TC 33DA Throttle Goes to Max on Start

[SpotsyChris]

2003 TC 33DA, Manual Transmission, 14LA loader, 325 hours, located in Fredericksburg VA area. I used the tractor yesterday to put in some post holes and light barn work. Parked the tractor outside by the garage because we were going to use it again this morning. It got real cold last night, about 10 degrees, but that hasn't been a problem in the past. When we went to start it, it fired right up then the the engine started to rev up to max and I turned off the key. I checked the hand throttle and it seems stuck (at minimum) and won't move. The foot throttle seems to have full range of motion. I tried disconnecting the cable from the hand throttle and restarted and the same thing happens. As soon as the engine catches, it tries to go wide open. I tried again later with the temp up to the high 20s and it still is happening. Any suggestion? I am not a great mechanic and haven't done much to the tractor except routine maintenance. It has never had this type of symptom before.

 

[jinman]

I believe your throttle cable is stuck and holding the throttle open. You said the hand throttle was stuck and you disconnected it. Where did you disconnect it? On the engine? I would watch the throttle movement on the injector pump while moving the foot throttle to see if it was operating. You should be able to see movement of the throttle on the engine as you change the foot throttle or hand throttle. If your hand throttle is stuck, the cable may be frozen or otherwise not operating. I think if you fix the throttle cables, the revving engine will take care of itself. If your problem is water frozen in the cable, then you might be able to defrost it with a handheld hair dryer.

 

[Soundguy]

Along with what jinman said.. keep in mind that the hand and foot throttle can operate semi-independently. IE.. if the hand throttle is set.. that sets the minimum throttle, and the foot throttle can increase throttle from there without effecting the hand throttle.

DO check to see if both the foot and hand throttle are moving linkag eont he pump and that it is returning to low throttle level.. if it is.. then I'm thinking stuck rack in the pump..

soundguy

 

[schmism]

Mine finnally stuck the other day.... Wouldnt lift up past half way on the dash (about 1500 rpm) so i used a bit more force.... then it went.... wide open... and couldnt get her to back down.

shuter down and took the access pannel off the right side were the throttle cable connects. pushed on the lever thingie and it freed up and returned (spring return) to normal.

fired it up, moved the throttle lever up and down and it repsonded correctly. been fine ever sence.

 

[SpotsyChris]

I disconnected the hand throttle cable at the engine end, which I assume is the pump. On my tractor the cable end closest to the block was the hand throttle. The foot throttle still moves freely and was still moving the linkage on the pump. The linkage on the pump seems to move freely and at minimum appears to be on the low speed stop (which appears to be adjustable). What is the easiest way to into the dash to get to the hand throttle assy to try to free it up and lubricate it? Thanks for the suggestions so far! For Soundguy - I used to have a 47 8N and used it for many years until the need for a more capable tractor came along. Kinda miss the simplicity of the old 8N!
-Chris

 

[jinman]

What is the easiest way to into the dash to get to the hand throttle assy to try to free it up and lubricate it?

Can you hold the throttle against the stop with your right hand and reach over and start the engine with your left hand? If so, it should not rev up. It should stay at idle.

I believe your dash cowling comes off like mine. There are two bolts in the center under the steering wheel and two more on the right firewall. You have to raise the hood to get to the ones on the firewall. You should carefully remove the right cowling. You'll probably have to disconnect the ignition switch. The hand throttle is a cable that operates very similar to a lawnmower throttle. Don't be surprised by all the dirt under the cowling. It's normal.

 

[dqdave1]

Hopefully it is frozen cables; if not you have injector pump problem; $$$$$$

 

[dynasim]

When it is cold and rainy(<25 F), the throttle on my TC45D freezes at the throttle level that I had left it at when I shut it down. After about 15 minutes, the throttle lever becomes effective again(presumably because the ice blockage melts).

It hasn't bitten me yet because I throttle back, and let it idle for 10 seconds or so when I shut it down.

Chris

Edit: I can move the throttle lever when this happens, it just doesn't change the speed.

 

[AGRIMAN]

Unless I'm over looking or misunderstanding something I'm not so sure about the cause being a stuck cable.

He stated that the hand throttle (assuming hand lever) is stuck in the low idle position and the foot throttle cable is free. This should only cause a lose of the hand throttle function to increase the RPM.

In the second post he stated that, after removing the hand throttle cable from the engine, the pump lever could be moved freely and would rest against the low idle adjusting stop. This is suggesting to me that something inside the pump as gone wrong which is surprising because the pump are very reliable and usually don't give trouble.

Spotsychris, Did you restart the engine after removing the cable from the pump lever and did the engine RPM's return to normal or remain at max?

If it remained at max I would be very careful with trying to restart the engine. You have been quick to shut it down so far and you should remain quick to respond because if the pump is stuck it may become impossible to shut down. Not to mention that a 20 degree wide open start up is not good on it ether.

To be on the safe side you may want to call your dealer on this one.

 

[SpotsyChris]

SUCCESS!! We had a warmer day here in VA (up to 40 today) and the tractor started right up and ran well! I wonder if there is just enough water in the fuel to cause problems? I will be treating my fuel from here on in to ensure the water is addressed as well as the chance of gelling is eliminated. Thanks to all of you who posted suggestions and ideas to try.

Thanks,
Chris