. I just replaced the clutch with an Extreme, as Bob Driver mentioned. It had no impact on my problem. I am going to check the voltage next and the battery output. Any other suggestions?


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

When I run across a clutch that I know has been getting hot under a load, I routinely change the PTO switch also. If that old clutch was drawing 15-20 amps and getting hot, it was drawing it through that 10 amp switch.

Do you see what I'm talking about with the way those Extreme clutches are built compared to an Ogura or Warner?


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## Kenneth Miles (Oct 31, 2020)

Oh yeah, much heavier clutch than the original Ogura I took off. I'll try the PTO switch next.


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## Kenneth Miles (Oct 31, 2020)

So, I'm getting 11.89 vlt DC when PTO is engaged. The Extreme clutch says it should be 13.2 to 14. Would a bad PTO switch cause this or is there something else I should look for?


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

Check for a voltage drop..... Read battery voltage first (should be 12.5 VDC depending on temperature without the engine running), then read the voltage going into the PTO fuse holder. If you see a big difference at the fuse holder input, check the voltage going into and coming out of the key switch. Sometimes they get hot also when a clutch is starting to act up. Next read the voltage coming out of the fuse holder going to the PTO switch. Last thing to read is the voltage coming out of the PTO switch at the actual clutch plug. Anything more than a .5V drop along the clutch circuit is to much. You may need to replace a fuse holder, or some wiring. I like to run 12ga. wiring on a clutch circuit, rather than the 14ga. the OEM's use.

A lot of times when a clutch starts drawing a lot of amperage, the fuse holder/wiring/key switch gets hot and starts generating a lot of resistance. You can buy a 10A PTO switch all day long on Amazon for $12. Drop in the bucket to make sure that new Extreme clutch is working right.

That 13.2 to 14 VDC Extreme is looking for is with the *engine running at mowing RPM*


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