The Gator repairs continues, with a new fuel pump, an oil change, new battery, a new ignition switch, and fresh fuel is done. But the gator still sleeps.
A second day for electrical troubleshooting was needed! I went back loaded for bear, expecting rodent damage on her wiring harness. The borescope showed zero wiring damage in the sealed areas, sorry, no ways to hold the scope in place, monitor the screen, and get pictures!
As with all John Deere equipment, everything is expensive, including repair manuals. Since this system is reasonably simple, I decided to fix it without. Since I started using meters before they were digital, I had an edge.
Locating power on the switch harness was a little difficult, even knowing wiring conventions. Ground (black) was solid to the battery, but there was no connection to the positive (red) lead.
Here's where the meter jumped in:
The new switch tested out and showed me which lead fed the ignition, but I couldn't find the starter solenoid wire that fires that solenoid.
Looking on the solenoid, the wire showed it was purple, and traced to the switch. The wire was good In the harness, but the new switch was broken; and didn't provide the 12 volt start signal! A new, 'new' switch is coming. The joys of chinese quality control....
Then it was time to tangle with the supply power:
With a little digging (knowing that John Deere makes good gear) I found a fuse block under the hood, complete with a blown blue fuse (the empty spot). Sticking in a spare red one for testing, I found that the wiring was in good shape!
This is where the fuse block was hiding:
Protected by the hood of course.
Next was testing the ignition wiring:
The switch showed me where the ignition power was, on a yellow lead.
There were multiple yellow drops:
While all were working, the 'S' shaped wire here is the magneto power for this system. The shape avoids any tension problems in the harness!
The other drops are for accessories that need to be turned on for use, and off to preserve the battery.
I will have the new switch this weekend, and hope to get back after it early next week.
The only remaining items are new front shocks, which are due in soon also!