Cultivator: Can't Turn Engine Off

In your cultivator, the ignition switch is turned on or off to control the ignition circuit. If your engine relies on the ignition switch to complete the circuit and shut down the engine, a damaged switch can cause the engine to continue to run. If the switch is an on/off type, it is creating a circuit to ground when it is off. The circuit opens when the switch is on, and this allows current to flow to the spark plug. In a kill switch setup, the switch is normally not creating a circuit, which allows the engine to start and run. When you want to shut the engine off, the switch is depressed and held. This creates a circuit to ground, which shuts off the engine. In either situation, a damaged switch can cause this symptom.

Your cultivator has a set of cables or wires that connect to the ignition switch or kill switch. These are protected in a wiring harness. If you can’t turn your cultivator’s engine off by activating the kill switch or ignition switch, there might be an issue in one or more of these wires. Occasionally, these wires can just become detached. In this case, you may be able to simply re-attach the wires and the problem will be solved. However, if one of the wires or the wiring harness is damaged, it may need to be replaced before you can turn off your cultivator normally.

Your ignition coil contains a tab that your kill switch or ignition switch’s grounding attaches to. When the kill switch is engaged, it will complete the circuit from the ignition coil straight to engine ground. As a result, the cultivator will shut off properly. Occasionally this tab that the grounding wire attaches to will break or become dislodged during operation. When this occurs, the engine will not shut off properly. Like the wiring harness or cables, you may be able to re-attach the tab, but it if is damaged or missing, you will need to replace it.