What color is the wire you are referring to? I suspect that it is the kill wire to the magneto on the engine. It should go to the M terminal on the switch. If you are feeding power to it, juice is going straight to ground cooking the ignition.

joesparkie, click the link below and find a thread posted by another 12/39 owner. We helped her sort out a problem that was starter solenoid related. One diagram I posted there is a generic illustration of solenoid wires. There are two photos in that thread that I took of my Huskee (1987 4218 model). Maybe that will help somewhat. Check your wiring on your solenoid against the wiring in my photos. I will try to look at the ignition switch on my tractor to see if I can ID the wire you question. If all your dad did was remove the solenoid, there should not be anything else that needs replacing in that location. There is always the possibility that some of the heavy cables that carry power to/from battery have become corroded and have poor conductivity. Check all the heavy cables attachment bolts/nuts. Probably be a good idea to remove the ground cable from the frame and clean that cable and terminal. Same goes for the cable on the starter. All connections must be clean and tight. Some folks clean the battery posts and think that's all there is to it. Nope, all connections gotta be good and clean. When you made the "jumble of wires" referrence, were you just meaning the solenoid wires, or were some other wires taken loose as well? Is this a Briggs & Stratton engine?

Here is a link that might be useful: Nuther Huskee

thank you for the replies. canguy, the wire i'm referring to is a red wire with a white tracer. it is crimped under the same lug as a red wire that goes to what i would call the load side of the fuse. this red/white wire runs from the ignition switch, behind the starter, and into the engine. it looks like it terminates onto a coil mounted underneath the flywheel. i can't tell what letter it goes to on the ignition switch as it is quite weathered. maybe B? this wire has a constant 12v.

mownie, i checked my wiring with your diagrams and it matches exactly. dad never took care of his stuff and doesn't remember things the best. i guess i should have said i was basically starting from scratch. he had switches jumpered and stuff, you get the idea. that was the jumble i was referring to. anyway, i believe i have all back as almost originally intended. when i turn the key everything works except when i have this one wire connected i was telling you guys about. the starer solenoid comes on and the starter engages the flywheel. i have only 'bumped' the starter and have not tried to start the engine because i'm afraid of damaging the engine without this red/white wire connected. thanks again!

mownie, yes, this is a B&S engine. it is a 12 hp, model #280707

OK, I'll check my tractor for a similar wire to see if we can get the answer.

OK, here we go! The red wire/white tracer comprises the circuit from alternator to ignition switch to ammeter to starter solenoid. I have provided photos of the various "connecting points". In the photo of the starter solenoid, I indicated that the red/w white tracer wire leads to ignition switch and has a 10 amp fuse. The wire actually hits the ammeter first on its way to the ignition switch (but that photo was originally for another thread).This circuit is essentially THE circuit for: Charging battery, enabling ammeter function, and providing 12VDC input to the ignition switch. If this wire is disconnected from: The starter solenoid, the ammeter (either post), or....the ignition switch, it will be impossible to activate the starter solenoid with the ignition switch. Interrupting this circuit at any of the places mentioned deprives the ignition switch of continuity with the battery + cable. The black kill wire is shown where Briggs provided a connector terminal for the end user OEM to attach their (Huskee in this case) kill circuit wiring.

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mownie, our mowers are slightly different as i don't have an ammeter or an alternator but i believe the principle is the same. the red/white wire u show in your picture terminate the same on my machine, at the ignition, and runs straight to what i'm guessing is the magneto now. if i understand the magneto right it provides the spark to the spark plug wire? on mine, a constant 12v, the red/white wire, feeds the coil under the flywheel and the kill wire is terminated the same as u show in your picture at the 1 end. the other end of the same kill wire goes to what i'll call another 'coil', showing my lack of mechanical knowledge. this 'coil' is 'u' shaped and rubs along the flywheel assembly outside the charging magnets. this 'coil' has the spark plug wire attached to it.

anyway, yesterday i took all the top covers off and inspected the flywheel assembly and the new 'coil' i found. i turned the flywheel by hand but did not remove it from the engine. none of the wires looked gouged, so i put everything back together, turned the key to start and the engine tried to start. this mower has sat for over a year so i figured it would be hard to start. i turned the key a couple more times and everything was going great and then my original problem came back. i turned the key and nothing, no lights, and no starter solenoid engaging. any ideas?

on the flywheel assembly where the spark plug coil rubs along the flywheel is pretty rusty from weather. i've noticed on the new ones i've seen online that this section is shiny. could that be causing my problem? i'm going to clean this up today and see what happens.

thanks again.

