Ryobi 40V Mower Not Starting & Self Propel Issues

[@jamesjazzy8040]

I've never bought a product where I had to watch 12 videos, just to make the thing start.

[@dogfoodhouse139]

😂😂😂me too ✋️

[@jdmccorful]

Knowing the "mechanics" and electrics of the product is 80% or more of the solution the rest is just faulty component work arounds or replacement. This gives you a look at the "throw away" mentality of the manufactures today. My 2 cents worth anyway. Very nice work! Enjoyed watching, thanks.

[@Smalltechguy]

Exactly what I was looking for. A customer dropped one off and I have never seen these before. Anyway I did get the mower to start and now I was cleaning all the debris out from the underside to get a better look at the drive motor. I will check on that cable. It probably stretched itself out. The owner stated that they did hit the right side of the mower with a tree or something.

[@Mike_E_44]

Thank you Sir!!! I didn't know the grass catcher insert had a sensor. Works now.

[@LocoEse74]

Same here! Was attempting to sell one I got from a neighbor for 80.00 as non-working but after seeing the grass catcher with the metal rod, I used a hex wrench as a jumper and it works! Thank you so much for the great video OP!

[@lonestarparrot]

THANK YOU!!! Great technical video but you had me at "the handle has to be pulled out all the way..." LOL - I had spent hours on it and that's where the short was, thanks again!!!

[@lonestarparrot]

1:13 min into the video and I was back mowing

[@HexTCGAebrams]

Solved my issue in the first 1min. Liked and subbed

[@alanching1077]

U save my life thank you

[@thevisualstoryteller3171]

I am going to go try and pull on my cable right now LOL My self proprel function stopped working a few months back

[@truesimplicity]

Clear, concise well done...

[@michaelwright1234567]

Hey brother I don't know if you've ever been told this before but you sound almost exactly like Henry Law, from the TV show Moonshiners. Very similar. I'm currently working and troubleshooting my Hart 40 Volt electric lawn mower and I was listening to your video. You sound almost just like him.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I haven't until now, but I have been told I sound like a lot of things! 🤣 I remember being told I sound like the guy on the movie "Secret Window" with Johnny Depp. The guy that said "you stole my story!" Another mentioned country wolf cartoon!

[@michaelwright1234567]

@@ThriftyToolShed That's hilarious 😂

[@Voltomess]

@@ThriftyToolShed nah you just sound like every redneck

[@jramires06]

Hey man I just started watching the channel love the channel so far props have a good one and God bless!!

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Thanks so much for your kind comment!

[@josephgorman7556]

The Brushless self propelled is not working. It's been great but just stopped. I tightened the screws that hold the handle to the housing.

[@terryr.5093]

I have a 401015 that was working fine. I went inside for a moment and came back to find it wouldn't start. The motor will make a little grunt but not start. The self-propel function works fine. What is going on. Both batteries are fully charged but it won't start.

[@dmott6717]

Same. I can't figure anything out

[@ninaross1593]

I got mines too from market place for $20 without battery. The light is coming on but it won’t start. 😢

[@MultiEviscerator]

Well done

[@seanpaul7755]

GOOD AFTERNOON

[@bkj242]

Did the 40v test battery you used contain a BMS? If there was no BMS, how would the low voltage cutoff occur or over current disconnect take place? I like the idea of substituting a simple 40v pack for testing. I discarded the defective BMS from the Ryobi pack where I did the cell harvesting without removing the terminal board. Do you know if these terminal boards available from one of your sources? Very nice and informative video as always, thanks! By the way, you are probably aware that finding these packs at HD is very difficult as they are emptying the recycle bins several times daily to avoid liability and other concerns.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

The test pack had no BMS. I don't remember if I mentioned it here, but I have several videos including an EGO mower video showing using a LVCO device to shutdown before voltage gets below safe level. I used to have permission to get the packs from the local HD several years ago, but I notice they stay empty most of the time now for sure. Thanks for your comment!

