5 Common Cub Cadet Electrical Problems and Their Solutions
Are you facing electrical issues with your Cub Cadet lawn tractor? Before you go looking for a mechanic, you should always give it a try yourself. Sometimes simple electrical problems can cause big issues!
Many types of electrical problems can happen in your Cub Cadet. However, the most common problems can be categorized into a starter motor that won’t work, battery problems like battery discharging, or wiring short circuits.
If you think your problem can be categorized as electrical, read this article thoroughly. Here you will find a list of the common cub cadet electrical problems and a brief guide on fixing them. Keep reading to find out more.
What Causes Cub Cadet Electrical Problems?
There can be many underlying issues causing electrical problems in your Cub Cadet lawn mower. However, usually, the major cause behind electrical issues are:
- Malfunctioning main Fuse
- Corrosion in battery contacts
- Short circuit in wirings
- Defective battery cells
- Damaged electrical components
Although there might be some other technical or electronic problems with your Cub Cadet, most can be categorized into these five malfunctions.
Even if you don’t see your problem in the list, read the entire article, and you might find your answers!
5 Solutions For Cub Cadet Lawn Tractor Electrical Problems:
Below you will find brief solutions for the problems listed above. Also, as these problems are the root causes, trying the solutions for any other electrical problems might work and save you hundreds!
1. Malfunctioning Main Fuse: Inspect Wirings, Replace Fuse
A fuse is an electrical device that protects other components from overcurrent. Fuses are essentially thin wires with a specific resistance that causes them to melt if too much electricity passes through.
This way, the vehicle is safe from too much electrical energy damaging the intricate circuitry. As the Fuse is designed to break when necessary, it may or will break eventually!
So, if you’re having any electrical issues with your cub cadet, like the starter not working, lights not working, etc., your first reaction should be to check the Fuse.
Depending on your Cub Cadet model, the Fuse will be located either (a) behind the dash panel, under the hood, or (b) beneath the seat and underneath the battery.
After removing the Fuse, check for a visible gap in the wire. If you see the wire is broken, you will need to replace the Fuse.
2. Corrosion In Battery Contacts: Clean The Battery Contacts, Replace The Contacts
Batteries have either a strong base or acid. So, the terminals connecting the battery to the vehicle usually get corroded with time, and they heat up when using the device.
This causes the battery to discharge quickly, malfunctioning the starter motor and other problems. So, checking the battery contacts is a good idea if you are having basic electrical malfunctions.
If you see the contacts are somewhat corroded, you may just clean the connections, and the problems should go away. However, the cleaning process is different for alkaline and lead-acid batteries.
For alkaline batteries, you may use lemon juice, a toothbrush to clean, a slightly damp towel to wipe the juice, and use dielectric grease to protect the contacts in the future.
On the other hand, for lead-acid batteries, you will need to use a car terminal brush and use baking soda and very little water on the contacts. Wipe off with a paper towel. Also, use dielectric grease to protect from further corrosion.
Use safety gloves and glasses. In the end, if the contacts are too corroded, just change the contact terminals!
3. Short Circuit In Wiring: Inspect For Short Circuits, Replace Wirings
Short circuits are a major problem with any electrical device. Because a short can permanently damage the electronics inside the Cub Cadet. So, it is crucial to find a short circuit before it causes much damage.
There are many ways to look for shorts. However, using a multimeter is considered the most accurate and best way. But, the downside is this is time-consuming work and takes patience.
First, remove the battery from your Cub Cadet and check that all the electricals are turned off. This is to ensure safety. So, please take this very seriously!
Then, set your multimeter to resistance mode. Keep the resistance scale as low as possible. Properly calibrate the multimeter till touching the two probes outputs zero.
Now, you’ll need to know which wires you want to check for shorts. Touch the two contacts of the wire for resistance. Do this for every wire you’re doubtful about.
Replace the wire if any wire shows a resistance of 1 or OL.
4. Defective Battery Cells: Test With A Voltmeter, Replace the battery
If your Cub Cadet lawn mower is having trouble starting or turning over, the problem probably is with the battery. However, this needs to be confirmed before you replace the battery.
First, you need to inspect the battery correctly. To inspect the battery, you will need a voltmeter. However, if you have a multimeter lying around, you can use it too.
To start, keep the battery idle for the night after using the mower. In the morning, eject the battery from the mower. Now, you will have to connect the voltmeter and the battery’s positives and negatives.
Cub Cadet lawn mowers usually use 20A, 12-volt batteries. So, if the meter shows a reading of around 12.4 volts, that means that the battery is retaining the energy and is in good condition.
However, if the voltage reading is too low, one or more battery cells are dead. So, inspect the battery voltage and change it only if necessary.
5. Damaged Electrical Components: Figure Out Malfunctioning Parts, Inspect, Replace
Most Cub Cadet owners face this problem at least once or twice because the electric parts used in the vehicles are very intricate and prone to damage.
However, as there are many different parts, there can be many various reasons behind your problem. So, you’ll have to try the four solutions listed above.
Then, we will have to divide the problems into three parts.
- Damaged Starter Motor
- Damaged Wiring
- Damaged Lights
- Damaged Battery
A damaged starter motor won’t work no matter how much you fix everything else. So, if changing fuses doesn’t work, you should check the starter motor.
The same thing goes for wirings, lights, batteries, etc. If it looks damaged, it is probably damaged inside and needs a further checkup.
Again, this is time-consuming, and if you still can’t fix the problems yourself, you should call for professional help.
Professional mechanics will charge you hourly depending on your service and where you live. So, make sure to ask for a cost estimate first!
FAQs
Where are safety switches located in a cub cadet?
Safety switches are designed to start and stop all electrical flow in a machine. The safety switches of cub cadets are located underneath the seat.
Always make sure you work safely when working with electrical components.
What electrical problems cause Cub Cadet not to start?
There can be many reasons behind a Cub Cadet lawn mower not starting. For example, a damaged battery, corroded battery connections, malfunctioning starter motor, damaged ignition lock, etc.
However, other non-electrical problems like a dirty carburetor, fuel pump, air filter, etc., can cause the cub cadet not to start.
Are there fuses on a Cub Cadet?
Yes. There is a main fuse on all Cub Cadet vehicles. However, the location of the Fuse may change depending on the model and make of the vehicle.
Please check your owner’s manual for information if you can’t find the Fuse.
What problems does a bad solenoid cause on Cub Cadets?
The main problem a bad solenoid causes is that the starter motor doesn’t work. Also, other problems or symptoms include:
Sudden shutting off of the engine
Unsteady or rough idling
Can’t cold-start
Showing problems with accelerating
So, if your cub cadet shows any of these problems, you should inspect the solenoid.
Conclusion
Electrical problems with Cub Cadets can either be very easy to fix or may waste a lot of time! That’s why we always advocate the saying, ” Prevention is better than cure!”
So, try to maintain your Cub Cadets properly. If you see that your Cub Cadet is starting to perform less and less, make sure to do a full checkup before it turns into a major problem.
However, when doing electrical work, always ensure you’re safe and know what you’re doing.
Remember, a beautiful lawn doesn’t happen by itself!
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