I know little about small engine repair but here is the situation. I own a Craftsman Lawn Tractor (mower) model 917.273481, which has a Kohler Pro 20HP V-Twin OHV engine. It has run like a champ these past 5 years. When I brought it out of storage I noticed the starter was whining while running. I took it off and apart and realized the solenoid lever had partially melted. Replaced it with a new starter today and she fired right up.

I get the blades spinning and its cutting fine. I then hear a whining/spinning noise so I turned the tractor off and checked. Nothing noticable. I started up again and the whining/spinning started. It didn't seem to slow the engine or affect the cutting so I kept mowing for about 5 minutes. Now it won't start. I hear absolutely nothing when I turn the key, not even the ammeter needle moves.

Thoughts?

Your ignition switch may be sticking in the start position and not returning to the run or on position. If the key stays in the start position it will continually feed power to the starter which will stay engaged with the engine running and can burn the starter up. Check the fuse it may have blown and if it did, you will get no action when you turn the key.

Sorry; forgot to mention the fuse is fine and the key does not stick. The whining/spinning sound didn't start until after a minute or so of running. I would think if the ignition switch were the cause it would continue immediately after the engine turns over.

I pulled the ammeter and ignition switch hoping to figure out how to test them with my voltmeter. Is this possible?