tc40da turns over won't start

Tractoringaround · Sep 3, 2010

I have 479 hrs on this tractor and have had no problems up till now. I was running for about 15 minuites mowing w/ pto engaged and it just quit on me. It did not die slowly or was not running rough, just flat out died instantly....basicly like someone pulled out the extention cord as if I was pluged in to the garage outlet! So all it does is turn over but will not start. I checked all the safety switches I know of with an ohm meter...all are fine. My understanding is if they were bad it would not turn over at all, but I checked them anyway. I gave up and came back the next day. It stared right up! I turned my blue baby around and got about 50 ft and then it just quit on me again. Then I checked the fuel shut off solenoid. I took it up to the garage and used a fully charged battery with jumper cables to test it out and the actuating pin worked fine. After a couple days I had one of my nieghbors drag me up to the garage.

Yesterday I took off the covers around the steering collum and moved the relays around. Still just turns over but will not start. Is there some way to check the relays with a meter?

I am going to test the fuel shutoff solenoid again. I am going to measure the pin...I saw something about that in another tread the repair manuel insrtuctions recomends that. Could it be it is just thinking about going out and has not decided yet....so sometimes it works and then not?

Oh, and Yes, I checked all the fuses. Any other ideas for me? It has to be something simple.

Thanks, Brian

jinman · Sep 3, 2010

Did you try to start it with the parking brake set? If not, set the parking brake and see if it will start. If it does, take the parking brake off and see if it dies. If it does die when you let off the parking brake, the problem is your seat switch. Pull up on the parking brake handle, but don't engage the brake pedal. That will turn on the parking brake light and allow you to start the tractor if the tractor is in neutral and the PTO light is off.

Here's the key:

1. The seat switch disables the fuel solenoid, but allows the starter to work.
2. The PTO and Range Lever out of neutral, disables the starter, but not the fuel solenoid.
3. If you are in neutral with the parking brake set, you should be able to start the tractor whether you are in the seat or not.

Knowing how those three things work really helps with troubleshooting. Of course, it could be a relay, but I'd bet your seat switch is intermittent in its operation.

Tractoringaround · Sep 3, 2010

Thanks Jim, I checked out the seat switch real good it was fine. I did deside to just take it out and jump it because when I leanI forward sometimes the tractor will almost stall.

I found the problem. It is the operator safety module. It had to be three things I fugured. 1 the fuel shutoff solenid ( I retested it and it was fine ) 2 the fuel shuoff relay ( my operators manuel says it is #1 but the guy at the dealer said it was #6 ) so I swaped out those relays with other ones assuming they all can't be bad. OR 3 the operator safety module.

So I called the nice people at the dealer, Pauley Equipment in Temecula, and the guy in the service department faxed over the info from the service repair book on where the operator safety module was and how to test it. Sure enough it did not pass the test. So I am going to order one. They are 60 bucks. It is located next to the stering collum hanging from three wires. I hope this helps someone if they have the same problem.

Brian

jinman · Sep 4, 2010

Brian, you may not be the only one having this problem. See the post about the TC35 by johnmik.

Bothwell · Jun 18, 2011

Hey Brian,

You wouldn't happen to still have the testing information for the operator safety module? I'm having a similar problem.

My fuel shutoff solenoid works great if jumped, but I'm not getting any power to the wire that connects to the fuel shotoff solenoid (even when sitting in seat, parking brake on, PTO disengaged). I'm guessing it's either the operator safety module, the fuel shutoff relay, or some frayed wire inbetween?

Michael

jinman · Jun 18, 2011

Bothwell said:
Hey Brian,

You wouldn't happen to still have the testing information for the operator safety module? I'm having a similar problem.

I'm not getting any power to the wire that connects to the fuel shotoff solenoid (even when sitting in seat, parking brake on, PTO disengaged).
Michael

Michael, you need to also be in Neutral on your Range Lever for the parking brake to bypass the seat switch. You may have just forgot to list that, but I'm mentioning it just in case.

Of course, if you are not in neutral, the engine won't turn over either.

Bothwell · Jun 20, 2011

Thanks Jim,

I forgot to mention I've also got it in neutral, and I've checked all the fuses under the gauges.

I spent a fair bit of time this weekend searching on the posts here and your name sure seems to come up alot with very helpful information. THANK YOU!:thumbsup:

I tried swapping the relays around and still no current to the wire attached to the fuel cut-off solenoid, so I'm thinking it's probably the operator safety module. Meanwhile, I think I must of got some air into my injectors early in the troubleshooting process after I cleaned out my fuel filter. When I jumped power to the fuel cut-off solenoid the tractor fired up great -- for about 3 seconds. It's been one of those "learning" weekends...