2011 Dk45hst won't start

[Coyote machine]

I have a dead ck30 too. checked all battery cables....when key is turned there is a click but no lights on dash. After 10 minutes of fooling with it all of a sudden the motor started coughing, then running, but only if i kept the ignition switch to start...second i let it go, engine died. Oh, and while this was happening the only light on dash was the hour meter. Called local dealer and he agreed ignition switch ($85), but his stock coming is 3 days out. Does this jibe with ignition switch problem with you guys? I took the switch out, and the tiny phillips screw. can u pry apart the black and white ends of the body to get at the innards? Thanks, scott

Yes one can dismantle the ig switch. When you say you: 'checked all battery cables and....fooled with it for 10 minutes', what exactly did you do to check the cables? What did you fool with for 10 minutes?
What year and how many hours on it? How old is the battery? Did anything lead up to this happening or just wouldn't start one day? Stored indoors or out?

 

[kioti pup]

I think you have a different problem then I did. I just had a bad cable connection. But good luck with your problem!

 

[mitchelli]

2007 with 185 hours....bought last year with 96 hours and the guy took great care of it, always in a garage. Mine stays in a shed with a roof and 3 walls. Battery is an 09 and I took it to Les Schwab where it was bought and they tested it and said it is fine. I took off both battery cables and took my dremel tool to the frame where the negative goes and used it on all the posts, clamps and the starter bolt and nut. And last, I fooled around for 10 minutes trying to get the darn thing to start...tried everything with the ignition switch. I said the hour meter was the only thing that showed when the key was turned to start, but I forgot to mention that a couple times the oil pressure lamp came on to for a couple seconds.

You asked if i keep it inside and yes, always, but it has been outside the last couple weeks and yes, it did rain a number of times, but I was trying (still trying) to load my right rear tire with RV anti freeze. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. And now my dealer says the ignition switch is still a few days out. Scott

 

[Coyote machine]

Do you have witnesses and signatures to prove your story?!:laughing:
Nice attempt to get her running. Sounds like you've covered all the first step basics; which make sense to do even if you weren't having the current problem. Do note though that we've seen some of these tractors where the actual cable from chassis to battery have gone bad internally. This can happen when the cable end starts to corrode inside the plastic jacket and then it will eventually disintegrate. Sometimes moving the cable around as much as is possible will allow it to come to life long enough to allow it to start. Once this happens it is time to make a new cable(s). Can you see what the voltage drop across the battery is with a volt/ohm meter, when you turn the key?

So it makes sense to try the new switch and see what changes. Hopefully it will fix the problem. Note to get the switch cover too, which helps to keep water out when the tractor is outside.
Curious why it was sold with so low hours? Sounds like you got a great deal.
Keep us posted

 

[ritcheyvs]

Seriously, if you plan to diagnose this (or any electrical problem) by yourself you need to get a voltmeter (usually a multimeter). Start at the battery terminals and make sure the voltage is good while someone turns the key to on, then glow and then crank. If that checks out, measure the voltage from the big terminal at the starter to engine ground while someone works the key; it should also read about 12 volts ll the time. Then test the voltage at the small terminal on the starter; it should be about 12 volts but only with the switch in the crank position (zero all other times).

I'm guessing your tractor will fail this last test. In that case, the key switch may be the cause but it may also be the start relay or tjhe 60 amp fuse. Your machine should be similar to this schematic (but no guarantee). You may want to download the schematic to rotate and enlarge it; the starter stuff is on the far left.

http://kittrellcommunitywatch.dyndns.org/electrical

If it's not the switch, relay, or fuse you probably need to consult the real schematic for your machine.

 

[mitchelli]

You guys are a God send. After I read your follow up Coyote, I went out and tried it again. I did not tell you that when I tried to take the switch apart, I did not put it back in but just stuck it up under the dash, hanging key side down. Now I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but if there was moisture in it, maybe it migrated down. Long story short, lights all came on dash, glow plug light went off, and it started. Tried it a few more times and it works. I touched nothing else on the tractor so I figure it has to be the switch. Didn't drive it since I have to drive about 300 yards down a well traveled road to get to my garage, and didn't want to take the chance of it dying on the road...so, I am going to wait on the switch, put it in, keep this for a spare, and maybe the new one will live longer than me.

And your good deal question, yes, I think I got a great deal...We moved to Oregon in 2007 after living 30 years in Alaska, and I started looking for a small tractor as soon as we bought our 7 acres. I am amazed how tractors keep their value. If they are low mileage and good shape they seem to almost go for new. This ended up being a 3 year search. One I finally bought belonged to a Californian who retired, moved to Grants Pass, built his dream castle and bought this just to do the landscaping. (I paid $18K for Ck30HST, FEL, Backhoe, blade and rototiller.) If new it penciled out at closer to $30K...I have since added a landscape rake, brush hog and a box blade. It is a kick, my wife loves to drive it, and I almost feel like it is an investment. Thanks again for the feedback and Ritcheyvs, I am going to check those voltages and soon as the weather permits. Scott

 

[ritcheyvs]

... and Ritcheyvs, I am going to check those voltages and soon as the weather permits.

No need to check voltages if it's working. Those tests were intended to help isolate the fault, which apparently is not present at the moment.

 

[Coyote machine]

Glad to hear you got her running. Get the switch cover I mentioned and maybe if she's outside when rain is expected put a cover over the dash area to further help keep water out.
You did get a deal and it is an investment.
Enjoy.
Post back final results when the new switch is installed.

 

[mitchelli]

This is my last post on this topic...I got my new switch yesterday and all is joy now. 5 minutes to switch them out. My dealer (Runaway Tractor in Grants Pass,Or) told me he has sold more switches this winter than ever before, and my guess is that it's because we had so much snow last Christmas. One thing he did to the new switch that I thought was very cool was to coat the body of the switch and the wires soldered on the bottom of it with a product he called liquid electrical tape. It was in a small plastic bottle with a brush built into the cap. I'm a happy camper again and again, thanks, these forums are the most informative I have found online. Scott

 

[Coyote machine]

Nice work! :thumbsup:
Yes, liquid electrical tape is excellent and I use it on my boat all the time: saltwater is the most destructive force on earth!
It's available in Autozone and other stores like it, and especially in boating stores.
Happy tractoring!:dance1: