roseraynak
New member
I have a TC 30 New Holland tractor. It gets minimal use. I purchased it brand new in 2004 and it only has 63 hours on it. I am not a mechanic or very mechanical minded. I try to start the tractor and let it run for a while on a regular basis when it is getting little or no usage, as recommended by a car mechanic friend. The work I use it for requires getting on and off the seat regularly so the car mechanic rigged it so the engine stays on even when I am off the seat. Several years ago, while working with the loader, I drug a branch underneath the tractor under the seat area which required a splicing of the neutral wires on the left side of the tractor so I could start and use it. Last year, upon regular starting routines, I tried to start it and it would not start at all. Several mechanic friends of mine and my son looked at it and questions arose about the battery, the starter, the relays, the neutral switches, etc. Eventually, the car mechanic rerouted another alternative ignition switch to the starter. This seemed to correct the problem. Earlier this past year it would not start again so I accumulated my 'team' of helpers who all had varying diagnoses about what the problem could be. The local Massey Ferguson tractor mechanic (closest New Holland mechanic is 80 miles away) diagnosed it as a loose wire somewhere between the seat and the ignition. This fixed the problem for about a month and then it quit starting again. My car mechanic checked the battery and it was low on water so we added water, put a charger on the tractor and it took right off.
The tractor started regularly from then until last weekend when I turned it on to let it run and it ran until it ran out of gas. I know it should never be allowed to run out of gas but I was inside working on something else - my bad. I had my son run to get gas and we filled the tank and it started at first but quit. When it quit, I turned the key and got no reaction so I used the alternative starter. After several tries with that alternative starting mechanism it started but only stayed started for a couple of minutes then died again. I called my son's car lot mechanic and he told me I may need to prime the engine or bleed the fuel lines. Frustrated after the call, I went back outside and tried to start it again and it started right up with the key. I took the tractor out of the shed, drove it for about 20 minutes, parked it, and turned it off. A few minutes later I tried to start it again and the key would not do anything so I tried the alternative starter and the engine tried to turn over but never could quite make it. I figured I ran the battery down so I put the charger on it, waited another 15 minutes, turned the key and it started right up. I turned it off a few minutes later and it wouldn't re-start again. At that point, I called my car mechanic friend and he told me it is not a fuel problem or a result of letting it run out of fuel but it was an electrical problem probably caused by the relays. I have ordered the repair manual for the electrical system for the tractor but am waiting for my friend to get a free day to come and work on the tractor relays.
Is there anyone out there who could provide me with some insight about what the problems could be, why they keep recurring and multiple things seem to temporarily fix the problem, and/or what kind of troubleshooting and/or repairs I may need to make? Thanks for any help you can provide.
The tractor started regularly from then until last weekend when I turned it on to let it run and it ran until it ran out of gas. I know it should never be allowed to run out of gas but I was inside working on something else - my bad. I had my son run to get gas and we filled the tank and it started at first but quit. When it quit, I turned the key and got no reaction so I used the alternative starter. After several tries with that alternative starting mechanism it started but only stayed started for a couple of minutes then died again. I called my son's car lot mechanic and he told me I may need to prime the engine or bleed the fuel lines. Frustrated after the call, I went back outside and tried to start it again and it started right up with the key. I took the tractor out of the shed, drove it for about 20 minutes, parked it, and turned it off. A few minutes later I tried to start it again and the key would not do anything so I tried the alternative starter and the engine tried to turn over but never could quite make it. I figured I ran the battery down so I put the charger on it, waited another 15 minutes, turned the key and it started right up. I turned it off a few minutes later and it wouldn't re-start again. At that point, I called my car mechanic friend and he told me it is not a fuel problem or a result of letting it run out of fuel but it was an electrical problem probably caused by the relays. I have ordered the repair manual for the electrical system for the tractor but am waiting for my friend to get a free day to come and work on the tractor relays.
Is there anyone out there who could provide me with some insight about what the problems could be, why they keep recurring and multiple things seem to temporarily fix the problem, and/or what kind of troubleshooting and/or repairs I may need to make? Thanks for any help you can provide.
