# LTX 1040 Battery Drains/Will Not Start



## mgstumm

Hello, I am new to the forum but found it while searching for possible issues on lawn tractors. I thought I’d give a post a try 

I have a 2009 Cub Cadet LTX 1040. It’s been used for the summers of 2009 and 2010. I live in Minnesota so it only gets used during the summer months. I tried to start it up a few days ago for the first time in 2011 and it would not start. The Battery indicator light would flash.

Since then I started doing some investigation. I pulled out the battery charger and it was weird because the charger’s meter would not move on the 2 Amp trickle but when I flipped it to the 10 Amp charge, the full charge indicator light on the battery charger would light up right away.

I pulled out the digital multimeter and measured some voltages. After charging, the battery would read around 12.4 Volts. I would then turn the key a little bit so the headlights would turn on. The battery would slowly discharge and after about 30 seconds it would read about 6.0 Volts. I would then turn the key to the off position and after about a minute the battery reads around 11.4 Volts. I’m not sure what is going on but I don’t like it.

I checked to makes sure the voltage at the positive battery terminal was the same voltage at the solenoid where the battery connects… and it was (so they are on the same node). I also checked the fuse and it is still good… it’s located in between the solenoid and the starter.

I then tried starting the tractor (with a fully charged battery and still connected to the battery charger) and measured the voltages at the solenoid and starter. On the solenoid (the line that feeds to the starter): It went to like 1.5 Volts and then dropped (It read 0 Volts until the key was turned to the ‘Start’ position). The same thing happened at the starter.

Is there anything I should try to help me get my tractor starting again?? (I recently put fertilizer on my yard and with all the rain we’ve been getting its starting to look like a jungle)

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Hoodoo Valley

Welcome to the forum MGS! I'd try to jump start it or put in another battery if you have it, to see if it starts, but it sure sounds like a bad battery to me.


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## mgstumm

tractor beam said:


> Welcome to the forum MGS! I'd try to jump start it or put in another battery if you have it, to see if it starts, but it sure sounds like a bad battery to me.


I do not have another battery so I will jump start it. When you say jump start it, as far as the poistive connection from the car battery, do I go directly to the tractor postive terminal?


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## BelarusBulldog

mgstumm said:


> I do not have another battery so I will jump start it. When you say jump start it, as far as the poistive connection from the car battery, do I go directly to the tractor postive terminal?


Positive to Positive, Negative ( from good battery ) to chassis ground of tractor. Hope this helps. Bye


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## mgstumm

BelarusBulldog said:


> Positive to Positive, Negative ( from good battery ) to chassis ground of tractor. Hope this helps. Bye


Thanks. I just tried that but couldn't get it to start.

I also used the digital multimeter to probe into the the small wire that comes into the solenoid. On a fully charged battery, the voltage went to 10-11 Volts when the key was moved into the 'start' position.


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## BelarusBulldog

mgstumm said:


> Thanks. I just tried that but couldn't get it to start.
> 
> I also used the digital multimeter to probe into the the small wire that comes into the solenoid. On a fully charged battery, the voltage went to 10-11 Volts when the key was moved into the 'start' position.


When you say it wouldn't start, do you mean it did nothing, or did the starter turn over the engine and the engine wouldn't fire up?


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## mgstumm

BelarusBulldog said:


> When you say it wouldn't start, do you mean it did nothing, or did the starter turn over the engine and the engine wouldn't fire up?


It did nothing


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## BelarusBulldog

mgstumm said:


> It did nothing


Can you see the main positive stud coming out of you starting motor? If so, CAREFULLY hook your positive jumper cable to it ( without touching anything else). Hook the other end to your car battery positive. Next hook the other jumper cable to the Negitive post of the car battery. Now taking the last end of the Negative jumper cable, touch it on a chassis ground ( of the tractor )and see if the starter turns over.


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## BelarusBulldog

Hello, you ok, still with us?  How did you make out? Bye


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## mgstumm

BelarusBulldog said:


> Hello, you ok, still with us?  How did you make out? Bye


Thank you for your concern. I had other things come up so I couldn't mess with the tractor until this morning. I did some probing and thought I used a poor ground on the tractor when I jumped it so I tried jumping it again and it STARTED!! I ran it for about 3 minutes and shut it down. I then tried to start it again with tractor battery and it "drained" down and the battery indicator light came on. I think I have a bad battery! Is that what you are thinking?? Thanks again for your help. This has made my weekend to get it started!


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## Hoodoo Valley

Fairly cheap and simple fix! Glad to hear that you'll be outfitted this weekend!


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## BelarusBulldog

mgstumm said:


> Thank you for your concern. I had other things come up so I couldn't mess with the tractor until this morning. I did some probing and thought I used a poor ground on the tractor when I jumped it so I tried jumping it again and it STARTED!! I ran it for about 3 minutes and shut it down. I then tried to start it again with tractor battery and it "drained" down and the battery indicator light came on. I think I have a bad battery! Is that what you are thinking?? Thanks again for your help. This has made my weekend to get it started!


Gee, after the first hour not hearing back from you, I started to worry something had happened to you!  After you install the new battery ( charge up first ) give it about a week and let us know how it's doing. Just wondering if you may have a hidden charging problem. Bye


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## blueheeler47

My BIL bought a one year old Cub that is having the same issues. He had the battery checked and it was bad, bought a new one and after a few starts the battery was dead again. Any updates?


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## mgstumm

blueheeler47 said:


> My BIL bought a one year old Cub that is having the same issues. He had the battery checked and it was bad, bought a new one and after a few starts the battery was dead again. Any updates?


