8N Starter

[mschneider823]

I have an 8N that won't turn over even when jump starting from a running vehicle. Solenoid clicks then rattles - also lights on the jumper-car dim to like half when I hit the 8N starter button. cleaned battery cable ends and the buss bar to the starter - even bought new battery cables. Noticed that if I hold the starter button down, the point where the buss bar connects to the starter gets hot, orange hot if I let it. I read in another thread that this might indicate the starter is stuck and to put the tractor in 4th gear and rock it back and forth to try and free it. Tried that and still have the same result.

Lastly, I tried attaching the black clamp to the frame and the positive clamp directly to the starter positive and got sparks, as in arcing, but no movement from the starter. It would seem that when I hit the starter button or clamp directly to the starter that the power is arcing to ground in the starter.

incidentally, I had been having a battery drain issue prior to this where when i turn the tractor off (switch), when I come back the battery is dead. Last few times I used it i just disconnected the battery cables until I could get time to troubleshoot it. Now i have this no-start/no-turnover issue.

thoughts on any other troubleshooting I could do? hate to go out and buy a starter if it might not be the problem.

thanks,

Michael

 

[LD1]

Is the tractor 12v or 6v??


I am assuming 12v since you mentioned trying to jump start by hooking to the battery first??

If you suspect the starter, which from what you say, I would suspect the starter too, start by pulling it out and bench testing it. If it doesnt work, get a new one and you have already done half of the work by already having the old one out and unwired.

IF it bench tests fine, Now you have to figure out why it wasnt working when ON the tractor.

 

[mschneider823]

Thanks - yes the tractor was converted to 12v before I purchased it.

another question. the starter grounds through the connection of its outer casing through where it mounts to the tractor, correct? having never "bench tested" one before, would i connect power to the copper lug and just connect battery ground to the case - with it off the tractor and see if it spins? if so, sounds simple enough. any tricks or pitfalls I should be aware of?

I appreciate the advice,

Michael

 

[LD1]

Yes that is how you do it.

As far as what to be aware of........the thing is likely to startle you. It will spin up very fast and is very torquey. You must have a solid grasp on the body of the starter, or it is likely to fly off the bench on you. That, or clamp it in a vise. (not tightly enough to crush the motor though.)

 

[Soundguy]

before you do this, and then have to come back asking how to put the 2 halves of the starter togehter when the case pulls of fthe armature that is stuck in the tractor.. do this first.

loosen t he 2 starter bolts about 3/16 an inch.. use a chissle and give a good whack at the mounting flange between the starter and the tractor.. many times it will pop free.


Another easy way is to get someone to pullstart you.

tow out of the barn in neutral.. then shift into high gear and hold clutch.. have someone drag you slip clutch.. probably won;t even have to let it al lthe way out..

post back

 

[mschneider823]

Thanks Soundguy and LD1.

I did get the starter out without much difficulty. I only loosened the two bolts enough to get it free from the tractor. After removing it, I finished backing out the two bolts out of the mounting flange and pulled the armature out of the casing. brushes were still in good shape and so was the armature. there was a lot of crud inside - metallic dust and other dirt. I cleaned everything thoroughly, blew it out... put it back together. Found a real good video on You Tube that helped with getting the armature back in past the brushes. Tractor Starter Disassembly and Rebuild Ford Jubilee NAA 2N 8N 9N - YouTube Using a needle nose pliers, I pulled each of the four springs off of the brushes and with a slight twist toward the brush end plate, rested each spring on the metal frame that holds each brush. Once the armature was all of the way in, pop each spring back onto each brush. I put the mounting plate back and put the two bolts all the way through them - past the threads on the bolts, so had to put a nut on each of them to secure it for testing.

with the starter on the ground, secured by my foot, I clamped the negative end of a jumper cable to one of the nuts and touched the positive clamp to the copper buss bar... BINGO!!! unlike before when nothing happened other than the buss bar getting hot and glowing orange, now the motor started and ran. Either it was shorting through the metallic dust, or there was something else inside shorting it that I didn't see taking it apart, because all I did was clean it.

I took the extra nuts off and installed in back on the tractor. it turned over but wouldn't start. No spark. the ignition switch was acting up. I fiddled with it a bit and it started working again. Got the tractor started late last night. Just in time to plow the foot of snow we got today in WI.

thanks again for the advice!

 

[Soundguy]

more than likely nothing was wrong other than the bendix drive hung in the ring gear creating a stall and bind.. most of the time you just back them out till the bendix cleaers and reinstall and go..

in either case you got it.