John Deere 111 won't start?
Bought an old John deere 111 off of a guy who tried to rig up an ignition instead of buying the right one (five dollars more). He told me he tried to start it and it started up and an for a few and died. The ignition he used was missing one of the prongs (i think maybe the ground). I replaced the ignition with the factory one, but the battery doesn't seem to charge (its only been an hour or so). Could this have fried the battery or solenoid?
John Deere is a bugger to buy parts for if you don’t have a local distributor in your area. And they seem over priced.
That being said, I’m pretty sure your has a Briggs & Stratton 12HP Engine.
The charging circuit is pretty simple, and should last the life of the machine.
First, open the hood and look behind the steering wheel rod for a blue or green automotive type fuse. (plug in type). That’s the charging circuit fuse. Pull it out and look at it. Is it burned?
It should be a maximum of 15 amp. 10 amp is best because it won’t over work the charging coil inside the engines flywheel.
Don’t rely on the tractor to "charge" a low or dead battery. It’s not designed for it. Charge the battery first at the begining of the season before you use it. A standard 12 VDC automotive charger works just fine.
Hey Hiram! A quick ceap check would be to haul the battery to an auto shop and see if it has a short in it. Once that checks out I’d consider the voltage regulator.