Need quick answer. Broke down on lake ice fishing.

[mjbuck]

I turn the key and there is nothing. The lights and winch work fine, so it is most likely not the battery. I'm ice fishing and stuck on the lake right now. Want to get ideas before I come up with a plan of action to get it moved.

[Gene Boyd]

Check for an open fuse, check for fuel and spark at spark plugs. Takes fuel, spark and compression to run any motor.

[dirtdobber]

Here are some things to look for:
A bad fuse if you have one in your starter circuit
Starter solenoid failure
bad connections at the battery, starter, or starter solenoid
bad key switch, or bad connection at the key switch
If the engine has a ground strap connecting it to the frame, check for loose or bad connection there.
Starter has gone bad
Not sure what machine you have, but does it have any neutral switches?
Do you know how to "hotwire" it across the starter solenoid?

[mjbuck]

Thank you all for the fast reply. A friend of mine with an Argo towed me back to shore. I should have mentioned that I get one click from the key when I turn it and that is it. Everything else works, lights, etc., so it is not the battery. Guess I'll take me limited experience and work on it the next few days. Mine is a 1999 Max II.

[ARGOJIM]

Did you get it going yet?

What machine and engine? Did you check that the small wire going to the solenoid is still plugged in ? As they wrote check the fuses.

[dirtdobber]

MJ still check your battery. A battery with insufficient charge can still produce a "click" at the solenoid or starter, and it can still produce some light or winch motion. Don't assume the battery is good just because it causes some things to work. Give your battery a good charge and see if anything changes cranking wise.

[mjbuck]

dirtdobber: Thanks. I thought of that. I keep a battery tender on my Max battery whenever it is not in use. It crossed my mind that the battery had enough juice to run the winch and the lights, but not enough to start it. When I did get to shore, I used the winch for about 5 minutes to get it onto my trailer. That made me think the battery had plenty of life and wasn't the issue. I will check in the morning, after it has been on the tender all night.

[dirtdobber]

I used the winch for about 5 minutes

If it did that then it's probably ok.

[hipowerone]

Back last spring, I took my MAX II out for a quick ride. Along the way, I stopped for a short while, and when I went to start it up again, I had the same/similar issue. After towing back to the garage with my tractor, I replaced the starter solenoid, and problem was solved. Solenoids can die just like that. They are a relatively inexpensive fix finding parts on Internet. However, going to a B&S or Kohler dealer might not be so cheap.

[mjbuck]

Just and update on a post I made from Monday....

First off, I want to thank each of you that replied to my post from Monday "stuck on the ice, Max won't start". The information each of you posted was helpful, but fortunately, it turns out (so far anyway) that I didn't need it after all. I put my Max II battery on a battery tender for 24 hours. I then tried to start it and it fired up right away. I drove it around my property several times and turned it off, started it and turned it off and started several times over and it started fine each time.
What I don't understand (and my knowledge in this subject is limited), is why did the winch work and the lights work, but the battery not have enough juice to start it? I would think a winch would use as much power as the starter when cranked over. I used the winch once I got to shore to get my Max onto my trailer. Again, my knowledge is limited, so I'm sure the answer has to do with cranking amps or something of that sort. When my Max is not in use, summer or winter, I keep it on a battery tender. Now that I think about it, it was off the tender Sunday night into Monday morning when I used it to get on the ice to fish. I had the heat off in my garage, so the temp inside there was about 28 degrees. Could this, combined with the four hours it sat on the ice in 16 degree temps while I fished, be enough to drain the battery so it couldn't turn over, but the winch, etc. would work? Sorry about the long post. My battery is a year old and is one of the better batteries made for an ATV such as a Max.

[ARGOJIM]

I'd say with your extended winching the battery is not the problem, I see in another post you got one click.
Here is my guess, the starter may be getting weak, more than likely your engine probably stopped on the compression stroke, with a semi weak starter on the compression stroke the starter may actually have been softly moaning attempting to go over the compression cycle but in the cold weather with a quick turn of the key and release it may not have had the initial torque the starter needed to turn the engine past top dead center. When you got the machine home the engine may have slightly turned enough to easily start along with the warmer temperature of the garage.

I'd imagine had you held the key on for a second or two it may have turned past the compression and started though most people don't do this. My Vanguard has been this way for a few years and I wait for it to turn if it acts up even though it usually is running before I finish turning the key most times, Tecumseh engines were notorious for this pause also due to the bore of the engines and were I first started doing so.

[Canadian_Zuk]

Definately a power issue if it fired right up after the full charge. Remove and clean all the electrical connections between the battery and the starter, grounds too. I like dialectric grease on all electrical connections.

A tip, if you get stuck like this again take your belt off (Your pants not your clutch) and wrap it tightly around your primary counter clockwise. If you have some duct tape use a small piece on the end of your belt to hold it in place while you get the 1st wrap around. Then simply yank your belt off to pull start it (diy pull cord). This can be done with rope too but its easier with a leather belt on our narrow lip primarys. I have saved myself a few walks over the years with this trick.

[dirtdobber]

Mjbuck the previous posts are good advice. I would also consider replacing the solenoid, as they are cheap. The internal connections of a solenoid can become burned over time and fail to make good connection internally. It will still click, but not make the connection to engage the starter. The only way to know if yours is getting bad is to take it apart, which destroys it's seal. I dealt with a zero turn mower once upon a time that would go through a solenoid every 2 years or so. It was burning them up internally.

[Cannibal]

Times like that, are when I'm really happy my engine still has a working pull-start.

[ARGOJIM]

I drove it around my property several times and turned it off, started it and turned it off and started several times over and it started fine each time.What I don't understand (and my knowledge in this subject is limited), is why did the winch work and the lights work, but the battery not have enough juice to start it?

I would think a winch would use as much power as the starter when cranked over. I used the winch once I got to shore to get my Max onto my trailer.

Again, my knowledge is limited, so I'm sure the answer has to do with cranking amps or something of that sort. My battery is a year old and is one of the better batteries made for an ATV such as a Max.

Read the center sentence fellas and riddle me this, as I believe this is the question he's asking.