[@tomsiracusa1580]

I wish you were my neighbor because my mower won’t start 😢

[@johnkincaide7059]

I own a battery company reusing lead-acid and Lithium-ion. Unless you know *exactly* what your doing I would NOT swap out Battery Management System (BMS) or take another battery pack from a hover board or e-bike and use it. The danger could be the BMS for one may not work well with the other. Worse case scenario the charging of a pack not designed for a device could catch on fire. Li-ion fires are no joke. Fire departments now need 1-2 minutes onsite response times to manage a litium ion fire. The BMS quality of some ebikes and hoverboards BMS have been very poor. New York City has had fatalities in apartments and even an fire that endangered a preschool center and grocery store was gutted. But the video was helpful showing possible faults in my Ryobi lawn mower that stopped the self-propelled function.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Please watch my channel. I have many videos on BMS uses and repairs and even a dedicated safety video below for all that take time to follow me... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGq2gIOMetaaodksi=sLdBetKKQfBhdlJv

[@ronb6182]

If you get a link to talk to a Ryobi service tech buyer beware they charge five dollars just to talk to someone. Its ryobi faulty products they should listen for free. I wouldnt be calling on anyone if the mowr did what it was made to do cut grass. 73

[@jacksmith2315]

I have a ryobi 40v no self propell, the one thats pretty much all green. Its only a couple years old and lightly used but often times its hard to start or randomly shuts off. Even when the mulching plug is in, handle fully extended etc. Ive noticed when its hard to start i have to giggle the handle. Sometimes it starts right away sometimes it doesnt. Ive checked to make sure the allen bolts are tight, they are. Ive noticed when it cuts out randomly i have to pull the mulching plug out and put it pack in, and often times have to wiggle that around too. This mower is only a couple years old and only used 6 or 7 times and already having these issues. I can usually get the yard done but its just wicked annoying to have these problems and constantly have to mess with it to finish the yard. Only the first time using it that it worked flawless. The second time using it was hard to start until giggling the handle but then was fine. Every time after that it was hard to start and kept cutting out w the issues described above. How do i fix it so i dont have to deal w this crap everytime i use it? If it wasnt for these 2 issues i would be really impressed with it. But for such little use and already dealing with these issues, its very disappointing and pretty sh itty

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I do understand. That is frustrating for sure and to be fair Ryobi may make it right if you contact them? Just wanted to mention that before I mentioned anything else. I would absolutely dig into exactly which switch(es) may be the issue and possibly bypass for just testing until the switch can be replaced or upgraded to a better one. I do have video on the EGO mower that I mentioned that I did not connect the handle extended switches back up because it's another failure point and honestly if the handle is not fully extended it's not a big safety risk to me. I also mentioned in that video that I don't recommend or suggest anyone bypass safety switches and doing so is doing so at your own risk of course. So even though I don't know your exact model, If it has the plug inductive sensor and the handle extended switch I would test those first. The lever also has a switch, but doesn't go bad as often as the plug sensor and the extended switch. Hope it helps and best of luck to ya!

[@jacksmith2315]

@@ThriftyToolShed its the ry401110. The sensor for the mulching plug seems to be magnetic so if the multching plug is not lined up perfectly it shuts off but theres a little pressure on the metal part of the plug that attaches to the frame so it gets out of line way too often since just the slightest bit out off fails to connect, just really cheap poorly designed sensor system...all of them apparently since ive seen a few models w problems w the same sensors.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Yes, I was calling that an inductive sensor. I have not worked on it to say for sure. I just noticed it was picking up the metal bar either if the plug or the bag is in place. I see no magnet on it. So I assume it's inductive.

[@jacksmith2315]

@@ThriftyToolShed oh ok. I seen a little metal strip so i was assuming it was magnetic

[@ThriftyToolShed]

@@jacksmith2315 Could be, I did not take it apart for sure to say. Thanks for sharing!

[@richscottsdale6573]

DO NOT BUY A RYOBI electric mower. Built poorly. If it breaks Home Depot will take it for months! Almost no local repair. How does Home Depot sell such a poor product with no warranty support. Ours broke twice in 18 months! Used the old gas mower! Junk. Inexcusable. Beware TTI also make Milwaukee mowers. Contrast ego my son had. Broke and local ACE fixed it under warranty in three days! Not Three MONatHS!

