Jinma 224 blowing fuse!

[dh0765]

I have a Jinma 224 that only has 8 hours on it. I keep blowing the main fues every time I try to start the **** thing! As you can tell, I am a little frustrated. I have looked at everything I can see and don't see any wires touching anywhere, but everytime a put a new fuse in, I can turn the key to the on position and I get dash lights, but when I turn the next step to start, it blows the top 30 amp fuse. Please help!

David

 

[TedLaRue]

dh0765,

Since the fuse blows when you try to crank the engine, you're looking for wires/devices that are energized when the key is in the 'start' position, but aren't energized when the key is in the 'on' position.

When the key is in that "start cranking" position, you're sending current through the starter solenoid which clicks (to engage the starter drive gear with the teeth on the flywheel), and then sends current to the starter motor.

When you turn the key on over to the "start cranking" position, do you hear the starter solenoid click or attempt to engage? If so, then you may have a problem with the starter. You could disconnect the wire to the solenoid (the light gauge wire, not the big heavy one) and see if the fuse still blows.

You're probably also sending current to the glow plugs, probably through a glow plug timer unit. That would be something else to check into.

My information is pretty general because I'm not familiar with your tractor, but I hope it gives you a place to start.

 

[Red55]

David-

I had the same problem with my Jinma 284 and found/ did three things to fix it-
1) Installed a relay for the glow plugs and changed the fuses to BUSS (american made)
2)Cleaned the neg ground from the battery (bare metal and star washer) also cleaned the starter connections and alternator connections
3)Found pin for voltaged regulator backing out -look at regulator and the pins it connects to. There have also been several problems with the clutch safety switch/ wiring shorting out Good luck -Ed

 

[joerocker]

Before you go through all that trouble...take a look at the clutch safety switch and make sure wires aren't getting pinched between the pedal and the switch, shorting out and causing the fuse to blow. I went though 4 fuses before noticing it.

Oops, seems Red55 already mentioned it...

 

[studor]

My vote goes to the clutch safety switch. Make sure the tractor is in NEUTRAL -- disconnect the two wire connector and bridge it ,then try the start. If that fails, see if turning the key just to on and then bridging the red wire connection to the battery lead connection on the starter solinoid will start it ( Actually key does not even have to be on). If it does then there is no problem with the starter -- just the hinky wiring in the starter circuit. Please be carefull and make sure the tractor is out of gear -- it can start in gear and ruin your whole day
It really is annoying to hear that fuse snap isn't it

 

[dh0765]

After 3-4 fuses last night, I called it a night. I started again this morning. I replaced the fuse again. Prior to trying to start it, i inspected all wiring that I could see and couldn't find anything. So before doing anything else, I put the tractor in Neutral and checked to make sure it was 5 times. Then I pushed the pin on the safety switch in with my finger instead of the cluch pedal and it started fine. I again checked to make sure the pedal and linkage wasn't pinching anything. My question is, if the pedal arm touches the metal on the switch when it pushes the little nylon pin in, will that ground it out? Do I need to adjust the switch? I wouldn't think this is the case, because the switch is mounted to the frame anyway. Your help is appreciated!

David

 

[Red55]

David-

You found the problem! Sometimes the sw shorts to the metal frame/bracket othertimes it melts the undersized wire that runs to the clutch safety sw Almost always the sw isn't adjusted properly. There is a metal stud above the sw that is supposed to be the stop for the clutch petal Unfortuantely no one told the assembler in China and most have the sw acting as the stop. I would still clean all the connections that I mentioned earlier especially the neg gnd for the battery it will prevent future electrical frustrations! -Ed

 

[studor]

I bet you if you take the clutch safety switch off, the back end of it will be broken in little plastic bits -- sometimes the switch is pinched against the bell housing and it creates an intermittant short in the switch itself -- really annoying and makes you wonder if you got a lemon -- patience -- once you get over these trials you will love the tractor. you can bridge out the clutch switch with a standard two wire trailer connector wired together -- but it requires being aware that you have disabled the SAFETY feature. You might want to think about getting a new safety switch any way -- if it is not broken it is a good spare to have. The suggestions Red made are good ones -- the grounding on these machines is a PITA so cleaning and tightening electrical connections is never a bad thing -- oh yeah --I have a bunch of spare thirty amp fuse and have not used one in about 8 months

 

[dh0765]

So even though the switch is bolted to the frame, touching the metal outside with the clutch pedal would short it out and blow the fuse? I really appreciate all of your help! It is good to know there is a place with helpful people to turn to for resolutions to problems!

 

[studor]

Your logic is sound but I still bet the switch is fried -- it is likely that the light push of the finger is connecting the switch without shorting it to the frame versus the clutch pedal is causing enough pressure to short the switch internally against the casing. The switch mechanism is actually supposed to be insulated from the frame, not grounded to it (simple make - break switch). It sounds like your wiring is ok but the switch is not

 

[dh0765]

Makes sense! I will get me a new switch. Thanks for all of your help.

David

 

[Red55]

David-
When you replace the cl safety sw have someone on the tractor pushing in the clutch pedal (to max) then adjust the clutch sw so it just makes contact. That adjustment was the only time I could get my wife on the tractor Hopefully this will keep the new sw from crapping out -Ed

 

[3RRL]

First off, it's a good thing you found your problem since chasing electrical shorts is a small PITA. These guys all had the same problem with that clutch safety switch and I did too with my wife's brand new Jinma 284. It was so bad that it fried the small wires on the switch going to it. The wires coming from the tractor were like 12ga and the switch wires were smaller like 14 or 16ga. I heard them sizzle when I was looking at the switch while my wife attempted to start the tractor. I could see the plastic sheathing just fry up. I was lucky to see it or I would still be looking for the starting problem today.

What studor said about the switch being toast is probably correct. what happened with mine is that not only was it set so the switch itself acted like the clutch pedal stop, but I found that the back of the switch where the wire connectors are were being pushed up against the tranny or bell housing causing a short. The back of the switch is plastic and the contacts would move in it, like they were loose. This was the initial problem with sometimes starting and sometimes not. The problem is there is not much adjustment and that little bracket doesn't seem to keep the switch far enough away from contacting the housing when it's backed out far enough to keep the pedal from smashing it. A combination of pedal stop (move it out a bit) and proper switch location is what's needed. Also, set it far away from the housing but still so it contacts the clutch pedal to activate the switch.

Right now I removed the switch from the circuit because it and it's wires fried, so I have no safety there. I don't recommend doing that and I need to get a replacement for it. I'd need to replace the small wires on the new switch to be equal in size to what comes from the tractor.
Here is a good thread where I showed all we did to her 284 Jinma. It might be helpful since it is very similar to your 224. My New Jinma
Here is a thread in another forum (similar thread) but it addresses your problem starting with reply #83 and photos in reply #91.
New Jinma

 

[TSMART]

I had the same thing happen to me, kept on blowing main fuse. However, it was not the clutch saftey switch....it was the ignition switch. I found this out because I was looking for a bad ground. I pulled the ignition/key switch. Upon reinserting it, I touched two leads to metal or something, and the main fuse blew.

By the way the bad ground was on the fram of the tractor....the bolt where the neg attatches to the frame. Yeah it was tight. But there was no ground there....soon as I retorked the bolt I had power again.

Like you, I had a few problems under 50 hours, and it was a learning curve...past that, it has been really trouble free...I now have 250 hours on it.