Still helping people after 7 years, thank you kind sir for making this video, one side had stripped out (plastic does that quite easily, lame JD!) and the po put the ground strap on the other side of the voltage regulator, it corroded, showed 12.4v after some sand paper 13.4.
Thanks for your technical support. This is exactly what happens to my Silverado, they add a ground cable from Neg terminal battery to the engine, then through the years, the terminal are pitted. corroded. Manufacturer cutting cost of materials, to have more profit and leave us with their fault. Missing a 5 dollar ground cable to the frame. Creed for money Fck Engineers. Regarding my John Deere, i found the same problem, no ground to electronic components, as a HVACR Mechanical Contractor, easy fix.
I have a scotts john deere 25hp Kohler 54" cut how do wire the battery and solenoid how many wires should be hooked to the battery and how many wires to the solenoid
Old Plane Mechanic, cool name! Now is that a reflection of the mechanic’s age? or do you only repair antique aero planes? I myself work on lawn mowers and modern helicopters…Sikorsky being my favored variety. Not much difference in the animals behavior. The are both good at noise and killing people by accident.
Hmm, yeah so I have an L130 with basically same set up ignition, charging ..anyway the "design flaw" as far as the voltage reg the yellow wire ground is obviously not factory and the mount screws for the reg. Is and should be the hard ground through the mount screws and into the regulator body housing..just mentioning
Remember don’t change things you don’t need. think like a mechanic and use a voltage meter and find out where something has failed if you throw money at it it’s not guaranteed to fix it so you may have to do a little digging but it’s always worth it In the end
Looks like this solved my problem with apparently a sabotaged new mower. Never buy a mower from Home Depot. Bought a John Deere E160 for near $2,500-damn thing does not charge battery height of Summer, brand new mower! Inspected--positive wire at voltage regulator UNPLUGGED! Either some joker disconnected locking connector or possibly was caught on hood and broke loose (not likely, locking type). When I inspected the oil dip stick, it was bent as if someone intentionally bent it. Never buy mowers on display from Home Depot. Get straight from John Deere only.
Very well stated about the battery voltage charging, the temperature has a lot to do with charge voltage. Something many shade tree mechanics seem to forget. But is so true. VF
I found this exact problem on my LT110. The self tapper was loose and the battery was always going flat. The Moron at the mower shop told me it could be the "alternator" going bad. I laughed my ass off. After a closer inspection I did notice that the ground strap was very loose. I removed the cover and fitted a threaded nut and bolt. The nut being a nyloc threaded nut so it will never come loose again. Never take your mower to a mower shop, most of them will sabotage it so you have to come back. If you take some time and look at it yourself, you'd be surprised how simple these tractors are to work on. Save your money and do it yourself.
Do these tractors have alternators? I got one yard mowed on a brand new battery. Went out today and it wouldnt turn over..no clicking, no moaning, nothing. I jumped it and it started right up. Let it run for 30 min, shuf it off and tried to restart...same thing. Nothing at all. I'm thinking the battery is not charging while it's running. That's why I wonder if these have some sort of alternator or something. I will also try your suggestion. Any other suggestions? Thanks
Put a meter at the terminals and check your charging voltage. If it's not at least 13.4v you have a charging problem. If you shut it off all the way w/ key out and it drops below 12v you likely have a failed battery.
OPM you are a legend in your own lunch box! I have fixed mine with the same problem in 5 minutes after watching your vid. Even though the terminal did not feel loose under the screw, when removed, the terminal and the body of the reg were covered in black oxide over the contact surfaces. Before I removed it, I checked the voltage at the Reg centre term to earth and had batt V 12.6. But between the centre pin and the body of the reg was 13.2v. When I used the multimeter probe to bridge between the terminal and the reg body, small arc was seen. I did my cleanup of the reg body and the terminal with a small rotary brush in the cordless, sprayed liberally with Batt Terminal spray and reattached the terminal UNDER the reg body rather than on top. As a fellow OPM, I'm disappointed that I didn't find it without your help. All good now for another 15yrs.
