My first time posting, be gentle.... I have a John Deere F525 front mount mower, bought new in 1993, 48" cut, 17 hp Kawasaki gas, hydrostatic drive. Last week it quit while I was mowing. Turned electric Pto off and pressed down brake pedal to start. Started right up but died as soon as I let up on pedal. Checked the brake/neutral switch with ohmeter and it was fine. The metal tab actuator on the pedal is making the switch ok. There are two relays in the engine compartment and both check out ok (put 12 volts to their coil and contacts work fine with continuity check) they are both the same number and configuration so switched them but no help. The seat switch is fine. I do not have a tech manual with a schematic of the wiring. The manual sold for $21.50 when the mower was new, now John Deere thinks it's worth $115.00 if you need it. (if I can't find the problem it may very well be worth it)! Went to the John Deere site and found a pictorial diagram of the wiring harness and it's components and didn't see any other switches or relays that I might have missed. I have a feeling that one of the relays or it's wiring is the problem. I beleive the contacts on the relay should be a holding circuit around the brake/neutral switch after the motor starts. I'm a liscensed electrician and my buddies at work are really giving me the works over this simple problem, though none of them volunteers to help set me straight or get it running. Any ideas? Thanks, Stan in Michigan

Hello all I have this great blower but now it wont turn on and i tried all of the troubleshooting tips but it wont even give me a spark when i ground the plug to metal.. If you have any ideas please let me know..