318 - Jumped battery, then smoke from voltqage reg. then nothing but click/kuunk sou.

pakigeoege · Aug 18, 2013

Late 80's 318 with B43G Onan

Battery dead, jumped and it started. Removed cables and it died. Re-tried and it started again. Left jumper cables attached and noticed smoke from under air cleaner area. Then motor died. After this I had nothing, no lights on dash or anything. I did notice a strange click/kulunk sound happening about once every 8 to 10 seconds if the jumper cables were attached - key on or off. I started removing parts to get down where the smoke came from, and to find the sound.
Found the click/kulunk sound at a small black box attached with the starter solenoid under the battery plate area. Looks like a fuse link or something. Sounds like a bi-metal switch inside it. only about I inch long with two wires attached, one going to the starting solenoid. I removed it and jumped the two wires and the wires got really hot immediately so I stopped.
The voltage regulator/rectifier box (three wires attached) had a green wire getting hot, and the box looked a little distorted on the end with the connections.
I removed key switch (green wire went to it), the little black box, the starter solenoid, and the rectifier so I can take them to John Deere to test and to buy if I need to. Oh yeah, I crossed the two posts on the starter solenoid and the motor tunes over, but just won't start.
I hope I didn't burn up the stator, but am looking for advice on this issue. Hot wires, click/kulunk, no dash lights.
Thanks
George

BBO · Aug 19, 2013

Take the battery and have it tested also.

Any chance you hooked the cables backwards when you jumped it that 2nd time?

pakigeoege · Aug 19, 2013

Thanks for replying BBO,
I am 100% sure it was hooked up red to pos and black to neg each time. I was using an F-150 if that will help diagnose this. The interesting thing is the noise - click-kulunk. I think it was a circuit breaker opening and then closing. I would have thought that even with a bad battery it should work wihile being jumped - and it did, a couple of times. The battery is three years old, and I will use a new (or at least a different) battery when I get a chance to go back out to the cabin.
Still bewildered.

BBO · Aug 25, 2013

pakigeoege said:
I think it was a circuit breaker opening and then closing.

Is this the part?

pakigeoege · Aug 26, 2013

Re: UPDATE 318 - Jumped battery, then smoke from voltqage reg. UPDATE

BBO said:
Is this the part?
View attachment 333982

I don't think so, this was a small flat item about 1/4 inch thin, 3/4 inch tall, 1.5 inch long, with two leads where two wires connected. One of the wires came from starter solenoid, not sure where the other came from - both red. Bolted on with one of the starter solenoid bolts. Dealer did confirm it was a circuit breaker though.

Update:
New key switch, used jumper cables as before, still nothing. Smoke from under engine cowling again. Disconnected the AC (white wire on the rectifier/regulator) (the one connected to the green one going to key switch). Now have lights on dash, turned key and motor turns over, no smoke from under cowling.
Disconnected all wires on regulator and it runs without smoke, but dies if disconnect jumper cables. I suspect bad regulator and or stator. Any ideas now?? If I smoked the stator how do I check the stator?

BBO · Aug 26, 2013

Re: UPDATE 318 - Jumped battery, then smoke from voltqage reg. UPDATE

pakigeoege said:
Update: New key switch, used jumper cables as before, still nothing. Smoke from under engine cowling again. Disconnected the AC (white wire on the rectifier/regulator) (the one connected to the green one going to key switch). Now have lights on dash, turned key and motor turns over, no smoke from under cowling.
Disconnected all wires on regulator and it runs without smoke, but dies if disconnect jumper cables. I suspect bad regulator and or stator. Any ideas now?? If I smoked the stator how do I check the stator?

Sorry I can not be of more help. I do not have a technical manual on the 318.
You might find one on Ebay to help you with this.
It bothers me that you keep having to use jumper cables IF your battery is good.
And "smoke" from anything electrical is a serious problem. Something must be shorted.

BTW Item 1 in that parts drawing shows to be a circuit breaker and it's like $300.
It's wild with what looks like a large capacitor and a set of points inside.

I would say to find the origin of the smoke and go from there.

This forum is disappointing to me as I am a new member.
It looks like someone would be familiar with the 318.
I read too many on here bashing JD instead of helping others. I don't understand why they are even on the JD portion.

Maybe someone else will take the time to help you sort this out.