***"i don't have an alternator", "the red/white wire u show in your picture terminate the same on my machine, at the ignition, and runs straight to what i'm guessing is the magneto now."***
NO NO NO sir! You DO HAVE an "alternator"!! You might have pictured in your mind some kind of belt driven, automotive alternator mounted to the engine!! Wipe that entire idea from your head. And while we are erasing incorrect assumptions, we will purge some other thoughts too.
The red/white tracer wire IS IN FACT, the alternator output wire on both machines. Ammeter is not required, only optional. System will operate with or without ammeter. If you have no ammeter, the red/white tracer wire should go directly from the ignition switch to the Battery + cable lug on the starter solenoid.
***"if i understand the magneto right it provides the spark to the spark plug wire?"***
That part is right! The next part is wrong!
***" on mine, a constant 12v, the red/white wire, feeds the coil under the flywheel"***
Nope! The so called "coil" you refer to under the flywheel, IS the ALTERNATOR. Nothing more, and not connected to any part of the magneto ignition configuration. The fact that you detect a "constant 12V" confirms that the wire is continuous to the Battery + cable at starter solenoid.
The Briggs magneto ignition system uses a completely "self contained" spark ignition system that DOES NOT use any external source of power. The "spark generator" is called (variously) an armature or a coil, and is mounted on the OUTSIDE of the flywheel. It is the little "module looking" thing that has the spark plug wire coming from it. You correctly call it "spark plug coil" above. Now if you will please get rid of any notion that this "spark plug coil" uses any kind of 12VDC.........it DOES NOT. The spark coil and kill wire on Briggs engines work as follows: The flywheel contains magnets. The spark coil is mounted very close to the flywheel. When the flywheel rotates, every time the magnet passes the spark coil, an electric current is induced in the spark coil. A kill wire circuit is an integral part of the Briggs spark coil configuration. When the kill wire leading out of the spark coil is OPEN, or UNGROUNDED, the spark coil will produce a spark, and send the spark out through the spark plug wire. To kill a Briggs engine spark (and that kills the engine), you must GROUND the coil kill wire circuit. Connecting the kill wire to ground disables the spark production of the spark coil. You should clean the rust off the flywheel and check/reset the air gap between the spark coil and the flywheel. Use a standard business card or 3 X 5 card as your "feeler guage". Don't use credit card, too thick.
***"turned the key to start and the engine [tried to start]."***
Meaning......what?????? If you mean it actually spins and seems eager to run, but can't seem to "catch on". The carburetor may need a good cleaning before it will provide fuel to the engine. Try this: Using spray carb cleaner as a "primer", spray a one secend shot of cleaner into the intake throat of the carburetor. Immediately crank the engine. If the engine "fires up" and runs a few seconds on this "primer" fuel, the carb jets are probably plugged with varnish. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT.....use ether as a primer or starting fluid. It is much too violent for small air cooled engines. Spray carb cleaner is much nicer to the pistons and rings.

mownie, thank you for the information on the spark plug coil and alternator. i had no idea. i took everything back apart this morning and cleaned it up. i found that my negative battery cable was bad. i cut the insulation off and found it was broke and corroded in the middle. i made a new cable and the engine fired right up!! thank you so very much for being patient with me. i've got a small issue with the ignition circuit (after it starts, if i turn the key to run/lights, it shuts off, and if i turn it to off, it stays running) but at least it works. thank you again, i really appreciate all your expertise.

mownie, this start circuit has me baffled. i think i might be missing some wiring. i know i have a normally closed seat switch and a normally open clutch switch. i know i need 12v+ to the kill switch to shut it off. i was wondering if you could tell me how your mower is wired. on my previous post i explain my problem. thank you.

