DK 35 Won't Start

[grapevine]

It's ground prep time of the year and my DK35 won't start (2005 with 550 hours). I was discing last evening for several hours, came back to the barn and shut her off. 5 minutes later I went to start up again and just a click at the solenoid. When I get home from work today, I will clean and tighten the battery connections (looked fine) and hope for the best. I don't want to sound like a pessimist, but it sure does seem like it is the starter motor. Any other ideas I can try?

Thanks

 

[Dmace]

If the battery is good, then a clicking sound is either the starter solenoid or a starter relay. Typically you can buy the solenoid without purchasing a whole new starter but I don't know if that is the case with a tractor starter.

Put a screwdriver across the solenoid contacts and if it starts, that is your problem.

 

[ToadHill]

elI had the same thing happen to me last summer. 2005 DK35 with about 700 Same symptoms, and the battery looked good. All it needed was to take off the cables and clean the battery terminals.

A wire brush to the cable ends and the terminals and she started right off and has been starting fine ever since. The terminals had some kind of glazing on them.

 

[kenstrac]

If the battery is good, then a clicking sound is either the starter solenoid or a starter relay. Typically you can buy the solenoid without purchasing a whole new starter but I don't know if that is the case with a tractor starter.

Put a screwdriver across the solenoid contacts and if it starts, that is your problem.

And don.t forget to make sure its in neutral and the brake is on before you do this!

 

[wallace]

Clean the negative cable going to the frame.

 

[DK35vince]

What Rick said.
Clean where the negative cable bolts to the frame.
My DK 35 did the same thing last summer and it was a bad ground at the frame.

 

[PAB_OH]

CK30 - 345 hours, same problem. Took cables off @ batt. and cleaned. Fired right up. Check both ends of neg. and clean. Clean pos. @ batt.

 

[grapevine]

Thanks guys. It was raining tonight so I didn't get to it. I'll clean terminals and ground connection tomorrow and let you know how it went. This is truly a great site.

 

[grapevine]

Well it was a nice afternoon here, so I took a couple hours off work and commenced cleaning up the battery terminals, etc. Got everything cleaned up, turned the key and - click. I jumped across the solenoid lugs and it fired right up so I guess it is something in the solenoid and not the starter motor itself? Do any of you know if you can replace the solenoid w/o replacing the starter? Anything else it could be besides the solenoid? I did notice that when a jumped across the lugs, sometimes the starter moter would engage the flywheel and sometimes the starter motor just spun.

Thanks

 

[IXLR8]

A wire brush to the cable ends and the terminals and she started right off and has been starting fine ever since. The terminals had some kind of glazing on them.

Typically that 'glazing' is lead oxide, it is black, hard and does not conduct electricity well. Sometimes it is thin enough so that a wire brush will remove it, sometimes it is thicker and harder and it will need to be scraped off with a knife. When done cleaning the contact surfaces should be shiny silver in color.