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[@offgridwanabe]

love it make junk work again

[@E85_STI]

For that battery I would use a low voltage dc disconnect board. Amazon sells them in a 2 pack for 9 dollars. I always check with a different battery because it may show 36v but under load it will go to zero indicating depleted cells in the pack. I’m sure there is a bms in that pack you made but for those using a different battery in the meantime those 6volt-40volt low voltage boards are nice as they have an led display showing voltage and you can set it for the shut off voltage.

[@ecospider5]

If you have a link that would be great.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

As mentioned in the video I have used and have videos showing the use of Low Voltage Cut Out boards. One of which is the EGO 56V mower with controller replacement and another just showing the boards and how they work.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

This is a similar one that I have used in the past. amzn.to/3QkSu0R

[@E85_STI]

@@ThriftyToolShed yup I remember but just incase others haven’t seen the video and attempt to use a battery that doesn’t have a low voltage cutoff.

[@E85_STI]

@@ecospider5 they works really well and I opted for the more expensive one which comes with an LCD screen and it charged my battery up to 42volts then it shuts off and it shows a battery life percentage. If you opt for the cheaper one that’s 9 dollars it has a digital readout but only shows voltage and cutoff data that’s it.

[@beefamato]

What a great video! It's incredible how much more complicated electric mowers are than gas. I have an HP21 CrossCut last summer. After I've mowed for about 5 minutes, the blade begins stopping, but only when I engage the self-propel. At this point, the mower will still self-propel, but no cutting. I can mow my whole yard if I push it myself, but the blade will immediately disengage and slowly wind down when I push the self-propel handle. Any thoughts?

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Thanks for your kind comment! I have not worked on that exact model or issue to say for certain. It does seem like a safety switch issue, but seems odd that it only happens when the self propel is active. Of course for most mowers the safety circuit will shut down the blade and often not the self propelled feature. The handle safety switch at the fold is the most problematic for most models I believe. Sorry I could not be more help in this, best of luck to ya!

[@beefamato]

@@ThriftyToolShed Thank you for reading and for offering a few thoughts!

[@mikecalkins6467]

Mine is the exact opposite as yours... self propel works and the motor won't spin... I assume its the sensor not picking up the bag, but I can't figure it out to save my life... I understand why people are dumping these off for pennies on the dollar...

[@CoasterChaser1]

I have the same model mower and the self propel gets that clicking sound when I try to engage it. Did you just pull on that wire and it worked? I tried that and really didn’t see any change.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Yes, mine had the side plates removed by the previous owner and it had no way to hold the cable housing in place so I simply showed pulling straight out on the cable housing (the black part that has the metal crimp sleeve) and then mine would engage. I also mentioned that the transmission had the lever or yoke and I made sure it was moving when I pulled out on that cable as mentioned above. Hope it helps!

[@melvinbarnes197]

Good article on the ROYBI, My son has the same mower but not self propelled. It Like yours the led comes on and clicks and shuts off. I think the Temp sensor in the motor/battery may be the problem as it looks like yours did. Thinking about eliminating the temp sensor. Was this contact in the center of the battery? Thanks for your help.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

The mower itself just needs the 40V from the battery pack, it does not go to the mower itself on mine so your issue is most likely the battery and not the mower connections.

[@melvinbarnes197]

@@ThriftyToolShed This is my sons mower. I think this is a new battery. On the battery, the posts are marked L to R, + therm, therm, -. I wonder if the thermal overloads in the battery could be the problem. I may jumper from the +,- posts to the mower, eliminating the thermal, or jumper out the thermal. I'm not a big fan of brushless motors in power tools, too cheaply made. Thanks Mel

[@robertthompson3447]

Third contact was the battery temperature sensor 🤔. I wonder if that's standard.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Not exactly standard, but most are very similar. Most packs at least use a NTC thermistor with a similar range of around 10K ohms at room temperature. Most also use the Thermistor from the negative battery terminal to the T terminal. Some are different how they connect and how many is used and some packs like EGO, Kobalt and many others communicate with the tool so it has to be the correct pack connected.