***"i know i need 12v+ to the kill switch to shut it off.
"***
Go stand in the corner! You have not been reading carefully enough! You DO NOT use 12V to make the sparks, and you do not use 12V to kill the engine. There are millions of Briggs engines in use around the globe that DO NOT even have an alternator, or a battery, or anything that resembles 12V.................and these engines run just fine. FORGET about 12V in regard to the sparking of the spark plugs. Lets try to call the ignition switch a "key switch". The key switch has several internal contacts that align at specific positions of the key. Some of these contacts are devoted to switching 12VDC from the 12VDC input terminal, to the lights circuit, and to engage the starter solenoid. In addition to having contacts that route 12VDC from input to other terminals, the key switch also has a separate movable contact that makes a connection with the chassi ground of the tractor. This "grounding circuit" is where the kill wire needs to be attached. Understand that the key switch is not just switching "hot" circuits, it also switches a ground circuit to enable killing the engine with the key switch. Your key switch might have gotten turned upside down and is giving you a false ID of the positions on the decal surrounding the switch. I'll get the details of my Huskee today (7/18/09) and post later.

mownie, i re-read your previous and latest post and got everything re-wired and working good. i tended to read thru things too fast and get in a hurry and it ends up costing me more time. once you stressed the 12 v thing out of my head it all came together. thanks again for your time and patience.

***"everything re-wired and working good"***
So, this means you are ready to mow?
I "stressed" the key switch term instead of saying "ignition switch" because sometimes, a commonly used and accepted "misnomer" sort of gets in the way of a good understanding of what the situation really consists of. Sort of like we say "give it the gas" when we are actually "giving it the air" (by opening the throttle plate to let more "air" into the engine, it's this air that "gives it the gas". but that's another story). Normally (if anything is normal with me), I have no problem with the term "Ignition switch", but in this situation of discussing ignition system function, I felt it best we change names for a moment to keep "ignition" where it needed to be and "switch" where it needed to be.
What is the latest report about the key positions being "out of phase"?

yes, i've already mowed and liked this machine better than a john deere stx38 that i have. the key position wasn't "out of phase", i just didn't have the kill circuit wired correctly. i was trying to get 12v + to it instead of looking at grounding circuit. everything works great now. since your mower is older than mine maybe you can help me one more time. where do you get replacement parts? before i mowed i noticed the idler pulley was bad. i went to tractor supply and found a pulley that was close and after using 5-6 washers to rig it up, made it work. just curious.

***"where do you get replacement parts?"***
Where I have obtained parts for mine may not benefit you, unless you are willing to shop online or by phone. I buy most of the hard to find parts at a large, well stocked, well staffed, "turf and OPE" center in Nashville, Tn. This works out fairly well for me as I can contact them by phone (local call for me), determine availability of part (order if need to), and then I just jag a little to the left of my usual route to my job, and pick up the parts. If YOU are going to use a similar source and shop online or by phone, I suggest you explore to find one as near to you as possible. I "inherited" my Huskee when my FIL died. It was his "first" garden tractor and he had parked it in the mid-'90s after buying a new Troy-Bilt 23HP tractor. The "turf center" staff was able to provide me with a brief history of my Huskee: Chassis Model #..4218-2701 Serial #..524402 Code..7100
(built by Western International Mfg. at Noma plant in Jackson,TN.)
Built as 1987 year model.
I don't think your Huskee comes from the same "blood line", though there are sure to be similarities. Anyhow, OPE is actually more "generic" in certain components than people realize. For example, that idler pulley you referred to.....might be able to obtain the identical pulley at a well stocked "bearing distributor house".

Hey, another lucky Huskee 12/39 owner!! Mownie, I'M B-A-A-A-C-K...lol...will post back to original thread(s) soon. Will read thru this later to see if there is anything I can do to help. Meanwhile on the last question that caught my eye: where to order replacement parts?

I have ordered quite a few of the tractor-related (ie not B&S engine) parts for my Huskee 12/39 through Tractor Supply Co (TSC)'s website (www.tractorsupplyco.com); but it is helpful to have the original manual to reference the exploded diagrams for the original part number you are looking for, because once you enter in an original number, it will re-direct you to OrderTree.com (which I think is affiliated with TSC) and whatever part number has replaced that part, if that's the case. But I have replaced quite a few odd parts this way and while it takes them a LONG time to fill the order on occasion, they DO send the part eventually. If you need help I'D'ing a part number, I do have a manual (need to check your model numbers and engine no. against mine but I think they sound the same) that I could reference or scan and email the relevant page. I don't think you can get that manual online though. I can look up the idler pulley numebr for you but need to read your post more carefully for the specifics. Since I am on shop time right now and need to get back to business, but I will spend some time later going thru your post to see if I can help. Will say that Mownie is a VERY helpful fella in everything I have put to the threads I have posted here...

