location of glow plug relay on 2003 4020

[sassafraspete]

My tractor is 13 yrs old. Still loving it. It has been a dream to start in the cold winters, I am talking below 0 F starts.....well that is until this December. We had an unusually cold period in the middle of this month (single digits), and for the first time my tractor struggled to start. I am trying to figure out where the glow plug relay is located on this model. There is a relay located on the firewall next to the fuse box that reads omron KG8JR- 1 A2T DC 12v 70 A YDO. There also seems to be some relays located under the instrument panel/ steering wheel left side that look like a job to get to...eg take off some of the panels.

Can anybody out there point me to where this relay is on the 4020 and how to best access it?

sassafraspete

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

I can check my manual and see if they list it in there.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

Hope this helps

 

[sassafraspete]

Thanks Jason for taking the time and trouble to post the diagrams. I was starting to come to the conclusion that the relay out on the firewall might be the fuel solenoid relay, and that the glow plug relay was under the left side of instrument panel somewhere. Your diagrams and some parts lists that I looked at for the 4020R seem to indicate similar areas. I wish I had the proper 4020 service manual, but don't. We have had a few moderate temp days over the new years break, with today being last warm day before another artic blast...so hoping to dig into some testing on the tractor today. I plan on testing each glow plug, but I suspect with the suddeness of it going from working great, to being a dog to start might suggest relay not working correctly. This is what I hope to determine. I have enjoyed reading about your tractor purchase and subsequent upgrades. These are great tractors.

sassafraspete

 

[sassafraspete]

Yesterday I was able to get my tractor into a well lighted garage and start troubleshooting the cold starting issue. Using information/tips gained on this forum, I started by using my test light, putting the aligator clip on a good grounding spot and touching the probe tip to the end of each glow plug while turning the key on thru the timing cycle. The light worked on all three and shut off after a few seconds.

I then removed the 2 copper buss wires that join the top of the 3 glow plugs in serial very carefully as to not lose the tiny nuts and washers and set those aside . (you probably want to work over a clean floor as if you lose these out in the dirt, would be hard to find. Also a magnetized screw driver or other item is useful in picking up the tiny washers off the studs).

Next for the spark test, I took a test wire I have with aligator clips on both ends and pulled the boot back on the positive post of the starter and clipped one end to that and the other end to the shaft of a screwdriver. I touched the top of each glow plug , making sure I was getting contact. One threw off a spark and 2 didn't. I took the air compressor and blew off the area around each plug. I turned the 2 bad plugs out a few turns and then blew off again. These had been painted over at factory (13 yrs old and never removed) so when turning them out some paint was flaking off. I removed the 2 bad glow plugs and also used my shop vac to suck any remaining debris from the holes. I then took the 2 glow plugs out to my car and with jumper cables attached positive to the glow plug top and the negative to the threaded body and hooked up to my car battery. There was no heating up of either plug.

I called my tractor dealer (who is 45 min away) ,decided it made sense to replace all 3 while I was at it, so he had them in stock and so I was able to get them and put them in and get everything back together by late afternoon. Yes, I could have probably found some cheaper, but I believe in supporting my dealer as I have gotten lots of free advice and help from him over the years... plus a visit gives me a chance to shoot the bull and drool over the new tractors....LOL. Also, it would be a quick trip and get things done.

So last night , 21 degrees ...and I had to test this morning. Started right up. We'll be getting some single digits in the next few days so I'll be getting a chance for some real world testing. Anyhow, short story long, I never had to get to the part of verifying exactly where the glow plug relay is located...no need to test at this point.

Thanks for all the good info on this forum and help from fellow members.

Sassafraspete

 

[LincTex]

I'm glad you found your problem and that your tractor now starts successfully.

However, please forgo the testing just for "testing's sake" and park that poor girl inside someplace warm.
I can't tell you how many worn parts I've seen over the years, many from engines started in extreme cold with no preheating. It really is kind of hard on them.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

Good work bud, and thank you for the kind comments.

 

[Branson Bob]

As a general comment, I wish we had more members in our Branson community but we have some real stalwart posters here.

Mechanically I have not too much to offer but I love reading the threads and comments from some of our really knowledgeable posters (you know who you are).

Good job Pete. Way to get it done.

 

[Reg]

Bahh, my 2005 Century 42 got worse and worse this winter.
I had to plug in the block heater for an hour or more every time I wanted to use it.
So, this morning I decided to go a' troubleshooting (trouble usually shoots back).

There is voltage to the end of the glow plug bus bar, so at least the relay and control circuit fuse are OK.

Maybe a little TOO MUCH voltage - - 12.65 to be precise and I would have EXPECTED 4 glow plugs to load down the battery a bit, e.g. my Duramax drops battery voltage to about 10 volts on cold mornings (I know, that has 8 plugs).

I'm thinking I need to pull them and buzz each one for resistance, but with 12.65 when all 4 are connected I don't think I have a "good" one to compare against.

BTW, how much ? and who has the best deal on them ?
I'm not in a hurry and could wait for mail order.

 

[Reg]

A web search turned up MY OWN POST from 8 years ago (-:
I pulled them out anyway and SURPRISE ! they are still A36J 11V glow plugs.
Three of them are completely open circuit, the other one measures 38 Ohms.

Not having much luck web shopping and my (50 miles away) dealer doesn't have a full set of them in stock - when he does they are $43.xx each.
I came across a couple of web pages offering plugs for the smaller 3 cyl engines, as low as $13.

Still looking for plugs and/or cross reference tables.