July 3, 2022
My name is Terry. I've been a best friend to forum user Retchr, better known to me as Barry, for over 25 years. Barry is/was an LS XR4040 owner but owned and worked on various other tractors down through the years.
I am sad to post that Barry was diagnosed with cancer just weeks ago about early May of 2022, and passed away June 23, 2022 just one day after his first scheduled chemo treatment which he was too sick to receive. He was only 73 years old and still going strong until just weeks before his passing. His sudden illness and rapid demise was a real shocker for his wife, family, church family, friends, myself and dozens more.
Retchr I suspect stands for Retired Teacher. He taught Industrial Arts classes for many years, as did myself for a few, but we lived similar lives, went to the same church together many years, and shared many interests including remodeling, construction, mechanics, woodworking, tractors, etc. Our daughters Becky and Megan were even best of friends during their childhood. I lost Megan to brain cancer in 2012 while she was in CO completing her PhD. in chemistry, same field in which Barry's daughter got her PhD.
I remember many conversations about his tractor and his latest tractor modifications and got to watch his progress personally. He even brought it out to the farm and raked hay with it on a couple occasions for me. Barry was a very smart man and a true friend.
He passed with an unresolved issue related to his XR4040. It up and quit and was dead in the water the last month or so he was alive. Major issues I think were resolved by simply removing/disconnecting battery cables and other Higher Current carrying conductors, mechanically cleaning the same of corrosion and other metallic oxide build up, and reconnection of same after a proper treatment of connections with a dielectric grease or tune-up grease to help seal out future moisture invasion, (a common issue for electrical connectors on outdoor equipment and connectors often of mixed metal content, I suspect). Major points include at the battery itself, the three grounding points one of which is on the engine block itself, the end of the starter motor/solenoid where cables are stacked together, and at the double 60 Amp fuse block close to the starter. While perhaps unnecessary, I actually ground the thick layer of paint away at all ground connection points to assure additional ground contact surface. There was extensive oxidation at the starter connections and on/in the fuse block which has the two bolt in place 60 amp fuses.
Cleaning of connectors can be accomplished with a variety of tools and materials, the choice of which largely depends on the connector itself. For paint removal at ground points and on the ends of the heavier duty cables I used rotary powered abrasives but for smaller cable ends and fuse ends I typically used had held emery paper/cloth of appropriate finer grit for the particular component.
I managed to get it starting again just a little over a week before Barry died but once started it would always die after only about 2 seconds of running once key was released from "Crank" position. We discussed it, looked for solutions in the service manual and on this forum and were confident that once he got better we would be able to fix it without having to take it to the dealership. Resolving this issue without having to haul it to the dealership remains my goal posthumously for Barry and myself.
The starts but then dies issue when key is released from the "crank" position, I presume has something to do with the fuel solenoid on the end of the injector pump or other fuel metering/control/fuel shut off components or governing electronics. Most of the electrical items related to the issue have already been checked but that doesn't mean I haven't missed something or that an issue does not exist somewhere with wiring or in the wiring harness.
I will be watching for any input regarding this issue over the next few days.
Though Barry and I lived within about a 25 minute drive from each other for 20 years or so, I now live almost 2 hours away so dropping by to help out on a project now requires advance planning. A return trip in near future is planned to see if I can resolve the issue with his tractor.
Thanks for all the interest you showed in his modifications.
Respectfully,
Terry E. / iwheelanddeal
I go on here as iwheelanddeal which is easy to remember since I use that same ID on a popular online selling venue.
