Dragging Starter???

Papasmith · Feb 4, 2008

I have a Mahindra 4500 though this could apply to any tractor.

Problem is, my tractor just barely turns over when I turn the ignition. This is with a new fully charged battery, clean terminals and posts. I also cleaned the negative cable connection where it attaches to the frame. Postitive cable looks to be tightly connected to the starter. My tractor only has 275 hrs and I am hoping that it is not the starter.

One thing I did was leave the ignition on one time killing the battery. I understand that this can damage your solenoid though, it seemed to work fine after I recharged the battery. I have a different battery on by the way.

I have experience with this tractor. It is not a cold related starting problem. Is it the starter or starter solenoid or does someone have another idea? Any help will be appreciated. I need to get this thing to work ASAP.

FULLPULL · Feb 4, 2008

If it is not the starter .I would check the cables also they can go bad under the insulation . You can check the voltage at the starter with a volt meter. See if you have a voltage drop at the starter when trying to start it.

Wayne County Hose · Feb 4, 2008

First step is to clean all the connections. Many things can look good (i.e. women and tractors) but still be bad. You need to get yourself a battery load tester. This inexpensive tool can perform loads of troubleshooting info. You need to load test the battery. If the battery tests low, replace. You can also check your connections with a load tester. Hook up the tester to the positive lug on the starter, the negative to the engine block. Load test. Should be very close to direct battery hook-up. While cranking, make sure the volts don't drop too low. There is a scale on the load tester which is self explanatory. If voltage does drop low, it's a weak starter. If the voltage stays high, recheck your connections, but could still be a bad starter. You can also, with the engine running, load test the alternator. Same like doing the battery, but with the engine running.
I have never seen the solenoid damaged by leaving the ignition on. With the ignition on, the solenoid is not energized. I guess it is possible if you have some type of system I have never worked on.

PILOON · Feb 4, 2008

FULLPULL said:
If it is not the starter .I would check the cables also they can go bad under the insulation . You can check the voltage at the starter with a volt meter. See if you have a voltage drop at the starter when trying to start it.

May I add that under load the voltage WILL drop, eg will not read 12V, but maybe like 10-11 due to loading unless the battery is HUGE!

Also, maybe a little lubricant on bushings and solinoid (I like WD40, cleans (washes out grime) and will not affect electricals)

As mentioned, cleaning (bonding) all contact areas.
Loosen, scrape clean metal to metal contact areas. (even the bolts holding the starter)

That goes all the way back to battery terminals and ground strap!

Small currents (lights, radio etc) will not 'voltage drop' but high currents like the starter need GOOD contacts! (called 'bonding').

Remember that under a hood there is lots of greese and oils which insulate or act as such.

FULLPULL · Feb 4, 2008

I agree a drop will happen when trying to start it . But with a bad cable it will have a major drop in voltage .

SailorBob · Feb 4, 2008

I would disconnect and clean all of the connections before doing anything else. I just experienced the same problem and it turned out to be corrosion on the ground side. It looked good until i took it off. You could not see the corrosion without removing the cable. Dont forget to clean the frame ground as well.

Papasmith · Feb 10, 2008

Thanks for the tips everybody. And you're right Wayne county hose, tractors and women, especially the later, can look good but be bad, and not in the good way either.

Soundguy · Feb 12, 2008

Papasmith said:
One thing I did was leave the ignition on one time killing the battery. I understand that this can damage your solenoid though, .

Not sure who told ya that.. but stop taking electrical advice from them...

the solenoid for the starter should only be energized inthe spring loaded start position... on in the 'run' condition.. thus your solenoid was not energized if the key was merely on.

soundguy

Papasmith · May 14, 2008

I am the one who originally started this post and as a great believer in followups, I can report that the problem was the starter. This was rather disappointing since the tractor only had around 300 hours on it. I had the starter rebuilt for $123.00 and now the tractor starts fine. Thanks for everyone's opinions and advice.

mrutkaus · May 14, 2008

Glad you found the problem. For what it is worth, Harbor Freight frequently has 50 amp battery load testers on sale for $10, can help locate problems as mentioned above.

Mike