[@robertthompson3447]

@@ThriftyToolShed Thank you 🙂

[@tomoltomol7238]

Do you have a video of you overriding the saftey switch on this.. Mine keeps shutting off as soon as i push and i cannot find a video on this model.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I don't, but I do show which is the most common switch issue on this video. When I mention the bagger in place proximity switch on the back of the mower. Some people have put an Allen key etc. There to help with issues. You should be able to easily jump it out if needed though.

[@joseoropeza1986]

I have one and when you pull the triggers it makes a noise but the blades don’t spin

[@ThriftyToolShed]

So it sounds like the self propel is acting sort of similar to the one shared in this video and then the blade is also not turning. I would check the safety lever and switches for the blade and the same cable/linkage I showed it this video for the self propelled.

[@bobbikreiderful]

Do the green lights stay on the battery when charged or do they go off

[@ThriftyToolShed]

They will go off

[@arnoldperdue8890]

I'm unable to remove the batteries from my Ryobi lawnmower. They have been stuck since the end of last summer. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

The Ryobi 40V packs have the locking tab built into the pack itself. So the tab may have to be pressed fairly hard while you pull the pack straight up. Other than that I have had no experience with the packs getting stuck in the mower.

[@eliseo19598419]

Where can I go to order the self propelled handle on my ryobi 40 volt 401012 model.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Have you tried www.jackssmallengines.com/jacks-parts-lookup/part/ryobi Or www.ereplacementparts.com/search_result.php?manufacturer=Ryobi&show_only=models&q=401012

[@martykantz3440]

The problem I’m having this year is the self-propelled is engaged all the time.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

I am not sure it's the same model, but most likely very similar with the way the linkage pulls the lever to engage the self propelled system. It may possibly be stuck and engaging all the time.

[@Avicz140]

so this can't be repaired without buying the assembly

[@ThriftyToolShed]

It depends on what is broken.

[@0072003dan]

Where could I find the model number??

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Mine was on the right side of the mower deck. You can see it in the video.

[@thurstonhowell7441]

Do you know what type bagger this model takes. I can’t find it.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

This is a parts list from eReplacements as an example it shows the frame separate from the bag itself. Hope it helps! www.ereplacementparts.com/ryobi-ry401012-107205001-volt-lawn-mower-parts-c-7931_18698_648031.html

[@ThriftyToolShed]

The bag wire frame. www.ereplacementparts.com/frame-inch-grass-bag-black-p-3273759.html

[@ThriftyToolShed]

The grass bag... www.ereplacementparts.com/grass-bag-p-3273845.html

[@ThriftyToolShed]

This one on eBay says it fits the RY401012 as well but seems very high for the bag only and it's used? www.ebay.com/itm/195104903528?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=sAxUGykZSvW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=D_qZMHXJQNK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[@robertmelsom8886]

Hi

[@SuperAlexkol]

Mine will not start but the self propelled works fine.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Mine did not start with the bad battery pack to start with.

[@SuperAlexkol]

@@ThriftyToolShed what would you suggest? Thanks in advance

[@ThriftyToolShed]

The one in the video is the only one I ever had to work on. I had a battery issue with the mower starting on mine as shown. Other than the obvious things like testing the safety switch at the grass catcher and control switch and making your way all the way testing to the controller. Of course I did not have to get that far on this one. Best of luck to ya!

[@SuperAlexkol]

Anyway too bench text the battery with a multimeter.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

@@SuperAlexkol The meter alone maybe not. You may need to at least load test the pack due to the packs BMS board could be shutting off the Mosfets and the voltage then cuts out. If the board picks up any cells dropping below 2.8V or so it will shut down.

[@ronb6182]

This is no good. I have the one with the handle that flips there are two notches. There are 20 screws. Cannot get to any switches to test them, the mower isnt even a year old. 73

[@fuyo1563]

Don t waste your time . Their battery barely reach 50 charge/discharge cycle anyways.