Help...Mahindra 3510 won't start

[largeal]

I own a '04 Mahindra 3510 with approximately 650 hours on it that has worked flawlessly in every way until today.

I ran it this morning for about 30 minutes backfilling a hole and shut it off at the work site while I went to gather up some tools. When I went back to start the tractor to finish up the tractor was totally dead. Started looking for obvious problems but found nothing. Went inside for some lunch, came back out and started the tractor up just like normal. Turned it right back off again, and it started up again normally. Finished backfilling the hole then shut it off while I hand graded the site. Back on the tractor fifteen minutes later and totally dead again. No glow plug action, no clicks, nothing in any of the key positions. The battery is good (read 13.6VDC) so maybe it's a bad ignition switch or starter relay?

Anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem might be?

Thanks, Al

 

[Bird]

Al, when you said totally dead, did you mean no lights, nothing on the instrument panel. I suppose a bad ignition switch could be your problem, but first I'd be checking both ends of both battery cables to make sure they're clean, no corrosion, and good contact. Sometimes they can look OK when they're not actually making good contact.

 

[Keith_B]

I own a '04 Mahindra 3510 with approximately 650 hours on it that has worked flawlessly in every way until today.

I ran it this morning for about 30 minutes backfilling a hole and shut it off at the work site while I went to gather up some tools. When I went back to start the tractor to finish up the tractor was totally dead. Started looking for obvious problems but found nothing. Went inside for some lunch, came back out and started the tractor up just like normal. Turned it right back off again, and it started up again normally. Finished backfilling the hole then shut it off while I hand graded the site. Back on the tractor fifteen minutes later and totally dead again. No glow plug action, no clicks, nothing in any of the key positions. The battery is good (read 13.6VDC) so maybe it's a bad ignition switch or starter relay?

Anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem might be?

Thanks, Al

I had that happen to me last winter. A battery terminal had wiggled loose and wasn't making good connection. Try tightening the battery terminals and see if that takes care of the problem.

 

[largeal]

If y'all heard a loud pop, that was my head coming out a certain part of my anatomy! You'd think someone who works on C-130 avionics systems would have figured this problem out a little sooner.

Not really thinking about what I was doing I initially read 13.6VDC across the battery posts. I thought I had followed that up with another reading across the battery cable clamps and read the same thing...but apparently I didn't. After posting my question here on the board I tried reading it again...this time across the cable clamps. The voltmeter would read anywhere between 5 and 10VDC. As far as the tractor was concerned, the battery wasn't even hooked up! (Felt kinda bad for the 'ole girl 'cause I called her some not very nice names. )

Anyhow, the negative post had just a thin film of corrosion going on between the post and clamp...that even though it wasn't noticeable the voltmeter would have told the tale had I tested the connections properly the first time.

Soooooooo...Bird, you were exactly right. I have come back on here to take my licks and if told to do so, will sit in the corner with my "Dumb Post of the Day" cap on.

Thank you both for your replies...they were very much appreciated!!!

Y'all be good now...Al

 

[Bird]

will sit in the corner with my "Dumb Post of the Day" cap on

Yeah, you might as well do that . . . along with the rest of us who have already been there.

 

[Nightrain1]

This board is pretty helpful. Some things are simple enough, but it still helps to learn from others experiences. My tractor did the same thing and I had read about it happening to others before. It was a two minute fix I may or may not figured out as quickly, but having done read about it helped. Now the day my pto would'nt run, I would'nt had known about the reset, had it not been for this very forum. That saved me a bunch of worrying and proably a trip to the dealer.
Thanks to the powers that be, running this forum, and all the good people that post here, you can tell there is some really fine people on this board.