M59 Help: Dealer Wants $6K to Replace the Wiring Harness

[hodge]

who would pay $6k for a repair to a 12K tractor, when its only a simple wiring harness. there plug and play install. start at one end and replace like for like as you wrap around tractor. mine tool me about 3 hours as i was being very careful and securing loom as i went along.

they list a JD1023e wiring harness kits from $525-750 new

That would be a question for him, not me. I know him, he's as honest as the day is long, and he said that mice had chewed his harness over the Winter, the tractor wouldn't start, and the dealership had replaced the harness for that price. I don't know other details, but I also know that he didn't lie or exaggerate. The point was, it isn't an isolated circumstance where a dealer will charge that kind of money to replace a harness.

 

[Mike1955]

I urge you to set up a test light to replace the fuse. It's the way the pros find shorts. Easy to do. No more feeding it fuses. The light is current limiting so no danger to the wiring. Easiest is to find an old headlight or taillight assembly and rob the bulb socket and some harness. Connect a length of wire to it with appropriate spades to plug into the fuse holder. Use enough wire so you can get the bulb up where you can see it. If you have an amp clamp you can monitor the amperage too to know what load (normal verses dead short) you are seeing. Changing light brightness when wiggling wiring (or pushing the clutch pedal, etc.) is what you are looking for.

Kwenting that’s a starting place. But this man isn’t far enough along in electrical to do that. Are you close enough to go and assist him. You could locate the wire or device with the intermittent short for him. I think you are so close to finding it and a wiring harness is unnecessary. Only one wire probably.

 

[mikester]

Another suggestion: clean up everything and look for dodgey homebrew wiring.

WTF is that loose red wire down below doing? Why is your main fuse panel hanging?

Electrical problems can be a nightmare to diagnose.

Starting with a dirty machine with parts hanging off won't make your life any easier.

 

[deezler]

Seconding the other suggestions that you need to degrease and powerwash the entire machine. Attempting to solve wiring issues on a filthy tractor is simply ridiculous, IMO.

You also stated:

Attempted Remedies
- (3) trips to the dealer where they replaced the fuses, drove it around a little bit, sent it home to me, had the fuses continually blow again 1-3hrs back into operation
- 4-5 hours (from me) looking for any broken wires that I could see in these circuit(s), replacing, repairing, and protecting them ( I can solder pretty alright)

So wait, how many broken wires did you find?!? You imply here that you found multiple wire issues that you had to solder back together? If you found multiple wire breaks, fixed some, and are still poking around on a filthy tractor, dude.... step back and reevaluate things here.

Finally, the suggestion about replacing fuses with circuit breakers is another wise starting point. My poor neighbor was about to give up on his New Holland TC35 for blowing fuses when I did some research on here and found that most people solve it with a slow trip circuit breaker. $15 and he's been good for a few years now.

 

[KWentling]

Kwenting that’s a starting place. But this man isn’t far enough along in electrical to do that. Are you close enough to go and assist him. You could locate the wire or device with the intermittent short for him. I think you are so close to finding it and a wiring harness is unnecessary. Only one wire probably.

I have no idea where the OP is located, but by the pictures I'm sure it's no where near NE Wyoming. He hasn't been on this site since the 21st so this is probably another thread with an unknown outcome.

 

[dodge man]

There is a pretty good chance people will continue to post to this thread and say “the first thing you need to do is power wash that thing”.

 

[Mike1955]

Mice can do unseen damage to tractors. That’s where they work, in hidden places

 

[Jrasband]

The first thing you need to do is power wash that thing.

 

[grsthegreat]

The first thing you need to do is power wash that thing

 

[dnw64]

The first thing you need to do is get out the Steam Cleaner.