Argo Magnum - problem starting and shutting off!

[Joey]

Hi everyone,

My 1991 Argo magnum (kohler 18 hp) would not start this spring - when I turned the key, the brake blower would come on and all I would get is a click - the starter would not crank - I charged the battery - still nothing - put in a new battery - still nothing. Last weekend I decided to start it using the pull rope - with a little grunt it came to life - drove it around a bit and it worked very well EXCEPT when I tried to shut it off using the key and it would not shut off. Eventually, I just pulled the spark plug wires and it shut down. This weekend I tried to start it again but the battery had drained completely. My uneducated guess is that there is possibly something wrong with the ignition wiring and that maybe I need a new ignition switch. Any thoughts from the pros out there?

Thanks in advance,

Joey

[guyfox]

Hi Joey,

I had the same problem with my 89 argo..would not start with key and would not shut off with key...A little investigating and I found a couple loose wires on the ignition switch....they were also corroded up some as well....After this first fix I encountered the same problem a short while later...a little furtgher investigating and I found some loose connections from the battery and starter.....the previous owner did not do much for maintence before....hope you get everything up and running properly...

[Joey]

Thanks very much - I will run through the wiring this weekend. Anyone else have a similar issue or some thoughts?

Cheers,

Joey

[azz7772]

when you check and clean your electrical connections coat them with dielectric grease you can get it from your automotive parts store. This will slow down the corroding.

[spookum]

Make sure the ignition, battery and engine alll have a good comon ground. If the engine isnt grounded back to the battery, that would cause this problem too! An ohm meter from the battery to the engine should read like .005 or.010 Or you can poor boy it and try to start it with some one grounding the battery to the engine