Good luck!

ok, after reading through your posts on this thread I see that you have pretty much solved your electrical problem. Wish I had seen it sooner and had access to my mower so I could have taken pictures for you, because your mower is identical to mine in TSC tractor model and B&S engine model. I googled the tractor model awhile back and got exactly 2 results, one of them my own post in this forum. Maybe they are typically so great no one needs to post about problems, lol. Not likely! :)

I would have been more than happy to take pictures of the wiring because I am reasonably sure it should be identical to what I have on my mower. If you would like a couple photos for reference, I will take a couple for you when I get my currently power-deprived garage door fixed...so I can GET to it.

As far as replacing the idler pulley, are you referring to the idler pulley on the deck /blade drive, or the one on the motion drive? Looked up the deck idler pulley in the manual and it is originally part no. 310326; they also reference the washer, bolt and nut used to hold it (if you want those too I can give them to you). While you can search for parts on Tractorsupply.com, if you click on the "Parts" link at the left it takes you to www.ordertree.com; might be easier to just go straight there and bypass Tractor Supply. This is where you can search for the old part number and it will give you the equivalent replacement item that has superceded the parts that are in most cases no longer available, I have found. AND you can order from them, as well. I have gotten new blades, a torque tube for the deck, engine mount bolts and washers (these HAD to be the right ones; discovered someone had replaced them at some point with standard nuts and bolts and the engine was literally dangling by two of the four; no WONDER the stupid blade drive belt wasn't doing its job...nother long story). The list goes on. I think I also got a starter solenoid and ignition, ahem, KEY switch from them too. And also, if you have the part number (along with tractor model no.) you can take that to the service desk at TSC and they should be able to order it for you too if they don't have it in stock. That ALSO takes awhile but does eventually come in. At least it did in KS.

Again I would be happy to look up any part number at all for you; the manual I have has exploded views of every system on the tractor (electrical, deck assembly, motion drive assembly, chassisexcept the engine, which you can find at BriggsandStratton.com. I have had some problems with my blade drive belt and the idler pulley that I will save for another thread, when I cure the carb/fuel feed problems I am currently having; WHEN I can get to the mower...beginning to feel like the thing is cursed, at times, but like you, I do prefer this mower and it does run and mow great when it is running right...we've had this mower for at least 10 years, I think, and it is at least 18 years old...just gotta keep up with the parts and maintenance. Hope this helps!!

My huskee lawn tractor will not start, I thought it was the battery and i purchased one but still want crank. When I turn the key it makes a tick sound. One tick at a time as turn the key. My huskee model # 13A678G131
When I turn the key to on the lights will not come on.

Rodney, a likely cause is that the engine is hydraulically locked. It is fairly common that fuel bypasses the carburetor and floods the engine to the point that it doesn't turn. Usually when this happens, the oil smells gassy and is high or hard to read on the dipstick. If you remove the sparkplug and fuel gushes out- that would be it. It is possible to a solenoid click only rather than actuate the starter- either due to a funky solenoid or poor ground/ loose or dirty battery terminals.

The fact that you do not have any lights when you select the Lights position on the key, and that you get a single click could indicate that the key switch is defective.
A simple way to tell if the engine will crank can be done by "jumpering" the starter solenoid.
To do this you use a short piece of automotive wiring and just touch the bare ends of the wire to the battery cable (the cable from the battery) on the solenoid and the small wire terminal on the solenoid. Doing this will engage the solenoid. If the engine cranks over when you do this, the problem is likely a defective key switch (considering that the lights position seems not to be working).

Do you know for a fact that the headlights are actually "good"?
Do you remember whether the lights would burn in the Lights position previously without the engine having to be running?
I think most of the Huskees lights will burn in the lights position if the engine is not running.
Some brands of tractors require the engine to be running for lights to work as the power for the lights is supplied from a separate lights circuit in the alternator instead of drawing from the battery.

Need help or some kind of instructions on replacing the the alternator coil on a Huskee Tsc (engine model # 204801A). Thank You