JD 318 starter motor replace- battery cable problem

[eepete]

I had my dealer change out the starter motor in my 1990 318 last summer. I had the dealer put in the starter after reading threads on how difficult it was, and indeed the dealer took longer than he thought because of various problems that came up (all of which have been posted on threads here in TBN land).
I was doing a mid-season clean and look-see when I saw that the battery cable was put on in such a way that it was rubbing agains the chassis. I suspect that the cable was put on the solinoid before the motor was installed. So I'm posting some pix and telling my story in hopes that if someone has a starter motor that gets changed, they can watch out for this little problem.

In the first picture, you can see where the lug should of had the cable attached coming out of the top or bottom. It was pre-attached coming out of the side. So the shrink wrap on the ring is rubbing against the chassis frame. Note that the wire and ring-lug are bent in so much that you can't get a socket or wrench on the nut anymore (without removing the engine and starter again, which is where all the "hard stuff" happened). The battery wire was also outside of the shield instead of under it. I'm sending these pix to my dealer along with a "scolding". They got it wrong and didn't go back and fix it or solve the problem.

In the second picture, you can see where I slid a piece of fiberglass perf board in between the ring lug and the chassis to keep things insulated. The ring lug bent in a bit more- it was a tight fit. The battery wire is now running inside the chassis under the air cowling.

The last picture shows a bit of RTV that will keep the perf board from falling out due to vibration. The board and the ring lug are glued together.

So if you or a dealer are changing out the starter on a 318, make sure you get the battery cable on there the right way. The sparks would be flying if this had shorted out before I caught it. This is also why I do a mid season "take of the skin and look at stuff" check :thumbsup:.

Pete

 

[Gator6x4]

Could you use a "Crows Foot" wrench to loosen the nut allowing you to turn the wire?

 

[jenkinsph]

Gator,
That is a tight location to use a crows foot in since the barrier between the two terminals is raised too.


Pete,
Under the circumstances that seems to be a good fix.:thumbsup:

 

[Egon]

Whats holding that plate on? Does it have any give? Have you tried getting a thin walled socket on?

 

[eepete]

The barrier on the left, combined with the amount the ring terminal is pushed over make it such that neither a crows foot or thinwall can get on. Starter mounted to engine, engine bolted on the chassis, nothing moves. The picture is taken from an angle: straight on you can really see how the ring terminal is pushed in, and it won't go out enough to get anything on. The space is more cramped than it looks....

If the cable had been left off, then you could have the ring terminal going up or down and get a socket on it. A 1/4" drive with 12" extender and a swivel at the nut would have worked, just couldn't get any socket on (tried 6 and 12 points, and a thin wall in 1/4"). I think the dealer put the cable on in advance the wrong way, then when everything was bolted down there was no easy way to change it.

Egon, don't know what you mean by "that plate". The lug is on the starter solenoid below the starter motor. The nut is on top of the ring terminal. Yes, it was very frustrating but I think the fix will hold. This does speak to the value of looking in every nook and cranny twice a year. I usually do a detail cleaning every year. I also now know to do a detailed look after any dealer repair . I could have learned that lesson the real hard way.

It was a nice "first repair" job in the new outbuilding garage .

Anyway, just wanted a post in the archive to complement ones on changing the starter in a JD 318 so others would think twice about how the connect the battery cable up. I would leave it off until the motor was bolted in, then get in there with the 12mm 1/4" socket on a swivel and extension.

Thanks to all for the comments, never know when I'll miss something.

Pete

 

[Willl]

Good catch Pete, could of been quite the 'show' once contact was made. :confused2:

 

[eepete]

Update:

I sent pictures of the problem and my solution to the dealer.

They offered to come and pick up the tractor, make it right, and return it at no charge if I wanted them to.

I'll stick with my fix and keep and eye on it.

I am pleased with their response . My #1 reason for going green is the dealer. I'd also like to point out that at the same time they were fixing my 318, they also fixed a number of small problems on my Kubota B21 TLB. All those repairs were done correctly and they did a great job of cleaning up all the oil leaked areas and re-greasing everything.

Pete