# Safety Levers on 1032



## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

I purchased a mid-1980's 1032 that had been in storage for many years. After all of the usual work (carb rebuild, replace fuel lines, etc), it runs great except for one issue. At least one of the two safety levers must be held down or the engine may not start or won't continue running. The safety levers naturally cause the engine to cut out if not depressed when the auger is engaged but they shouldn't need to be depressed for starting or keeping the engine running. Oddly enough, this issue didn't happen all of the time- it was somewhat intermittent. 

I presume there's an electrical relay somewhere that may be malfunctioning or corroded. Or maybe it somehow thinks the auger is about to be engaged when it really isn't. Any thoughts?


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

1032 what? Ariens? MTD? Deere?


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

JD build; safety levers on top side of both handlebars


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

I should have attached this photo too


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

From the looks of the picture, it appears you have a plastic key that fits in the old in the carb cover. It opens a set of contacts to a switch behind it. Key out, the contacts close and basically ground out the points. There may be other switches on it also, wired in parallel. Assuming when you 'hold' those levers, it opens those contacts. Any of them closed and the points are grounded and the motor won't run.


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

HCBPH, it has the old style metal key under the control panel (red circle in photo) but I understand the principle you've described would still apply. I'll continue to look for contact points in the wiring. Since this unit was in storage for many years, I suspect it's a wee bit of corrosion somewhere. The more I press and release the safety levers, the less likely the engine is to cut out. Thanks!


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

If yours is like the ones I've worked on, you should find a piece of angle bracket attached via the flywheel cover under the carb. To that is a wire that comes from behind the flywheel and that bracket is a junction point using a insulation sleeve that a screw holds the wires on to kill the engine. off that is a wire that goes to the cutoff on the throttle (see the red wire in the one picture) and another would so to the key switch though you might have more depending on your setup but you'll have to determine that. 


An easy test, leave the wire from behind the flywheel alone but disconnect the others. Take a new wire and attach it to the flywheel wire, add a toggle switch and ground it to a bolt on the engine. Switch the toggle off and the engine should run. Turn the toggle on and it should kill the engine. Once you have confirmed the engine runs, leave the toggle wired in and reconnect the others back one at a time and test them. I think you'll track your issue down fairly easily. Note, leave the toggle wire there to kill the engine is need be till you have fixed your issue then you can remove it.


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