Seems to be a very common issue with the command engine. I have a John Deere Lt150, 2002, same exact one as yours. Im having the same exact problem. I will try this tomorrow. Glad I saw this, I was about to put a new voltage regulator in it! UPDATE: didnt work :( ordered a new regulator
John deere is trash....they dont make anything their self and act like everything on the machine is top secret national security clearance level 9. You cant even buy the manuals to work on your own machine that is really made from parts that are made by other companies. I work on A LOT of small engines and ATVs , I always figure out whats wrong but green paint and pictures of a little deer aren’t worth the extra money
So you say it goes to spark plugs. Could this prevent the coils and spark plug making enough voltage to ignite air/fuel??? ThanksThe reason I ask is because I have spark but engine will not start. I have tested several things and changed everything but she still will not start.
Right on the money! Some people add a second ground wire (use 10 gauge wire or heavier) on the other mounting screw and connect it directly to the negative terminal on the battery. If the screws won't tighten enough for a good electrical connection, consider using bolts, Nyloc nuts and some type of lock washer for a more secure connection of the regulator to the shroud, if bigger self-tapping screws won't solve the problem (before you have to remove the shroud to install those bolts and nuts).
NOTE: A NEVER AGAIN John Deere horror story re my L110 follows: Hey old plane mechanic I like your style, start with the simple stuff before you start swapping out parts that are likely ok. I am sure JD service would start with new parts and like you say fix the problem. Before you go nuts replacing old parts with new take a look at the number of service hours on the machine. I am around 300 total hours after 15 years so chances are loose connections and corrosion are the cause of most problems. If you run premium fuel and change the oil, filters and plug regularly the engine will run for thousands of hours. My horror story with the local dealer revolved around replacing a buckled fuel tank on my 2004 L110. The problem was caused by a poorly designed fill cap that wasn't venting properly. The old cap (since changed) had a small pin hole vent in the top middle that plugged solid with dust over time. The result was a plastic tank that sucked inwards causing leaky seams that I caulked/sealed for a year before the leaks began again. Aside from charging me $150 to pickup (5 miles each way) and return the unit I was originally given an estimate of about $250 to replace the tank based on parts and labor. That was about my limit as the 15 year old unit only cast me $2100 new. Anymore than $250 and its DIY all the way. When they brought the unit back to me I was given a bill for $600! When I questioned the charge the Service Adviser who gave me the estimate he began explaining how much more complicated the repair was and added about $350 in labor. Like most of us, I regard any estimate as a bet that a vendor offers and you accept or decline. If they beat the time standard estimated they win, if they over shoot the estimate I win. I have never signed onto an open ended "time and materials" repair without being told upfront that these were the terms being used. Anyway, called JD HQ in Atlanta who were absolutely useless. I have called them several times on various issues and have never been treated well or had any sort of satisfaction. Bottom line is they stand behind their dealers NOT their customers, and basically ANYTHING the dealers do is ok by JD...ANYTHING! Anyway they referred me back to the dealer. Talking to the owner his first question was where did I buy the Tractor. Home Depot sold me the unit and the local dealer did the prep and delivery. He said "well we don't make any money prepping those machines and its only fair that we make some margin on the machine" as a way of justifying his ridiculous charges. Played this conversation back to JD Corp they shrugged it off and said it wasn't their problem. The machine like O P M states has a lot of little stupid design flaws that I continually need to take care of. The bolt that engages the Power Takeoff snaps every other time I run the machine and the Parking Brake mechanism falls out of its slot and needs to be reattached a few times per season. Anyone else with similar experience? I am now a committed Anybody But J D Consumer!
Still helping people after 7 years, thank you kind sir for making this video, one side had stripped out (plastic does that quite easily, lame JD!) and the po put the ground strap on the other side of the voltage regulator, it corroded, showed 12.4v after some sand paper 13.4.
Good job. Thank you
Exactly what the issue was on our L130. Thanks so much for the insight!
Thank you!!!
Great video, was able to fix my charging system without spending any money
Thanks for your technical support. This is exactly what happens to my Silverado, they add a ground cable from Neg terminal battery to the engine, then through the years, the terminal are pitted. corroded. Manufacturer cutting cost of materials, to have more profit and leave us with their fault. Missing a 5 dollar ground cable to the frame. Creed for money Fck Engineers. Regarding my John Deere, i found the same problem, no ground to electronic components, as a HVACR Mechanical Contractor, easy fix.
I have a scotts john deere 25hp Kohler 54" cut how do wire the battery and solenoid how many wires should be hooked to the battery and how many wires to the solenoid
so when you said voltage regulator I left your video I don't have a voltage regulator
Awesome explanation! Thank you!
