TC40D will not crank

[brianb33]

I have a 2003 TC40D with hydrostatic transmission that stalled when I stopped briefly. I had been puttering along for a couple of hours discing up a pasture with no problems. When I stopped and throttled down the engine died. I have been having fuel starvation issues (that I have mostly fixed thanks to this forum) so I immediately attempted a restart and nothing happened. I made sure the range was in neutral, PTO off, and put on parking brake while seated on seat. All I get is a clicking sound from one of the relays on the left hand side panel and a click coming from the right hand side (fuel pump relay or something?). I switched two of the relays and still got the same result. All of the instrument panel lights work as they're supposed to (glow plug lights temporarily and oil pressure, battery, and parking brake lights illuminate). I checked all fuses and they were all good. I tested the battery and it shows over 13 volts (plus I jumped it from my truck just to be sure and still no joy). I did notice that when I moved the PTO handle slightly the same relay switch clicks as when I try to start it. Does that point to a possible issue with the safety switch somehow? The PTO handle tends to float forward as I work causing the PTO light to come on, but I don't think enough to engage the PTO. I have read some other posts with similar issues but my glow plug seems to be working and the battery charge is good. I can't seem to find the solenoid on my starter. The battery wire connects underneath in a hard to reach spot with a red boot covering it. Ideas what to look for from here?

 

[jinman]

Brian, are you sure fuse #2 is not blown? I know you said you checked all of them, but did you use an ohmeter? The other thing to check is that the PTO light on the dash always illuminates when fuse #2 is blown. It might be worth checking again just to be sure.

Your main starter lug is under the red boot. There is also a small terminal there on the bottom of the starter. If you jumper between the large lug and the small terminal, it engages your starter solenoid and the engine should crank over. If it does not, then you have dirty battery terminals, bad cables, or a faulty ground connection to the frame. You could also have a bad starter. Sometimes my starter will click several times before it catches and starts the engine due to the solenoid not getting full power.

 

[brianb33]

Brian, are you sure fuse #2 is not blown? I know you said you checked all of them, but did you use an ohmeter? The other thing to check is that the PTO light on the dash always illuminates when fuse #2 is blown. It might be worth checking again just to be sure.

Your main starter lug is under the red boot. There is also a small terminal there on the bottom of the starter. If you jumper between the large lug and the small terminal, it engages your starter solenoid and the engine should crank over. If it does not, then you have dirty battery terminals, bad cables, or a faulty ground connection to the frame. You could also have a bad starter. Sometimes my starter will click several times before it catches and starts the engine due to the solenoid not getting full power.

The "fuse" in the #2 slot is labeled "8 amp circuit breaker" and is opaque so I can't actually see if its blown. I did not test it with an ohmeter, but the PTO light only illuminates when the PTO lever is engaged. That might be moot anyway. I figured out how to jump the starter and solenoid and tried to jump it directly at the starter and it still would not start, same symptoms as trying to start at the ignition switch. Can the solenoid and/or starter fail so abruptly? The tractor turned over fine when I started it yesterday morning.

 

[jinman]

The "fuse" in the #2 slot is labeled "8 amp circuit breaker" and is opaque so I can't actually see if its blown. I did not test it with an ohmeter, but the PTO light only illuminates when the PTO lever is engaged. That might be moot anyway. I figured out how to jump the starter and solenoid and tried to jump it directly at the starter and it still would not start, same symptoms as trying to start at the ignition switch. Can the solenoid and/or starter fail so abruptly? The tractor turned over fine when I started it yesterday morning.

You obviously have the circuit breaker on your tractor. That's good. If you don't see the PTO light, fuse/circuit breaker #2 is probably good. Have you measured voltage right at the big lug on the starter? Also, check the ground cable from the negative battery terminal and look at where it attaches to the tractor frame. If that's loose or dirty, even a jump-start would not work. It might be time to take the starter out for a bench test. Certainly, starters can fail suddenly. Did you hear any hum when you jumped the solenoid wire to the main lug? Hearing clicks of the relays indicates some power is getting to some circuits. Will your headlights come on brightly. If you turn your headlights on and they go dim, then there is a connection problem somewhere. There are lots of possibilities, but if you jumpered at the starter, that only leaves the battery ground wire and starter as possible problems.

 

[brianb33]

You obviously have the circuit breaker on your tractor. That's good. If you don't see the PTO light, fuse/circuit breaker #2 is probably good. Have you measured voltage right at the big lug on the starter? Also, check the ground cable from the negative battery terminal and look at where it attaches to the tractor frame. If that's loose or dirty, even a jump-start would not work. It might be time to take the starter out for a bench test. Certainly, starters can fail suddenly. Did you hear any hum when you jumped the solenoid wire to the main lug? Hearing clicks of the relays indicates some power is getting to some circuits. Will your headlights come on brightly. If you turn your headlights on and they go dim, then there is a connection problem somewhere. There are lots of possibilities, but if you jumpered at the starter, that only leaves the battery ground wire and starter as possible problems.

The tech from the tractor house came out, reconnected the solenoid wire and gave the PTO lever a "bump" and it started right up, so maybe a bad connection at the solenoid connection? I spent hours troubleshooting it and naturally it cranks right up when he gets there. Go figure. I suspect this is not the end of that issue.