A GREAT DAY,

   / A GREAT DAY, #1  

TJP440

New member
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
15
Tractor
Kubota b3200 & GR 2120
What a fun day I had. Fairly cool out this AM So I though I'll get the lawn mowed. So I jump on the 2120 and start mowing. About ½ way through I stopped to grab a small branch that had fallen. I forgot to shut the PTO on the tractor off so it shut the engine off when I raised up off the seat, Gotta love the safety features 😉. So, I jump back on hit the key an nothing, nada, ZERO. Hmm, must've blown a fuse. I proceed to locate the hidden locations (can't put them where they're visible or accessible). All appear good.

So get the other tractor (B3200) and tow if up to the shop as its acting a bit strange with the warning lights sometimes coming and sometimes not. Get out the schematic and begin 5+ hours of chasing my tail. Battery Voltage is OK at 12.5. I proceed to chase the V to various relays and switches. After it sits for a couple of minutes everything is normal until one hits the glow plug warm up (diesel) or tries to start it. THERE WAS A CLUE THERE :(
I suspected something is causing a draw. There is a delay timer in the main power circuit that I'm still not quite sure what it's purpose is, but suspected it may be faulty due to the way the dash lights etc. are acting. It bench tests fine. However the voltages at the connector are acting a bit strange. SEE ABOVE 😉. I begin disconnecting / bypassing thing looking for the DRAW. Eventually I get all the way to the starter. AH HA, if I disconnect the solenoid, all seem well. I try a remote switch on just the starter and NADA. Shorted solenoid? I scratch my a-s a bit more and start hooking some of the items back up and removing the bypasses. Things are good until I hook the glow plugs back up. Almost back to square on but not quite? Scratch a-s some more, smell fingers for good luck. Test all 3 glow plugs. They test fine. WT-O??? At this point I have tested about everything I can think of including multiple V tests. I leave the DVM hooked up and proceed to discover that as soon as one puts a significant load on the system the Voltage drops rapidly to about 2.5V. once the load is removed it climbs back up to 12.5 in about a minute.
Yes sir. In over 50+ years I have never had one just magically die, nor have I had one that would recover V wise as this on did. But V and I are two different things ✅ and I know that. DUMBA--
Almost forgot to mention that at one point I was going to finish mowing with the big tractor at which time ii discovered it's new alternator put on during the winter was no longer functioning.
GREAT DAY 😊 Hope you enjoyed reading it and that it may help someone to look outside the box. 🍺
 
   / A GREAT DAY, #3  
Sounds like a plate in the battery broke off so it has the voltage but not the ampacity... have fought similar, it's annoying...
 
   / A GREAT DAY, #5  
You sure? Sounds like a bad battery cable connection. With no load, you get full voltage, but try to pass some amps and nothing goes thru.

Try your voltmeter right on the lead battery post itself, not on the clamp and see if the volts still fall when you call for lotsa amps.
Check out both ends of the ground cable, too.
 
   / A GREAT DAY,
  • Thread Starter
#7  
You sure? Sounds like a bad battery cable connection. With no load, you get full voltage, but try to pass some amps and nothing goes thru.

Try your voltmeter right on the lead battery post itself, not on the clamp and see if the volts still fall when you call for lotsa amps.
Check out both ends of the ground cable, too.
thanks for the suggestions guys:) That actually was my first thought but not to be. I've done this type of work for the last 50 years half of that in engineering. After my fiasco, still questioning my findings, I verified them with my load tester and it failed that as well :( Also wondered about the charging system and maybe it was at the root of the issue but it's functioning fine. 🍺
Definitely a first time experience and one that i won't forget. As they say, "lessons paid for are best remembered"
And BTW the PTO was disengaged before trying to re start it ;)
 
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