Ford 1700 Starting problem

[schmeal]

I have a Ford 1700 that sounds like it isn't getting juice from the battery (which is fully charged). I replaced the battery cables (because they were old, one had a slit in it and corrosion running through some of all of the wires). I thought that had fixed it, but now I’m back to the same thing, just a “click” sound.

I noticed, when replacing the positive battery cable, that where it plugged up to the starter had a white wire that looked like it was as old as the tractor. It was cracked also. Tracing it down, it goes to the starter safety clutch switch which also has wires exposed and coming out of cracked dry rotted cable.

So I’m guessing it wouldn’t hurt to replace the safety switch, even if that isn’t the problem, because the cable is in such bad shape. So here is the question. The white wire also goes up behind the instrument panel, and after tracing it up, it is just hanging there… not attached to anything.

Now I don’t know if it was like this before I got the tractor or came loose recently. I don’t think the way it is wired to start now, is the way it came from the factory… i.e. – there is a glow plug (is that the right term?) indicator, but you don’t turn the key to the left. There is a button on the other side of the instrument panel you hold down before pressing another button to start the tractor. As far as I can tell, the key only turns on the instrument panel’s juice. The key can be completely off and the tractor still starts.

Any suggestions?

 

[jimmysisson]

Does your white wire where it's "plugged up to the starter" actually attach to the same terminal where the positive battery cable is attached? In that case, if it then goes to the clutch safety switch and thence to the dash, does it power the starter button? Sounds like not, since you got a click out of the starter when you pushed the button. Sounds also like the clutch safety switch has been bypassed sometime. Do you get the click without the clutch down? Do you get the starter to turn the engine with jumper cables direct to the starter? (Do you feel confident doing this?) If you get the starter to spin the engine with jumper cables, you've got a bad battery or bad cables or bad connections. (First jump it from the tractor battery, to see if that's any good, if it isn't then from a car.) If not, then you may well have a starter that's drawing so much current it can't spin the engine. Try the sequence and tell how it works.
Since your post is 10 days old probly you've solved this by now.
Jim