john deere 3520 wont start.

[Williy]

I would suggest that you remove the battery cables
clean them check with ohm meter if ok then clean
connections on tractor and replace cables. Next
start with starter

willy

 

[kennyd]

I guess its a process of elimination, new battery has the same symptoms

Wow, sorry to hear that-I would have put $20 on a bad battery.

 

[burnpile]

Having a mobile tractor service out next week to fix this, they are also going to do a full service, $205 per hr inc travel time.

 

[Rob REECE]

I tried to start the tractor yesterday, when you turn the key usually the dash lights come on, then turning further starts the engine. Now when I turn the key everything is dark, I charged the battery overnight so its good. When the key is on if I turn the headlight switch the dash lights flicker, but then go dark.

 

[CoveredWagon2]

I tried to start the tractor yesterday, when you turn the key usually the dash lights come on, then turning further starts the engine. Now when I turn the key everything is dark, I charged the battery overnight so its good. When the key is on if I turn the headlight switch the dash lights flicker, but then go dark.

Sounds like an issue I had with my Case 580SE backhoe. My lights worked, but when I tried to start it I lost all power. I thought it was the 4 year old battery and replaced it. No joy! After scratching my head for a few hours I found that the ground wire was corroded at he lug, under the shrink wrap! I put a new lug on it and it has worked great since!
Sometimes the most baffleing problems are the most simple!

 

[sixdogs]

I wrote something and then deleted it about an engineer I knew that worked with automotive issues. He said that almost all weird electrical problems in cars are the result of a bad ground. Sometimes you need more than one ground.

I met him when I insisted he was wrong labelling my electrical problem a bad ground when I had built the car myself. Oops, he was right.

 

[Flogger]

Never had a bad battery cause flicker. Bad connections and switches do though. I refuse to exist without a product called No-Ox-Ide A. Every connection I touch gets a thin coat except solder joints. It will make common electrical problems disappear over time.

 

[Williy]

Years ago this guy came into the gas station with one bright litght and one dim told him on the dim one to clean
the ground wire he thanked me later.
This older guy came into the gas station temp was in the
teens and he said he can't get any heat out of his old chevy I told him you just changed the anti-freeze he said how did you know that? I told him to go home let the engine cool down then turn your heater on full blast take off radiator cap start the engine then add more mix you have trapped air in the heater coils this will get you some heat.
When ever I have electrical problems first thing I do is clean the cables and when I have one end loose check
to see with ohm meter is the cable is good or open. With
all the vehicles that I have owned I never had a bad cable
they just needed cleaning perhaps I never kept them long
enough for this to happen???????

willy

 

[sixdogs]

This isn't related but maybe it is. When we had incandescent light bulbs, I had trouble with the 200-300W shop bulbs burning out early. I started to put a small amount of dielectric grease on the tip of the contact before installation and that made them last much longer. Beats me.

I got that advice from a farming magazine.

 

[olenjohn]

Had the same symptoms on a Mahindra. Bad ground. Take the ground wire off at the frame and scrape / clean the connection to bare metal.

 

[burnpile]

I did remove and clean both connections, at the battery, the ground to the engine, and the positive to the starter, pretty sure its a loose connection in the dash. The repair guy is here today between 9am and 11am to start fixing it. He also going to do a major? service on the engine and the hydraulic system.

 

[wtstarters]

Seems everybody has a pressure washer these days. Things that never got wet or rusted before, now do. I usually load test the battery and clean the terminals & cable ends (both ends), check the positive cable on the starter solenoid, neg cable end wherever it fastens. If that doesn't help use one leg of a jumper cable set and fasten it to the neg battery terminal, fasten the other end to a clean bolt on the starter. This will bypass any bad ground connection between the battery and the starter.

 

[Williy]

When you lift one end of the cable ohm it that way you
will know the cable is good and not rotted out in the middle
and when finished with cleaning cables put some dielectric
grease on the ends it will save you a lot of head aches

willy

 

[hummertom]

Chk the wiring to the back of the start switch, there should be 1 main wire in and a bunch out. Also check the relays that plug in to the fuse/distribution panel.

 

[burnpile]

After a lot of head scratching he found that one of the terminals had come un plugged from the back of the fuse panel, everything works now, $1400 later. He did also change the oil and air cleaner and did a routine check and lube on all points.

 

[Gregster613]

After a lot of head scratching he found that one of the terminals had come un plugged from the back of the fuse panel, everything works now, $1400 later. He did also change the oil and air cleaner and did a routine check and lube on all points.

Thanks for the final follow-up to conclusion. Often that is left unanswered by op. Glad all is fixed now.