GC 2300 wont start

[gausspe]

My machine is a GC2300 (yr:2005 700+ hours). Recently it has developed a problem that it will not start. When you turn the ignition key on, I hear a light clicking noise which is hard to detect exactly where the noise is comming from. The engine does not crank and the starter does not appear to being doing anything.
After releasing the key I then hear a louder single click as if somthing is realeasing or shutting, sometimes there is a delay before I hear this click.
The battery indicator is pure green, the voltage across battery was 14 volts +/- and I also had a charger on it (12v set at both 2 amps & 6 amps) for a few hours on & off just in case to see if that would help. I measure the voltage at the glow plug bus bar at approximately 14 volts with the glow plug switch in position.
The voltage at the starter solinode was the same as the battery voltage and seem to drop about .4 volts when I turn on the ignition switch.
Of course this goes and happens just when I need to do my first mowing of the season.. By the way this happened back in October and I played with it for several weeks on and off and could not get to the root of the problem. Then one day in late November i just turned the key (first to glow of course) and sure enough it started and did not give me a problem for the next two weeks. So I put it in the garage and it sat this whole winter idle since we had no snow to speak of this winter (very strange for Poughkeepsie, NY) to use my puppy.
Would appreciate some good suggestions..

 

[ray66v]

Failure of the ground strap from the engine to the frame has known to cause this.

Beyond that you could check all the safety switches, and make sure they are all in order.

 

[Jerry/MT]

My machine is a GC2300 (yr:2005 700+ hours). Recently it has developed a problem that it will not start. When you turn the ignition key on, I hear a light clicking noise which is hard to detect exactly where the noise is comming from. The engine does not crank and the starter does not appear to being doing anything.
After releasing the key I then hear a louder single click as if somthing is realeasing or shutting, sometimes there is a delay before I hear this click.
The battery indicator is pure green, the voltage across battery was 14 volts +/- and I also had a charger on it (12v set at both 2 amps & 6 amps) for a few hours on & off just in case to see if that would help. I measure the voltage at the glow plug bus bar at approximately 14 volts with the glow plug switch in position.
The voltage at the starter solinode was the same as the battery voltage and seem to drop about .4 volts when I turn on the ignition switch.
Of course this goes and happens just when I need to do my first mowing of the season.. By the way this happened back in October and I played with it for several weeks on and off and could not get to the root of the problem. Then one day in late November i just turned the key (first to glow of course) and sure enough it started and did not give me a problem for the next two weeks. So I put it in the garage and it sat this whole winter idle since we had no snow to speak of this winter (very strange for Poughkeepsie, NY) to use my puppy.
Would appreciate some good suggestions..

The click is the solenoid being pulled in and the other click is the release of the solenod when you break the circuit. If your interlocks had an open circuit, you would not hear anything. For some reason your big solenoid terminals are not providing current to the starter motor.

It could be as Ray says, a bad starter ground. It could also be high resistance at the battery terminal connections. Pull them off and clean then up. Make sure the clamps are not cracked or so badly corroded that they don't tighten down. Sometmes the cables look good but are corroded internally. In that case you'll have to replace them. Check the ground cable from the battery and makes sure it's "tight and bright" so it has good contact to whatever it's attached to. Loosen the starter and see if there is a layer of rust between it and it's mounting. If it does clean it up.

It could be corroded contacts in the solenoid. I doubt that they are servicable but if you can open the solenoid and to get at the big contacts, you can clean them up. If not, you'll have to replace the solenoid.

It could be a bad starter. If there is a way to use jumper to to directly connect the battery to the starter motor ( MAKE SURE THE TRACTOR IS OUT OF GEAR!) then if it turns then it OK.

Systematically make these checks and you find the problem.

 

[gausspe]

Thanks for some of the suggestions. In between the soilinoid noise I hear a contant tapping nise which sounds like it is coming from under the engine or floor board, although not related to problem, is this from the fuel pump?

Also if I am seeing approximately the same voltage at the starter lugs as at the battery terminal (approx 14 volts), woulding that indicate that the voltage wiring should not be an issue?
I am starting to think it may be a bad starter, I know that most likely means I need to get it off and have it bench tested, unless there is a way to test it on the machine? Any ideas on this?
Could it be the ignition relay? It was suggested that I may want to take it out and clean it then reinstall to see it this helps, any thoughts?
How do you test the safey switches? where do you probe them and what voltage are you looking for or current?

Thanks in advance... I will be cleaning up the battery connections and any other connections I can this Saturday.

 

[the6shooter]

Look down by the starter, there is a green fuse, check to see if the fuse is blown. there are 2 of them they are in the wire bundle comming to and from the starter. also check the ground. the fuses have a rectangle clear top to see if the fuses are blown there. they If I remember correctly are 35 amp. fuses. If one of these is blown your starter, will do nothing, but all the other systems will still function. Hope this helps
david

 

[the6shooter]

After re-reading your post, It sounds more like one of many safety switches.
check all of them there should be one on every shift lever on your tractor. I found this out on my old 1528. when I put it in the proper range and ****ed it into gear, it knocked the safey on the range selector switch out of socket.
Each safety has 2 little fingers, and in between them is a little metal nipple
that keeps them in line. If one is or has slipped out, you will get the same responce. NO power to the starter.
david

 

[the6shooter]

did you get your tractor started ??? how about a follow up ?
david

 

[Ray 3rd]

Thanks for some of the suggestions. In between the soilinoid noise I hear a contant tapping nise which sounds like it is coming from under the engine or floor board, although not related to problem, is this from the fuel pump?

