Oil & Fuel kubota B2400 Starter Fix & Fuel Problem

[kenmissouri]

I have a Kubota B2400 plagued by a clicking only solenoid. Checking voltage under load at the solenoid yeilded only 6 volts (barely enough but not to really engage it). I went to Auto Zone and got a 3.99 relay putting 12 VDC full thru the relay contact. I drive the relay coil off the wire that went to the solenoid. IT WORKS GOOD.

I also have a fuel problem where the tank sometimes starves the filter bowl. It is worse with a low tank. Blowing back thru the fuel tank helps. Any ideas? The tank is too hard to remove.

 

[Pks]

Your fix for the low voltage at the starter is a common one. Did you find the thread that mentions that method (a JD wire harness and relay for $22)? The cause of the low voltage is usually the safety switches and wires to/from them. Full voltage goes through them first then to the starter. Your fix is a lot more sensible than Kubota's original design!

As far as the tank goes, I haven't had any problems. I'd guess it's dirt or a glob of something. Would you consider filling the tank with water and pressurizing it at the filler cap. That might push the dirt/glob through the output port on the tank. The only other think I can think of is to remove the tank and turn it upside down.

 

[kenmissouri]

I didn't see a post about a $22 relay, and reinvented the wheel again. I unsoldered and took the old solenoid apart and replaced it once as well. A click usually means the solenoid contacts are burned. What an inconvenience. I found out later that the equipment company who sold me the tractor replaces the ignition switch. Their solution only brings the problem back in a couple years I suspect. The plus is my solution cost a total of $11.15 including the $3.99 relay, wire connectors and a fuse block for safety since I tied it to the battery post terminal on the starter. The only thing I wonder is if the solenoid will last since it may've not been designed to take a full 12 volts.

On the tank it's plastic and next to impossible to remove. I hate to pressurize plastic. Why suggest water because I can't see where diesel fuel would get to a danger point with air pressure? Of course maybe you know something I don't. I agree there has to be some crud there.

 

[Egon]

Can the tank be drained and a mirror used to look around inside?

Have you tried blowing air backwards into an empty tank?

Any fittings that could be the culprit or a kink in a supply line?

Egon

 

[kenmissouri]

The mirror is an excellent idea. To add one thing if I find the culprit I might remove it with a fingered grabber. Thanks I'll do that this weekend.

Yes I have blowed back into the tank from the fuel line and it does clear it up a while. However, it comes back.

 

[Pks]

The reason I mentioned water is that it would carry the crud in much the same way as fuel. But when the crud would come through the outlet in the tank, it would most likely spay and water is a lot safer to spray around than fuel. The tank can be pressurized with just a couple of PSi without rupturing the plastic. This is a trick dirt bikers use.

My B2400 is a 1998 and has not yet had this electrical issue. Don't worry about the starter not being designed for exactly 12 volts...it is. That's what is supposed to get to it; provided the safety switches and wires are still good.

One thing I learned from my automobile repair days regarding solenoids: a click means low voltage-so check wires, battery etc.

 

[kenmissouri]

Peter,

I didn't think of only about 2 psi, it's worth a try. My B2400 is also a 98 model with about 960 hours. Both the fuel and solenoid problem were evident after two years of ownership. The two items I mention are the only problems other than the hi pressure hydraulic line which developed a pin hole seep leak at its braize point. It went into the shop for that, too much work.

My uncle was service manager at the equipment dealer I use until he passed away a couple years ago. He had a variety of tricks but didn't know about the B2400 solenoid. This may be unique to a few models they didn't sell many of in the hard core farming community they dealt with.

One other small thing is that if you ever need a new fuel cap beware. The tank and fuel cap had a design problem where both swelled from the fuel. Thus a brand new cap of the original part variety won't go on. Kubota makes a special cap that is about 1/16" larger in diameter.

That said, hey everything has some design problems. This is a great forum that I only discovered this week.

Thanks,
Ken

 

[EastTexFrank]

I've not had any starter problem but I sure have had the fuel starvation problem .... twice. Both times I had knocked a leaf that was resting in the catch-all round the filler cap into the tank. The first time I broke the plastic nipple on the return line to the tank and had to have it replaced. Your right, it is a booger to take out. What makes me feel so stupid is that I did exactly the same thing again, that is knocked a leaf into the tank when removing the filler cap. What I did this time is that I 1/4 filled an old shop vac with oil absorbant and when I had the tank more or less empty, I vacuumed the remainder of the diesel out through the filler. I got most of the leaf out but not all. There is still a little bit in there that plugs it up occasionally. It may be time to do it again and hopefully clean it out once and for all. I don't know how much of a fire hazard this would be but I did it sitting way out in the open where I could pull the shop vac away from the tractor by the extension cord and let it burn out if it did catch fire. Have a fire extinguisher close.

 

[ashcraft]

thanx for the tip kenmissouri...installed the coil as you instructed on my G1800 and so far it starts like a new one...
found the improvement starter solenoid wiring harness at the local john deere dealer for about twenty bucks... for the record i have owned my 1800 for eleven years and have about 1500 hours on the engine...the starter problem had become a real pain until i read your post on tractor by net...
thanx again....

 

[ashcraft]

thanx for the tip kenmissouri...installed the coil as you instructed on my G1800 and so far it starts like a new one...
found the improvement starter solenoid wiring harness at the local john deere dealer for about twenty bucks... for the record i have owned my 1800 for eleven years and have about 1500 hours on the engine...the starter problem had become a real pain until i read your post on tractor by net...
thanx again....