bkenobi
Silver Member
My project tractor sometimes is a bit hard to start. The battery is relatively new and when it's running, the motor runs strong. I don't think the issue is the starter because once it starts spinning it will go for a while if need be. Today I spun it for around 20 seconds hoping it would kick over. I stopped when I noticed a little wisp of smoke from the right side of the hood which I had raised. Upon investigation, the hot/red side of the solenoid was getting hot. The lead to the battery was warm, but the stud on the solenoid was hot enough that it had melted a hole in the rubber cover of the hot lead.
I'm wondering if the solenoid could be the problem or just a symptom of cranking for too long? I've checked other things (plugs, compression, etc) but this is the first I thought of the solenoid. They are fairly cheap and easy to source so if it's a possibility I'll swap it out. Other threads here suggest grounding, corroded contacts, wire gage, etc. I haven't tried those yet but they sound like good options to look into before swapping parts, too.
I'm wondering if the solenoid could be the problem or just a symptom of cranking for too long? I've checked other things (plugs, compression, etc) but this is the first I thought of the solenoid. They are fairly cheap and easy to source so if it's a possibility I'll swap it out. Other threads here suggest grounding, corroded contacts, wire gage, etc. I haven't tried those yet but they sound like good options to look into before swapping parts, too.