Fellow Kubota RTV900 owners / mechanics - H E L P P L E A S E

[thearizonarancher]

Any solution to this problem? My RTV900 is doing essentially the same thing, but with a slightly different twist to it. Just hoping there was a solution to this problem.

I am sorry for not following up. It kind of got to be a hassle since nothing I replaced worked except now all those parts are new. What I did was take it to my Mahindra dealer in Tucson who in effect went through all the wiring and taped it up where it needed it, replaced/revinyled the seats and gave it a complete lubrication service. It is basically new again. I put on some side mirrors and went to TSC and bought some LED lights attached to the roof that shine out over 700 feet and is really is basically new. It really wasn't that expensive to get it running again doing that. And the Mahindra dealer guaranteed their work.

The issue(s) were chew areas in several key parts of the wiring. The manufacturers are using wiring that attracts chewing and I don't park it there anymore! This is the desert and it is what it is! Thanks for the question!

 

[ruffdog]

I knew there was a reason you were not having 12v on the wires that should have it. Glad you got it going!

 

[hawkeye08]

Now you need to put a lift kit on that and replace the front differential with a limited slip unit so you can be bada$$ and outrun the RZRs that come along. :laughing:

 

[metalheart]

After reading through this and other threads I checked battery voltage --- it is a one year old NAPA replacement for the original Kubota battery -- and it measured 12.3 volts. I thought it was unlikely that it was the battery, but I went to the Kubota shop and bought a new battery and installed it. I turned the key and it started . Here is the history of my problem:

I experienced some intermittent starting problems just prior to the RTV900 being taken in for service. I would turn the key and there was no cranking sound, no dash lights, nothing. After various intervals --- sometimes a day, sometimes several days, sometimes an hour -- I tried starting again and the vehicle would start. I would use it for various tasks and then the intermittent start problem reoccured. Kubota service found no problems.

After the vehicle was returned from service, I used it for several hours and then after dumping a load of rocks and the bottom of my driveway, it would not start. At first the symptoms were similar to past starting problems only there was a buzzing sound from the engine compartment if I turned the key hard to the off position. This would happen sometimes and not others. Then after one starting attempt and buzzing occurrence, when I turned the key the dash lights came on but still no start. After this, with each start attempt the dash lights came on, the horn worked, but the RTV still did not start.

While the vehicle has started just fine since battery replacement, I am not sure there isn't some issue with the ignition switch and I may replace that as "just in case" insurance: getting stuck in bad spots and having to be towed is its own problem and cost.

Anyway, an apparently bad battery was my problem for the starting problem. I would not think that a year or so old battery would be the issue, but replacing it did solve the problem.

 

[ovrszd]

For clarity, I'm Old School. Back in the day, batteries worked if they had 12V in them. That seems to not be the case now. Measuring voltage on a sedentary battery doesn't tell you much. What needs to be measured is load draw. I recently replaced $730 in batteries on a JD road grader. Both measured 12V. Grader would not crank. Replaced batteries, problem solved. I didn't have the ability to measure load draw. Frustrating, but at least you solved a problem.

 

[ruffdog]

A battery with a bad connection, like the cable, may read good battery voltage but won't allow enough current to turn the starter. It can even be an internal issue with the battery its self.

 

[metalheart]

A battery with a bad connection, like the cable, may read good battery voltage but won't allow enough current to turn the starter. It can even be an internal issue with the battery its self.

this is a good point and I thought that maybe the cable connections were too loose, but I don't get how the intermittent starting would be affected by that. Anyway, it works now and I probably will not be the last person with this type of issue so thought it was worth adding my experience to this discussion....

 

[jaydee325]

Electrical trouble shooting 101: Always start with a known fully charged battery. The national chain auto parts stores will load test your battery for free.

A 12 VDC flooded cell battery that measures 12 v is only 50% charged. Sulfation and other internal degradation can cause a battery to indicate sufficient voltage, but the battery will not put out sufficient current to start an engine.

 

[JRobyn]

The dilemma of the battery that shows good voltage but still performs poorly is why I bought one of these -

Amazon.com: Schumacher BT-1 1 amp Battery Load Tester: Automotive

Sometimes the old-school hydrometer helps too.

 

[Al Barrs]

If you have "a gear extending" when you try to start, I assume this is the starter gear being extended by the starter solenoid to engage the flywheel. If it is just extending, but then nothing else happens, it likely that the starter solenoid armature is also designed to close the circuit of a high-amperage switch in the end of the solenoid case that supplies starting current to the starter motor, but it is NOT.

You first need to be sure that you have good voltage and clean connections from the battery to the large/heavy solenoid collection. Sounds like you already did this. So since you still have no joy, either the "switch" in the solenoid is not working due to having its contacts being burned/corroded, OR that the starter motor itself is knackered. Usually easiest and cheapest to replace the solenoid alone first, if it is even available separately. If you have higher hours, might not be too much more and be a good idea to replace the starter/solenoid assembly. OR, most any decent automotive starter/alternator repair shop can rebuild it for you for much less than new.

Can anyone email me a drawing for connecting a Single Pole Single Throw (SPST) Relay in the starter solenoid circuit of a 2006 Kubota RTV 900 utility vehicle? Please email drawings to my e-mail address: albarrs (at) wfeca (dot) net... THANKS!

Al Barrs