Also if I am seeing approximately the same voltage at the starter lugs as at the battery terminal (approx 14 volts), woulding that indicate that the voltage wiring should not be an issue?
I am starting to think it may be a bad starter, I know that most likely means I need to get it off and have it bench tested, unless there is a way to test it on the machine? Any ideas on this?
Could it be the ignition relay? It was suggested that I may want to take it out and clean it then reinstall to see it this helps, any thoughts?
How do you test the safey switches? where do you probe them and what voltage are you looking for or current?

Thanks in advance... I will be cleaning up the battery connections and any other connections I can this Saturday.

How did it go with getting your tractor running? My GC 2300 is doing the same thing, and it would be a big help to me if you could share your findings. I have done everything but change my starter

 

[ray66v]

How did it go with getting your tractor running? My GC 2300 is doing the same thing, and it would be a big help to me if you could share your findings. I have done everything but change my starter

The starter is easy to verify, jump it for a second, with a set of jumper cables.

Someone recently said they found corrosion, and a bad connection, on the back of the ignition switch. I had not heard anyone report this before.

You basically have to start at the battery with the schematic, and follow every connection. When you get to a safety switch, either do a continuity test, or jump it. They are the common fault points.

Sadly, it's not uncommon for someone new like the original poster, to appear on here with a question like this, and not hear from them again. This not only doesn't help everyone else, it makes it hard to want to spend a lot of time helping the next one.

 

[madhatter]

Failure of the ground strap from the engine to the frame has known to cause this.

Beyond that you could check all the safety switches, and make sure they are all in order.

Had this a couple times with my 2310. My neutral micro switch is temperamental sometimes.....

 

[irvingj]

I'll go with the broken ground. Mine was becoming more & more difficult to start over a period of time, and then stopped cranking altogether. Advice on this forum mentioned the ground strap.... which is stranded, and the strands had been breaking, a few at a time, over a year or two. When the last couple of pieces broke, everything electrical would work EXCEPT the starter.

Replaced the ground cable (with a slightly longer one), and added a second on the other side for "insurance." Tractor then started like it just received a new battery! That starter pulls a boatload of amps, and it ALL has to pass through that ground strap- no other ground is heavy enough for it.

Couple years later now, with 350 hrs, and all is still good. I love that little tractor!

 

[Ray 3rd]

I cleaned and reconnected all the ground connections including loosening the starter and running a piece of emery cloth between the starter and mounting bracket, all the fusses are good and the seat and PTO safety switched work. I did try jumping it without success but I wanted to clean all the connections before I replace a three hundred dollar starter. My ignition switch has not worked right in a year or more and I will start there with a new one.
Up till the last day I ran it everything worked fine, I was turning it on and off to position large logs in a wood splitter and one time it just clicked a couple times, then I tried restarting it and it started, Then the next time it did it again but there was a click and a faint sizzle heard around my left foot area sitting on the tractor and nothing after that. I found nothing visible burned and no odor of anything burning...

 

[ray66v]

Before you replace the starter, you can check both the hot and the ground connections with a set of jumper cables.

Run a jumper cable from the negative terminal of the battery, to a mounting bolt for the starter, or other spot on the starter that is a good ground. Try and start the tractor. If it starts, you have a bad ground.

Take a jumper cable attached to the positive terminal on battery, and touch the other end to the battery terminal on the starter. If it engages and tries to crank, your starter is not the problem.

If power is supplied to the smaller start terminal of the solenoid, but it does not engage, try jumping it. You can jump the solenoid, with a jumper cable across the two large terminals.

If you decide the starter is bad, look for a local re-builder. They can also test it, and save you lots of money rebuilding it.

These faults can be frustrating, especially if the problem is intermittent.

 

[Ray 3rd]

I fixed my GC 2300 with a new ignition switch

 

[irvingj]

All right! Nice to know you got it figured out; thanks for the update.

You might want to look at your ground cable anyway, if you haven't already-- some of the 2300's had one that was a bit on the short side, so when the engine shakes it puts a lot of stress on the cable.

 

[ray66v]

Thanks, noted.

I believe this is the first failure here of such.

 

[massey driver]

On my GC 2300 I had other ign issues but was able to take the switch apart and clean it up.It had gotten corroded inside so I was able to get away with just cleaning the contact points and then put some dialetic grease inside,put it back together and its been good to go.I think my issue was no headlights.I'am cheap so I'll take stuff like that apart and try to fix it before buying new!! LOL Larry

 

[irvingj]

"I'am cheap so I'll take stuff like that apart and try to fix it before buying new!!" Nothing wrong with that, Larry... same here!

 

[MFGC2300]

Unfotunately, same problem today. Ran fine yesterday...today the starter just clicks. Battery has full charge. Tried jumping the starter and it did not budge (I think I did it right!). I'm assuming that I need a new starter. What do you think?

 

[massey driver]

Some times inside the solenoid the small copper wheel will get pitted and corroded and not make a good contact to allow the starter to turn.Another thing is that your brushes inside the starter could be worn down and there not making good contact with the armature. I'd check this out first before buying a new starter.Now if your not sure what to do if you've never had a starter apart then I'd take it into a electrical motor repair shop near you and have them look at it for you.Larry