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Dave: By "starter switch", I assume you mean the solenoid with the + cable from the battery going into one side and the cable to the starter coming out the other side, and each cable attached with a terminal, stud, and nut. If that's the case, the most common way I've seen these bypassed is with a pair of pliers. Or you can use jumper cables instead. - Turn off the ignition switch. - Disconnect the coil wire. - Put the transmission in neutral. - Set the brakes. - Leave the spark plugs in to give the battery and starter motor a realistic challenge. - Open the pliers until the handles are far enough apart to span both battery cable terminals on the solenoid. - (Did I mention turning off the ignition switch, disconnecting the coil wire, taking the tractor out of gear, and setting the brakes?) - Press the plier handles to the terminals so current passes directly from the + battery cable through the pliers to the starter cable. Now the switch is bypassed. No activity (or slow starter motor)? Check the battery, starter, and cables. If the starter works fine, put the pliers away and actuate the starter switch (with the tractor still disabled). If the starter doesn't move and you don't hear a click from the solenoid, then either the solenoid isn't working or it's not getting a signal. Pull one of the small wires off the solenoid (or maybe there's only one, I don't remember). With the starter switch not actuated, the wire should have 0 volts. With the starter switch actuated, the wire should have (in your case) 8 volts. If not, you're not getting the right signal from the starter switch. If the signal is good AND it's attached to the correct termial on the solenoid, and the solenod's not clicking, then the solenoid is bad. I doubt you have a bad solenoid. In my experience the solenoid either works great or not at all, so the slow cranking you described would not apply here. Maybe other contributors have had diffeent experiences, though. Another thing that can cause problems with starters is that they can sometimes bind if you install them just a hair off from where they "want" to be. Again, I don't think this is your problem, but if you've had the starter off you may want to loosen it just a little and re-tighten it. You can measure 8 volts somewhere, but you still may not have meaningful current available. If you have a problem like a rusty, dirty, or loose cable connection (on the ground side or the non-ground side), it can pass a few milliamps or even microamps -- enough to make your voltmeter happy. It won't do a thing for your current-hungry starter, though. Make sure BOTH ends of all your cables (battery +, battery -, and starter) are clean and tight. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. Mark W.
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