kubota 185 wont start

I went to start the tractor today and it just quit trying to crank. I took the starter off and put a battery charger on it. I put the ground on the body and the red on the lug then used a screw driver to jump over to the small tab. it clicked out and ran like it was suppose to. I put it back in the tractor. I checked voltage at the battery...12.7. at the big lug on the starter...12.7. both with the key off. I turn the key on and turn the start button and nothing happens. so I check the voltage at the starter when I turn the start button and the voltage drops to .02vts. I checked the starter small terminal and it shows its grounded. is it suppose to be? any ideas will be great thanks.

ok.. so you got a dead battery or real bad cable connection.

it doesn't show grounded.. it shows a real low ohm load.. the MOTOR!

I just did a load test on the battery and it tasted good. it was a little weak but it was still good. what connections are you referring to?

um.. what connections do you have between the battery and the starter??

that's where i'd look :) ;)

PS that includes all solenoid terminals and trhe actual battery cable and ground terminals, and the ground lug to the frame.

rust and paint are not conductors.

also.. check the starter mount flange.

rust and paint are not conductors!

check the cable.. you can have a rotten cable with corosion upo unde rthe insulation and into t he lead or brass terminal or copper end..

there is only the cable going from the battery to the starterpositive.

Do the oil pressure and battery lights come on when you turn the key on? Will it crank normally when jumped across at the solenoid while in the tractor? No lights would point me to the fusible link. Not cranking while being jumped at the solenoid would point me towards cables. You said you had a load tester. I would hook it up to the battery cable at the starter and a good ground on the block probably the starter or its attaching bolts and do the load test again if it fails now you know it is likely in the cables or the attachment point of the ground cable. If it passes the load test but does not crank when jumped at the solenoid it will be the starter after confirming that you can turn the engine over by hand.

Brian

okay I put the load tester on the cable where it hooks to the starter. and put the negative on a ground on the tractor. it reads over 12 volts like it supposed to but as soon as I push the load test it immediately drops down to 0.

That means you have a cable or ground connection problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thetucks

there is only the cable going from the battery to the starterpositive.

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As you know, current runs in a loop. What goes out the + terminal has to come back in the - terminal. Look at Soundguys list of suspects again. Also, you knew how to make the starter work with your battery charger. You can jump to that tab and test it on the tractor using the battery instead of the charger. If it works fine, the problem is in the circuit that powers that tab on the solenoid. IF it doesn't work, it is a large connection or the starter or the solenoid. To eliminate the solenoid, you can jump from one large terminal to the other large terminal on a solenoid usually.

But find out which side is not working...the high current side with big terminals or the low current side. That tab's current comes through fuses, the starter switch, safety interlocks, etc. So you need to discover if your problem is in the high current side or the low current side of things so you will know where to concentrate your efforts.