No start troubles

[General Lee]

I support the idea of temporarily bypassing some of those safety switches, especially all of them at once, like the "hard start" thing does. However, there are several easy, no-cost tests you cannperform first, if one knows how or can be coached thru the process.
To test if the solenoid is being energized, hook one wire of your tester (voltmeter or test light) to a good ground. Touch the other end to the big starter terminal right there on the starter. This is a "test the tester first" strategy I follow. If the meter or light reacts, then un hook that lead and hook it to the small "energizer" terminal on the starter solenoid. Then hit the key. The meter or light should indicate the presence of power at the energizer terminal.

If power is present when you twist the key, you can pretty much assume that all the safety switches and the key switch itself is OK.
If no power is present when you twist the key, then we will go further into some tests you can do easily, and probably learn some basics to help yourself out next time.

Haven't forgot about you guys, just haven't had much time to investigate further. I did spend about 45 minutes going through some things before dark this evening. Got a new test light coming tomorrow. I'd like to figure this out on my own if I can before I ship it to the dealer. This tractor only has about 170 hours on it being 12 years old. Battery is showing 12 volts as it sits, a little weak I know but its the original battery. I've placed a fully charged jump pack on the battery for a boost in volts and still no crank with the key turned to start, just glow plugs clicking. Without the jump pack hooked up, tractor starts fine jumping the starter solenoid on the original battery.

Pulled the ignition switch out without taking the dash apart. Could only see so much but no obvious corrosion. Unplugged the safety seat switch and got ZERO clicks with the key. No glow plug clicks, nothing. plugged it back in and the glow plug clicks returned. Battery terminals and ground are tight. Looked at the 40amp key start fuse next to battery, have no idea what that fuse looks like blown, not familiar with that type of fuse at all.

This tractor is the L4400D....Hydro tranny with a clutch and electric PTO engagement lever. I'm wondering if the Neutral safety switch located above the clutch pedal is bad. When you push the clutch pedal (required to start) it makes contact with a plunger style switch. I can see if this failed, it would cause a no start. Not sure how to test it though. Probably would have to remove it and check the Ohms.

I'm hoping I'll have some time tomorrow afternoon to check the voltage to the starter solenoid. Also I looked for a safety switch for the hydro pedal. Didn't see one, just the one above the clutch pedal.

 

[General Lee]

Found the problem... I actually just got back inside from taking the dog out and decided to have another look because I felt I've missed a safety switch somewhere. Finally found the hydro pedal "neutral switch". Plunger style and its on the opposite side of the pedal all the way on the left side of the tractor. As the hydro pedal sits now it is not depressing the plunger enough. So I wedged in a shim so the plunger was pressed in and low and behold the tractor started. So.....I'm assuming the hydro pedal needs adjusted (if that's possible) or the switch itself. The switch did not appear loose but I need to take a better look at things in the daylight and see what can be adjusted. The tractor stops moving when my foot is taken off the pedal so it seems it's floating to neutral just fine, but that plunger on the safety switch is not being hit right.

 

[JWR]

Found the problem... I actually just got back inside from taking the dog out and decided to have another look because I felt I've missed a safety switch somewhere. Finally found the hydro pedal "neutral switch". Plunger style and its on the opposite side of the pedal all the way on the left side of the tractor. As the hydro pedal sits now it is not depressing the plunger enough. So I wedged in a shim so the plunger was pressed in and low and behold the tractor started. So.....I'm assuming the hydro pedal needs adjusted (if that's possible) or the switch itself. The switch did not appear loose but I need to take a better look at things in the daylight and see what can be adjusted. The tractor stops moving when my foot is taken off the pedal so it seems it's floating to neutral just fine, but that plunger on the safety switch is not being hit right.

Great news -- good for you. I suspect the position of the neutral detection switch is adjustable. May be quite hard to get in to where you see it well or tighten it up. By the way -- you just proved that the neutral sensing switch is the ONLY safety (of several) out of whack -- because it will start when you shim that one safety interlock and won't start without it shimmed. Another comment: if you had the "hard start kit" installed it still would not have started because the neutral switch being open would have prevented the trigger signal making it to the hard start relay. Glad you found it.

 

[General Lee]

Great news -- good for you. I suspect the position of the neutral detection switch is adjustable. May be quite hard to get in to where you see it well or tighten it up. By the way -- you just proved that the neutral sensing switch is the ONLY safety (of several) out of whack -- because it will start when you shim that one safety interlock and won't start without it shimmed. Another comment: if you had the "hard start kit" installed it still would not have started because the neutral switch being open would have prevented the trigger signal making it to the hard start relay. Glad you found it.

I'm hoping it's a relatively easy fix. I've been poking around on the forums looking for info on hydro pedal adjustments. I'm just seeing doom and gloom posts about worn bushings/hydro servo's. The hydro pedal has been operating just fine as far as I can tell when I'm operating the tractor. For some reason the hydro pedal linkage is not depressing that safety switch plunger correctly. I see me duct taping that plunger in the pressed position and rocking on Lol.

 

[JWR]

I really doubt it is a pedal adjustment. More likely a mount adjustment of the interlock switch as I mentioned above. If you can't figure out how to adjust it can't you ask a local [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] dealer ? You've bypassed 90% of the job by finding the culprit switch/interlock. Service manual (not owners manual) should say if you can find a manual or borrow one.

 

[General Lee]

So after looking things over there are plenty of things to adjust on the linkages. I wasn't comfortable just to start loosing jam nuts and all, plus had no one to operate the pedal while I see what linkage does what. So I just fluid filmed all the linkage and so far things are working as they should. Switch is getting pressed and the tractor starts

 

[Fallon]

So after looking things over there are plenty of things to adjust on the linkages. I wasn't comfortable just to start loosing jam nuts and all, plus had no one to operate the pedal while I see what linkage does what. So I just fluid filmed all the linkage and so far things are working as they should. Switch is getting pressed and the tractor starts

Lubing things is almost never a bad call. It can attract grit, but it usually solves way more problems than it causes.

 

[Jimbo16720]

Sounds to me like the solenoid might be the problem if it starts when jumped from there. Them contacts get burnt causing low current to flow through them like a dirty terminal.