Problem starting 790

   / Problem starting 790 #1  

SD_Carl

New member
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
1
I own a JD 790 that has been flawless for 5 years. Today I started it up, noticed that one front tire was low, drove it up to my garage, shut it down, and used the compressor to fill the tire back up. When I tried to start it again, it clicked and wouldn't turn over. Thinking that the battery might have gotten drained somehow, I hooked up a charger to jump start it. When I turned the key this time, I got nothing, the lights on the dash didn't even come on. I let the charger charge the battery for an hour, still nothing. Since the tractor's been so perfect, I've never had to work on it, so I don't know where to look next. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Carl
 
   / Problem starting 790 #2  
SD_Carl:

5 years on the same battery may be expecting a little too much...maybe a dead cell, one other quick tip, try cleaning the battery post and see if that helps.

Whiskey
 
   / Problem starting 790 #3  
If the battery is 5 years old I would start there.
 
   / Problem starting 790 #4  
You might also want to check the negative ground on the battery or the connection to the frame.

I went through a lot trying to find the cure to a similar problem and it was a poor connection of the negative ground

Kind Regards

Brian
 
   / Problem starting 790 #5  
You didn't leave it in gear, did you?
 
   / Problem starting 790 #6  
Leaving it in gear was my first thought too. My dealer even did that when trying to show me one and rechecked the shift lever but thought it was in neutral when it wasn't.

If that's what was wrong, you don't really have to admit it, we'll just let this thread die. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Problem starting 790 #7  
Had this problem many times. its a bad connection. remove cables from batt. clean /replace connectors. may need to go back to ground on tractor remove + clean up if needed.
buy a cheap electrical multi-meter @$10.00 it will let you know battery voltage. takes the guess work out of the picture.

good luck!
 
   / Problem starting 790 #8  
Like others, I vote battery. Batteries and battery cables are the weakest part of the 790.

I was fortunate to have my battery terminals oxidize so severely, the first year that my dealer replaced the cheap factory cables with thick cables and a new battery.

Hope that is the problem! If not check fuses!
 
   / Problem starting 790 #9  
ive recently had a problem exactly like yours on a lawn tractor
the battery was fine then just clicked
the first time it happened i cleaned and got better connections on ground and battery terminals worked
second time put it on battery conditioner and it fixed it
guess i ought to get a new battery but im cheap (5 years is good for a battery maybe its time to let it go /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
mith
 
   / Problem starting 790 #10  
Like Buck said the battery and the connections are a weak point on this tractor. Also, associated with that, are bad grounds ...I was having the same problem as you and got to talk with the local dealers tech on these 790's and electrical problems who told me about taking many hours to locate the electric problem solution on some of the tractors he had repaired. He said he started to repair some of with bad grounds by running a new ground wire to a spot under the tractor away from the battery so that that end would not be affected by the battery acid and gases! Also, there is an inline fuse in the dash area (it has been a while so I don't remember where exactly it was located) that sometimes goes bad.
Leo
 
 
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