Wonder if that is why my hours display stays on draining my battery on my LT 160? Thanks
Could it really be that simple??? 🤔
Helpful but my issue is 1 leg of the stater isn't producing ac
Super diagnoses ❤
So just clean the ground wire
Old Plane Mechanic, cool name! Now is that a reflection of the mechanic’s age? or do you only repair antique aero planes? I myself work on lawn mowers and modern helicopters…Sikorsky being my favored variety. Not much difference in the animals behavior. The are both good at noise and killing people by accident.
Thank you sir for telling us this ! It fixed my charging problem.
Hmm, yeah so I have an L130 with basically same set up ignition, charging ..anyway the "design flaw" as far as the voltage reg the yellow wire ground is obviously not factory and the mount screws for the reg. Is and should be the hard ground through the mount screws and into the regulator body housing..just mentioning
Just saw this video and it was the perfect fix. Thank you
Thank you, right on the nose problem fixed, the red wire was unplugged !👍😊
Great fine guy! Thanks for sharing !!
I took off connector looked fine but still cleaned with sand paper. Put it bank on started charging. Thank you very much.
⁰⁰ĺĺl⁹
I done that years ago and it still done nothing good on mine But now the mower dies out when I unhook the battery charger from the battery
It’s different than mine, I don’t have that regulator I have a magneto ignition you have a v2 ignition
Solid advice. I Used dielectc grease for connection. Thank you perfect 5 minute fix
Way to go!! Excellent video. Very helpful.
Thank you. was getting ready to tear the tractor down, and replace the stator. Your fix worked. I truly appreciate this
Remember don’t change things you don’t need. think like a mechanic and use a voltage meter and find out where something has failed if you throw money at it it’s not guaranteed to fix it so you may have to do a little digging but it’s always worth it In the end
Wonderful
Great. That was my problem thanks!!
Looks like this solved my problem with apparently a sabotaged new mower. Never buy a mower from Home Depot. Bought a John Deere E160 for near $2,500-damn thing does not charge battery height of Summer, brand new mower! Inspected--positive wire at voltage regulator UNPLUGGED! Either some joker disconnected locking connector or possibly was caught on hood and broke loose (not likely, locking type). When I inspected the oil dip stick, it was bent as if someone intentionally bent it. Never buy mowers on display from Home Depot. Get straight from John Deere only.
Very well stated about the battery voltage charging, the temperature has a lot to do with charge voltage. Something many shade tree mechanics seem to forget. But is so true. VF
what gauge is that black ground wire on volt regular? 12 or 14?
I found this exact problem on my LT110. The self tapper was loose and the battery was always going flat. The Moron at the mower shop told me it could be the "alternator" going bad. I laughed my ass off. After a closer inspection I did notice that the ground strap was very loose. I removed the cover and fitted a threaded nut and bolt. The nut being a nyloc threaded nut so it will never come loose again. Never take your mower to a mower shop, most of them will sabotage it so you have to come back. If you take some time and look at it yourself, you'd be surprised how simple these tractors are to work on. Save your money and do it yourself.
Great video--thanks for the help!
Thanks. This fixed my charging problem. Hasn't charged properly in 3 years. Now works great. Wish I had found this video earlier.
Great first step to try!
Do these tractors have alternators? I got one yard mowed on a brand new battery. Went out today and it wouldnt turn over..no clicking, no moaning, nothing. I jumped it and it started right up. Let it run for 30 min, shuf it off and tried to restart...same thing. Nothing at all. I'm thinking the battery is not charging while it's running. That's why I wonder if these have some sort of alternator or something. I will also try your suggestion. Any other suggestions? Thanks
Put a meter at the terminals and check your charging voltage. If it's not at least 13.4v you have a charging problem. If you shut it off all the way w/ key out and it drops below 12v you likely have a failed battery.
Awesome fix! Exactly what was wrong with mine; THANKS SO MUCH!
OPM you are a legend in your own lunch box! I have fixed mine with the same problem in 5 minutes after watching your vid. Even though the terminal did not feel loose under the screw, when removed, the terminal and the body of the reg were covered in black oxide over the contact surfaces. Before I removed it, I checked the voltage at the Reg centre term to earth and had batt V 12.6. But between the centre pin and the body of the reg was 13.2v. When I used the multimeter probe to bridge between the terminal and the reg body, small arc was seen. I did my cleanup of the reg body and the terminal with a small rotary brush in the cordless, sprayed liberally with Batt Terminal spray and reattached the terminal UNDER the reg body rather than on top. As a fellow OPM, I'm disappointed that I didn't find it without your help. All good now for another 15yrs.
