1430 wont start again almost a full year since it happened last

kjm3232 · Feb 11, 2015

deja vue all over again. it's been amost a year since the PT wouldn't start/turn over. last time it was the on/off switch that burned out the starter. now very similar. on Monday morning I used it to plow the snow off the driveway. I put it in the garage and that afternoon my wife went to plow again and it wouldn't start. I got home and tried starting it and all you hear is the pt solenoid clicking as you turn the key. anyway, I called terri on Tuesday and he thought it was the pt solenoid that went bad. I ordered that and a new on/off switch overnite. I replaced the solenoid 1st and still just hear it click. I replaced the on/off switch and still just hear the click. I removed the neg and pos wires from the battery cleaned them up and all the wires to the pt solenoid and starter and same thing just the pt solenoid clicks. other than pulling and bringing the starter to autozone to test it any other suggestions to try next. thanks in advance for the help ken

MossRoad · Feb 12, 2015

Make sure the PTO switch is off.

woodlandfarms · Feb 12, 2015

So you turn the key on and you feel the solenoid on the PT Click? That is no bueno. Moss is right, check your switch. Better yet, unplug the solenoid and make sure it is what you are hearing. Mine doesn't make any noise but you can feel it activate and there is a slight tick.

Could be a short. Could very well be a bad ground.

Make sure the battery is good. If you can, take the one out of your car. Batteries are bizarre monsters.

texasjohn · Feb 12, 2015

I assume you tried to jump start it?

J_J · Feb 12, 2015

Put a meter on the battery and turn the switch to start.

If the voltage does not drop to around 8 pr 9 volts, the coil is not getting a good connection.

Is your battery any good.

Put a jumper directly on the starter lug and see if it will start.

Maybe bad starter. Remove all wires and connect a cable directly.

Remove starter and take to Autozone or NAPA, etc

MossRoad · Feb 12, 2015

woodlandfarms said:
So you turn the key on and you feel the solenoid on the PT Click? That is no bueno. Moss is right, check your switch. Better yet, unplug the solenoid and make sure it is what you are hearing. Mine doesn't make any noise but you can feel it activate and there is a slight tick.

Could be a short. Could very well be a bad ground.

Make sure the battery is good. If you can, take the one out of your car. Batteries are bizarre monsters.

That's a good point. Just because you hear some solenoid clicking doesn't mean it is the starter solenoid clicking.

kjm3232 · Feb 12, 2015

thanks for the advice everyone. after talking with terry today we figured out what was going on. when I replaced the pt solenoid I didn't reattach it to the chassis figuring i needed to pull the starter out to bring it to autozone for testing. I thought the black wire on the front of the solenoid supplied the ground which allowed the solenoid to energize and pass the battery 12v to the starter. well I was wrong. terry said I needed to connect the solenoid to the chassis which provided the ground and when I turned the ignition switch on the black wire would give the 12v to energize the solenoid. once i did that she started right up. its too bad PT doesn't give a theory of operation manual like I used to have in the air force. anyway hope this helps anyone else out and thanks for the advice and suggestions to try.

MossRoad · Feb 12, 2015

That's great news for you! :thumbsup: Now get out there and move some snow!!! :laughing:

ponytug · Feb 13, 2015

Well, those old Ford solenoids do require that they be mounted to ground. It's good for the cables as well (less weight on them).

As you discover the hard way, and just for the future:
The little wire is the control wire.
The other two supply current, and connect to the load.
Usually, they do have tiny little letters on solenoid somewhere, but as I recall the "standard" Ford lettering is a bit odd.
(Like the control wire is labelled "S" for switch (not anything else "S" related!), and "A" for input and "B" for output. Some also have a fourth "I" terminal to supply power to an ignition coil. You can use the four terminal versions, I would just recommend that you insulate the fourth terminal to keep it out of trouble!

I prefer the solenoids that mount to the body of the solenoid, rather than the top, as that the metal on the top is bent in an inverted "U", and it seems to be a point of failure, at least for my machine. The mounting supplies the ground for the solenoid.

All the best,

Peter