Wont switch off sing the ignition switch..have to use kill button..will start without key in ignition switch but obviously power valve wont work until key is put in and turned to first position...have stripped ignition switch all seems ok

Hide the car keys lol Take the HT lead off the coil to the distributor. It wont start with out that or wire in a "kill" switch and hide the switch somewhere. A kill switch , is to switch on or off the ignition switch feed wire to the distributor coil. Its an old fashioned "anti theft" trick but with modern cars most don't have coils anymore, its all electronic.

Sounds like you may have possibly TWO problems here. The ignition key not turning past the run position or even to the run position is most likely a lock cylinder issue and may be fixed by replacing the ignition lock cylinder, As for the power being killed when turning the ignition to the start position, that sounds like a defective ignition switch. these items are two seperate parts. The reason for the turn signal issue may be related to the ignition switch fault.
Hope this helps.

I think your ignition switch has quit working, or it has stopped getting power. If you pull the connector apart to the ignition switch and check if there is one wire on the harness side of the connector that has power, it sure looks like a bad ignition switch. One fat wire, about 12 gauge size, going into the switch should be hot at all times. If you have it, pretty obvious that power is not going out of the switch. key on should send power out of the switch to the fuses for the windows and other accessories, and also send power to the dash for the warning lights and gauges.
Power to the switch will be either from one of your fusible links near the battery or from a maxi fuse in the fuse/relay block under the hood. The funny action of the key kind of points to the ignition switch, though. Still, check for power into the switch first.

I suspect an ignition switch problem, you need to check to see if when you try to start it if there is power to the signal wire at the starter. If there isn't, check the same wire at the ignition switch, if there still is no power, check to make sure the grounds from the firewall are secure and they have near zero resistance between the firewall and the negative battery post. Check to make sure there is power getting to the ignition switch, if there is none, then you have a broken fusible link under the hood

Check to ensure the PTO/Mower drive is not engaged.. and the parking brake is on..

Most mowers will not crank if these are not in the right position

Most riding lawn mowers also have a kill switch under the seat... check that for proper function as well. If this switch has failed... it would kill the power.

You can use a volt ohm meter to trace the power.. it sounds as if all the right parts have been put in place as far as the basic starting circut is concerned.. yet you have another two to three switches to check for proper function.. PTO / Brake and Seat...

Check to see if you have power to the ignition switch.. then trace back to the battery to check for power there.. if your battery has plenty of power(12.4 volts).. sounds as if it should.. you need to check each of these interupt switches between the battery and the ignition. They typically kill the power to the points/actual ignition.

There are other areas to check.. poor grounds.. and bad connections are typical. a bad ground from the battery to the frame for instance.. check cable and point of connection.

Best of luck

Lets start with the basics...
1. be sure your battery is in good shape and fully charged ( at least 12.6 volts)
2. starting procedure- ignition key to 'on', tranny in nuetral, right hand kill switch to 'run', pull clutch in fully and hit starter button.
3. does it do anything? clicks?... If you get nothing then the problem is likely in the clutch switch, kill switch, or the starter button. You will need a wiring diagram and volt meter to trace down where the power is lost. If you are getting 12 volts to the starter but its not engaging then you can suspect the starter/ solonoid.

PS... My clutch switch has been going bad for a few years now ( Im too lazy to replace such a trivial thing as a safety switch ;). Sometimes I need to hold the start button and work the clutch till the starter engages.

recheck all connections,battery,ignition switch,starter button switch and kill switch

try this procedure to reporgram:

1. Close all vehicle doors.

2. Insert the key into the ignition.

3. Hold down the power UNLOCK button on the driver's continue to hold down until instructed
to release in step 9.

4. Perform steps 5 through 8 in fairly rapid succession.

5. Turn the key to the ON position (as far as you can go without starting the engine).

6. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.

7. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position.

8. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.

9. Release the power unlock button on the door panel. The vehicle will lock and unlock the doors automatically.

10. Hold down the LOCK and UNLOCK buttons on the transmitter simultaneously until the vehicle locks and unlocks.
This step may take up to 30 seconds.

11. Repeat step 10 NOW for each additional transmitter (including any existing transmitters).

12. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position in order to exit the transmitter programming mode

Not so many reasons she won't start. 4-Strokes are Simple!

Here they are:

Motor:
Fuel Tank-> Fuel Line-> Fuel Filter-> Carb-> Intake (Valve)-> Piston-> Exhaust (Valve)-> Muffler

Carb (Old Style):
Fuel Side:
Fuel Bowl-> Float-> Needle Seat-> Fuel Ports (Venturi)
Air Side:
Air Filter-> Carb Air Intake-> Butterflies (2)
(Clean 'em ALL!)

Hardware (Motor):
Rotor (Magnets)-> Magneto (Ignition Coil)-> Spark Plug Wire-> Spark Plug-> Cylinder Head (Spark Plug Ground)

Ignition:
Kill Switches (Seat, Clutch, etc.)-> Spark Plug/Ignition Coil-> Ground
Key Ignition-> Battery->Starter/Generator

If one of those fail.......= Non-Starting 4-Stroke!

Fixes-
Fuel:
You are either getting too much, or too little. Too much = Carb.
Too little = Carb. Therefore, tear down the Carb (COMPLETELY-Careful!) and clean it up.

Electrical:
Grounding out the System (Kill Switches)
Battery-> Ignition-> Starter.
Magneto->Plug Wire->Plug (Check 'em all!)