Seems to be a very common issue with the command engine. I have a John Deere Lt150, 2002, same exact one as yours. Im having the same exact problem. I will try this tomorrow. Glad I saw this, I was about to put a new voltage regulator in it! UPDATE: didnt work :( ordered a new regulator
John deere is trash....they dont make anything their self and act like everything on the machine is top secret national security clearance level 9. You cant even buy the manuals to work on your own machine that is really made from parts that are made by other companies. I work on A LOT of small engines and ATVs , I always figure out whats wrong but green paint and pictures of a little deer aren’t worth the extra money
Great video. Helped immensely.
Thank you! That was the problem! Thank you👍
If there is 13.7 volts but still the lamp does not switch off while the battery is charging ,what happens then ?
So you say it goes to spark plugs. Could this prevent the coils and spark plug making enough voltage to ignite air/fuel??? ThanksThe reason I ask is because I have spark but engine will not start. I have tested several things and changed everything but she still will not start.
Perfect friend. Exactly what I needed.
Right on the money! Some people add a second ground wire (use 10 gauge wire or heavier) on the other mounting screw and connect it directly to the negative terminal on the battery. If the screws won't tighten enough for a good electrical connection, consider using bolts, Nyloc nuts and some type of lock washer for a more secure connection of the regulator to the shroud, if bigger self-tapping screws won't solve the problem (before you have to remove the shroud to install those bolts and nuts).
Anonymous98 Thank you, you saved me money. I never knew this.
Thank you, you saved me time and money! Exactly what was wrong with mine, your correct very poor design
Lmao, so much for getting rite to the point.
NOTE: A NEVER AGAIN John Deere horror story re my L110 follows: Hey old plane mechanic I like your style, start with the simple stuff before you start swapping out parts that are likely ok. I am sure JD service would start with new parts and like you say fix the problem. Before you go nuts replacing old parts with new take a look at the number of service hours on the machine. I am around 300 total hours after 15 years so chances are loose connections and corrosion are the cause of most problems. If you run premium fuel and change the oil, filters and plug regularly the engine will run for thousands of hours. My horror story with the local dealer revolved around replacing a buckled fuel tank on my 2004 L110. The problem was caused by a poorly designed fill cap that wasn't venting properly. The old cap (since changed) had a small pin hole vent in the top middle that plugged solid with dust over time. The result was a plastic tank that sucked inwards causing leaky seams that I caulked/sealed for a year before the leaks began again. Aside from charging me $150 to pickup (5 miles each way) and return the unit I was originally given an estimate of about $250 to replace the tank based on parts and labor. That was about my limit as the 15 year old unit only cast me $2100 new. Anymore than $250 and its DIY all the way. When they brought the unit back to me I was given a bill for $600! When I questioned the charge the Service Adviser who gave me the estimate he began explaining how much more complicated the repair was and added about $350 in labor. Like most of us, I regard any estimate as a bet that a vendor offers and you accept or decline. If they beat the time standard estimated they win, if they over shoot the estimate I win. I have never signed onto an open ended "time and materials" repair without being told upfront that these were the terms being used. Anyway, called JD HQ in Atlanta who were absolutely useless. I have called them several times on various issues and have never been treated well or had any sort of satisfaction. Bottom line is they stand behind their dealers NOT their customers, and basically ANYTHING the dealers do is ok by JD...ANYTHING! Anyway they referred me back to the dealer. Talking to the owner his first question was where did I buy the Tractor. Home Depot sold me the unit and the local dealer did the prep and delivery. He said "well we don't make any money prepping those machines and its only fair that we make some margin on the machine" as a way of justifying his ridiculous charges. Played this conversation back to JD Corp they shrugged it off and said it wasn't their problem. The machine like O P M states has a lot of little stupid design flaws that I continually need to take care of. The bolt that engages the Power Takeoff snaps every other time I run the machine and the Parking Brake mechanism falls out of its slot and needs to be reattached a few times per season. Anyone else with similar experience? I am now a committed Anybody But J D Consumer!
Never have had any issues with my L110.