Almost had a SEDGEWOOD!!!!!!!

RegL · Dec 3, 2004

Well, I was doing a late season field mowing job today and everything was just dandy. Those 1430 wheel motors love cool weather and cool hyd fluid. Than late this afternoon I suddenly detect the sickening smell of an electrical fire (you all know what that smells like). I look to the rear and smoke is billowing out of the engine compartment and i thought about sedgewood's disaster and how I was going to get a fire extinguisher but never got around toit. Anyway, I shut her down, got off and slowly opened the hood. To my relief, as the smoke and sizzling abated, damage seemed to be confined to the starter solenoid and maybe the starter. I hope the starter is OK so I can at least jump it and get the beast home without having to tow it. Things were to hot and it was getting to dark to do any trouble shooting so I'll be doing that tomorrow and I'll post the outcome.

Sedgewood · Dec 4, 2004

Yikes, RegL I wouldn't wish a SEDGEWOOD on anyone! I'm glad to hear your damage is localized. I bought an extinguisher after I got the tractor rebuilt and still haven't mounted it on the tractor. Some guys never learn...

<font color="red"> damage seemed to be confined to the starter solenoid and maybe the starter. </font>

Do I detect a pattern here? My fire seems to have started near the starter. I never did conclusively determine the cause and finally chalked it up to dry chaff that overwintered on the exhaust manifold and ignited from the heat of the first hard run in the spring (mowing). But I don't know. I didn't remember any chaff buildup on the manifold (and didn't check for any before starting to mow) nor was any significant remains found after the fire.

The "start" wire to the solenoid was burned through and the insurance investigator said the "ball ends" where it parted company indicate it was carrying current at the time. There was circumstantial evidence that a connector nut that had fallen off in the junction box had shorted the wire, but I later found the fuse was not blown and I couldn't come up with a conclusive scenario that would account for the start wire carrying current. I'll be interested to hear what you find.

Sedgewood

tracdoc · Dec 4, 2004

I too have been "thinking about" purchasing a fire extinguisher, but, alas, have not yet done it. This report should push me to do it.

My question is what unit would be most appropriate?? Most of the dry chem units are a mess to clean up. Then there are Halon, Halotron, etc. such as used in race cars ($$ /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif). Can anyone in the biz, provide a sensible and economical recommendation for an extinguisher for a PT?

Thanks for your help...

Charlie_Iliff · Dec 4, 2004

Unfortunately, there are not many cheap extinguishers other than dry chemical, usually Monoammonium Phosphate. Halon has been out of production since 1994, so all you can get is hoarded or recycled, which is pricey. It has the advantage in airplanes, boats and cars that you can breathe it in an enclosed space. CO2 doesn't leave a mess, but it, too is pricey.
I figure if I cover the engine with dry chemical due to a Sedgewood incident, most of the powder will wash off.
A regular water extinguisher probably isn't adequate for oil or electrical fire, which are most likely in a PT.

J_J · Dec 4, 2004

CO2, no mess at all, you can also chill a case of beer real fast.

RegL · Dec 4, 2004

I have an update. First a couple truisms. first, doing mechanical work in the middle of a muddy field at 25 degrees with the wind blowing is not fun. And next, if you have to do any trouble shooting of electrical circuits, don't bother referring to PT's wiring diagrams.

Anyway, with a meter, the trouble was not hard to find. The starter relay stuck closed, energizing the solenoid and running the starter. As I remember, when I shut the engine off, the starter did spin for a few seconds, and as I know now, stopped only because a connection in the solenoid melted and broke the circuit. That,s a good thing because I had no tools with me to remove the battery cable or cut it, and that would have been the only way to kill power. If the solenoid had not burned open I probably would have stood by helplessly watching my beloved PT burn up.

So I'm sitting here with bad starter and relay but the tractor should be OK. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Monday i will call PT and hopefully, They will get the parts to me quickly. And than I'm going to do a couple modifications. I have seen somewhere, battery cut off switches that mount, I think, right on the battery post. In my mind, after seeing how things could have gone, one of these is mandatory. Second, in case lightning strikes twice, I think I'm going to mount a lamp on the dash and hook it to the starter side of the starter relay. The lamp should light only when you turn the key to start position. If it stays on you would know the relay is stuck and could kill the juice at the battery before burning up the starter and possably the tractor.

Sorry if post is long but thought info might be helpful.

pequeajim · Dec 4, 2004

Great ideas RegL and well thought out. I might try that mod myself!

I like pretty lights... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

cqaigy · Dec 4, 2004

Thats a real good idea. my next mod. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BobRip · Dec 4, 2004

Sounds like I need to vacuum out the leaves that get in the engine compartment.

Bob Rip

MossRoad · Dec 5, 2004

Excellent troubleshooting and write up. Thanks.

One thing someone pointed out to me was that I mounted my fire extinguisher on top of the engine compartment... which will most likely be on fire, so I might not be able to reach it. I may re-consider the mounting location. That is something to think about when you get your extinguisher.

I have dry chemical type. I figure a lot of cleanup is better than seeing the thing burn down to the ground.