John Deere 318 wont start

[General Stuart]

I hope the problem isn't a bad starter on your deere cause I believe you have to remove the engine to replace the starter on the 318

Hello
Pulling the Engine is Not a huge Job, I can have mine out and on the floor in about Thirty Minutes. Unhook The fuel line and throttle & choke Linkage's as well as the Hot side Battery cable end from the battery Post as well as Unhook the Negative Battery Terminal then Un-bolt it from the engine block. Unhook the engine wiring Harness, Remove the floor Pan, Unhook the One dead center top Hydraulic Line in the way of getting to the Flywheel drive shaft bolts. Take out The Four flywheel drive shaft coupler bolts, Take out the Four Oil Pan to Frame mounting bolt's, Unhook the PTO wiring harness, Pull The engine forward and remove it from the Frame. Once it is out and on the floor or bench the starter is easy to get at. Good Luck, Keep us Posted on how you made out. Regards, Hammerdown

 

[mikefamig]

I know that this is late but hope that it is not too late to help.

Put the positive lead of a volt meter on the electrical post on the starter motor and the negative lead to the body of the starter. Try to start the machine and read the meter. If the meter reads 12 volts or more for several seconds and the motor doesn't spin the you either have a bad starter or your engine is stuck. A fully charged battery will read about 13 volts with no load but will read less when under a load. The starter motor puts a large load on the battery and the voltage will drop when spinning the engine but should mainbtain about 10.5 volts or so.

Mike.

 

[Gunk]

Hi everyone.

I have an '85 Deere 318 and it will not start. When I go to crank it, the solenoid just clicks ONCE and the starter does not spin at all. Sometimes the starter would spin almost like it wasnt catching and spinning the engine and a little tap on the side of the starter with a hammer would get it going again. Now I have nothing. There is current going to the starter but the tester light was not very bright so it doesnt seem to be a very strong current. So my question is.... is it the solenoid or is it the starter? Im hoping its the solenoid because I really dont want to have to lift the engine to get the starter out. Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!
Charles in Maryland

You need this kit:
AM107421

You can get it from the dealer, or from the green parts store.com

I had the same problem. The kit fixes it. Easy fix.

 

[milligjg]

You may need this kit. I ordered one but haven't installed it yet. Also may want to check the years. This was a known JD problem.

Amazon.com: John Deere AM17421 Starter Relay Kit AM17421, 316 318 16 165 18 42 GX75 SRX95: Industrial & Scientific

 

[Kish318420]

I would also check the key switch for dirt, moisture, corrosion and contacts being bad. The old design caused issues with burned contacts in the switch, so the damage is done. I have found that I needed to replace the switch along with putting in the relay for prevention.