I replaced the battery on 5/1. The tractor started on the first try after replacing it. I ran it for a few minutes and drove it around the house. I then mowed the lawn on 5/4 and it started without any problems. I haven't tried to start it since then. I am due for another cut so I will post an update when I mow.


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## farmertim

Hey mgstumm, welcome to the forum (sorry its a little late), how did that new battery hold up? we're all dying to know if you've fixed the problem.

Cheers


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## mgstumm

I ended up mowing the yard on 5/10 and 5/11 (the first night got stormed out... a tornado landed about 5 miles away). The new battery has held up perfect so far as it's held its charge and started every time. I'm hoping that was the only thing wrong 

Thanks for the advice and concerns!


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## dangeroustoys56

Its not uncommon to get a bad battery - sometimes a cell will go dead for really no reason. Normally a battery should hold around 12-14 volts - any less then somethings not right.

A question- since the tractor is only for mowing, i take it its stored inside somewhere? Like an unheated garage? Id suggest if it is, take the battery out for the winter and store it in the basement on a piece of wood - ( can discharge on cold/damp concrete) - give it a solid charge, check the water ( if applicable) and let it sit the winter - come spring check the battery voltage, give it a top off charge and reinstall it.

Since tractor batterys are so small, they can freeze easier then a car battery - if the water inside freezes, then it can definitely damage the cells inside.


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## Mickey

dangeroustoys56 said:


> Its not uncommon to get a bad battery - sometimes a cell will go dead for really no reason. Normally a battery should hold around 12-14 volts - any less then somethings not right.
> 
> A question- since the tractor is only for mowing, i take it its stored inside somewhere? Like an unheated garage? Id suggest if it is, take the battery out for the winter and store it in the basement on a piece of wood - ( can discharge on cold/damp concrete) - give it a solid charge, check the water ( if applicable) and let it sit the winter - come spring check the battery voltage, give it a top off charge and reinstall it.
> 
> Since tractor batterys are so small, they can freeze easier then a car battery - if the water inside freezes, then it can definitely damage the cells inside.


Sorry but have to disagree with much of this.

A fully charged nom 12 V LA battery will be very close to 12.7 V if it has been at rest for more than 4-6 hrs. Slightly higher voltage if measured sooner than the 4-6 hr period.

Need for storing battery on a piece of wood to keep from self-discharging is just wives tells. If there ever was any basis in fact to this, it went away when they stopped using hard rubber cases and that was decades ago.

A fully charged battery will not freeze until temp get down in the -30 to -40 F range. As state of charge decreases, freezing temp rises to point where when fully discharged, electrolyte will freeze at same temp as water. Check out freezing point of sulfuric acid.

And, LA batteries DON"T like to be left in any state of discharge and they will start to sulfate. Fortunately, self discharge rate is fairly low.


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## apowell

I am having the same problem with a LTX1040. I charged and tried to jump start the battery with no improvement. It will turn over once and then nothing. Also the starter got really hot. Is there some other problem here or could it just be a bad battery? This is the first Cub I've owned.


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## wjjones

mgstumm said:


> Thank you for your concern. I had other things come up so I couldn't mess with the tractor until this morning. I did some probing and thought I used a poor ground on the tractor when I jumped it so I tried jumping it again and it STARTED!! I ran it for about 3 minutes and shut it down. I then tried to start it again with tractor battery and it "drained" down and the battery indicator light came on. I think I have a bad battery! Is that what you are thinking?? Thanks again for your help. This has made my weekend to get it started!


 Welcome to the Forum!..mgstumm..
Sounds like the battery has a dead cell...or 2... I would try a new battery before anything else.. Let us know how it turns out...


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## dangeroustoys56

Could be the starter going bad as well - dragging too many amps .


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## Mickey

apowell said:


> I am having the same problem with a LTX1040. I charged and tried to jump start the battery with no improvement. It will turn over once and then nothing. Also the starter got really hot. Is there some other problem here or could it just be a bad battery? This is the first Cub I've owned.


Before you start throwing money at the problem, do some testing first so you can at least somewhat pinpoint the problem component. Will take a volt meter but IMO every tool box should have one.

* Whats the battery voltage when just sitting?
* What happens when you hit the starter? Battery voltage drops big time to near 1-3 V range? Sign of a battery issue.
* What happens to battery voltage when you stop trying to start? Does voltage return to near the beginning voltage?

If you don't see a large voltage drop at the battery repeat tests but at battery cable at the solenoid. Expect a few volt drop but if you see a large drop, likely problem is a bad connection in the high current path.

Lastly your need to check voltage at the starter. From your mention of starter getting hot, if it does so quickly, as has been mentioned, the starter is in question. 

IMO throwing money at a problem without testing first is a spendy way to find problem sources.


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## junnila

WE had the same problem new 2011 hard to start will not turn over motor .Is there a charging system in this units


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## junnila

club cadet 1040 starting 2011 new battery hold charge is there a charging system on this unit will not turn motor over at times


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## Mickey

Sounds like you might have a starter solenoid problem. Mine went bad on my Cub a couple yrs back. Replacement may fix the problem. But as I said previously, do some testing first to try and track down the problem.


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## ColKurt

*Cub Cadet LTX 1040 start problem*

I have encountered the same problem since I purchased my Cadet in 2011. Originally sent it to local 'warranty ' site. Mower came bak in worst condition than when it left.
Home Depot was gracious enough in 2013 and picked it up and replaced the battery, at not charge. Problem is, that did not resolve the initial issue/s. It tried charging it over an over, to no avail. Now does nothing. No click , no turn over, nothing. I will have the timing checked. Any other information that may help?


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