# Won't re-engage when hot



## wrmdunker

Hello all,

Looking for help with my White LT-1850 lawn tractor. It's 10 years old. Has an electric PTO. Takes me about 2 hours to mow. Tractor starts OK but turns a little slow. 

I can mow for about an hour but if I disengage, as in reverse, then pulling the PTO switch does not re-engage the deck. Motor still running... If I shut down, raise the hood, let it cool, in 15 minutes I can restart and the PTO engages. Works this way everytime.

I can go in and out fine for maybe an hour but after that I have to give it a rest.

Any thoughts? I'm handy mechanically, but not so much with electrical troubleshooting.

WD


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## Thomas

Had Cub Cadet 1450 did the samething,and it was matter time I had to replace electric clutch..fingers cross its something out your facing.


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## Country Boy

Thomas said:


> Had Cub Cadet 1450 did the samething,and it was matter time I had to replace electric clutch..fingers cross its something out your facing.


Yeah, sounds like the clutch may be getting bad. The electromagnetic coil gets hot and doesn't have the power to clamp the two spinning plates together. 

Could simply be a mis-adjusted brake on the clutch too, so I'd check that first. You'll have to get the specs from a White or MTD dealer. If the brake is too loose, it allows too much clearance between the clutch plate attached to the engine crankshaft and the flexible plate that gets drawn towards it when the electromagnet activates. I had an Ariens GT tractor last summer that had issues with the clutch engaging and I found that the gap between the two plates was more than double the spec. I tightened it up and it started working fine again.


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## dangeroustoys56

As suggested the clutch could be going bad- id also check the battery voltage as well- if it dips below 12-13 volts - the clutch will disengage. It cant hurt to check the relay or fuses for it either- i ran new wiring for my clutch ( couldnt find a decent wiring diagram)- using a fuse in the positive wire, ran it to a switch and directly to the battery- works excellent.

To test it- unhook the harness to it- then run 2 separate leads to a 12 volt battery ( positive/negative) - should release when unhooked - and lock on when attached to the battery- should be no slippage.


I looked at the price for a new clutch ( mine works- was just wondering) on my '86 18HP twin opposed GTII - sears wants $300 for a new one.


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## Thomas

My 1450 was late 70's and another big killer of those clutches were snow blower..light snow packing around than finding weak spot..$170.00 a clutch.


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## wrmdunker

Well I'm going to set the clutch issue aside for now and focus on the battery...Found that it is 6 seasons old. Saw some posts here saying 2-3 years is time to repalce.....Thoughts anyone?

I had the battery indoors on a "tender" all winter. Voltage shows 12.5. When starting it drops to 9.9 to 10.2 range. This was a dealer battery and I assume not a cheapie. Is this kind of voltage drop a sign to replace it?


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## dangeroustoys56

Batteries should run in the 12- 13 volt range any lower then 11, its probably on its way out. Usually the rule of thumb for car batteries is 5 years - so it sounds like its time for a new battery. 

On my dynamark i used to run an old car battery- must not of had enough to crank a car, but started my tractor perfectly fine- seems like down here batteries dont last for anything- probably the heat n humidity- as a rule of thumb i unhook my batteries from the tractor when i park em- i know a couple of my tractors have bad diodes - sucks the juice right out of em- i just havent gotten around to replacing them.

I also used to run 275-300CCA batteries- those barely lasted 2 years - im running a couple 600 plus CCA batteries now- i need to get a couple more actually.


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## wrmdunker

Picked up a Trac 390 maintenance free today for $38. 310CCA. Thats what I had in there before and it gave me 6 seasons and I used to abuse it. Never brought it inside or charged in the winter until last year. Had 12.6 volts from the store so perhaps it hasn't been sitting too long. Will be a couple more weeks here before I need to mow. Hope this avoids the clutch issue........


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## wrmdunker

PS thanks to all for now.......


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## depawl

Hello wrmdunker. Just wondering if you ever solved this problem? I have the same tractor with the same issue.
Thanks.


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## dangeroustoys56

Check the battery first - then fuses/relays - could even be a bad switch. Just have to do a lil investigating.


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## jhngardner367

Make sure all the connections are clean/tight,also!


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## wrmdunker

Yes, I did solve this problem. Been mowing 4 months now and not a single problem with the hot restart. My clutch clearance was out of spec. I spoke to a local dealer and he told me to gap at .012". As "countryboy" suggested may have been the issue with the heat.

Pretty simple. three adjustment studs. Did one at a time. You may benefit by a good air blast cleaning to improve your access.

Hope this helps.

I also had a problem cranking the engine after the first time. Meaning, I'd start it cold and if I shut it off quickly for some reason, I would "jog" the camshaft about 3/4 of a rev but not turn over. Turned out this was a problem with the valve clearance. I had 500 hours and never adjusted the valves. Now starts flawlessly.
Found a video on U-Tube to do this.....Owners manual says to check it every year.

Good luck


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## depawl

OK, thanks. I'll see if I can figure out how to adjust those studs. Thanks alot. Really appreciate it.


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