1964 Ford 4000 wont start

[jshaney]

Thanks for the tip.

New starter will be here tomorrow. I have the owners manual for my 4000, but can you recommend a good technical/repair manual? Kinda like a Haynes manual but for a tractor?

Is there a certain way to put the new starter in? Any special steps that need to be taken while putting it in?

 

[Soundguy]

starter on that 4cyl is pretty straight forward. 3 bolts and a power cable and a drive gear..

there are 2 service manuals. ford factory, and the I&T fo-20 factory manual is more $$ and more extensive. other is a good basic manual..

 

[jshaney]

Ok. New starter in. guess what? doesn't work. I know its shocking.

So put the correct 12v coil that you recommended, bypassed the 2 external resistors on the tractor. Im getting 12.6 or so volts across battery, and all points on solenoid and to coil and to push button. Turn key, get voltage to push button and I get 12.3 volts to starter.

So starter still isn't spinning. I turned the crankshaft by hand, so no internal issues there. I jumped the starter off the battery in my truck and and it DID spin. Not real well, but did spin.

1. So does this mean the solenoid is bad? Even though Im getting 12v to the starter, and the solenoid does click?

2. It got dark on me, should I try to bypass the solenoid all the together, connect to the battery with one side, then go straight to the starter? to see if it will start?

 

[Soundguy]

so pressing the thumb button DOES make the solenoid lick? yes?

If so, then hook a test lamp to the starter side of the solenoid and see if it lights when clicking.

if yes, make sure connections and cables are good to the starter... ie.. the cable from solenoid to starter.

 

[jshaney]

Yes, when I press the push button the solenoid clicks.

Pardon my ignorance but a test lamp?

And I hook it up where the wire connects to the starter itself? Or at the solenoid on the starter side?

And if it lights or doesn't, what will be my next step after checking connections?

 

[Soundguy]

google test lamp. you will find many pictured. most of them are a ice pick looking thingy with a clear handle and a wire with gator clip commong off the handle. a lamp lives in the handle. clamp the gator clip to ground, and then probe a connection to see if it is hot.

 

[jshaney]

So starter was getting voltage. Cleaned all wire connections : all 3 points on key switch, push button, battery ground, wire to solenoid etc.

With a new solenoid, (4 terminal that we cant figure out atm ST-542) ran a jumper from battery to starter, it fired right up, then while running we took the jumper off and it died. So tried the old 3 terminal solenoid and got nothing but the click on the solenoid. Tried to jumper it from battery to starter and got nothing, not even sparks. So went back to the new 4 terminal solenoid, wired it like we originally had it, and did jumper from battery to starter. Nothing.

So started checking voltages again.

Heres how we wired the new 4 terminal solenoid : Battery to top post of solenoid. "I" terminal to key switch. "S" terminal to push button. Starter to bottom post. This gives us no solenoid click, or power to push button OR "S" terminal on solenoid.

So now we started testing voltage :

WITH KEY OFF

1. Battery + to - = 12.5v
2. Battery - to top of solenoid = 12.5v
3. Top of solenoid then grounding to starter base = 12.52v
4. Battery - to coil + = 0v
5. Bat - to key switch = 12.53
6. No power was going to the push button or the S terminal of 4 terminal solenoid

WITH KEY ON

1. Bat - to key switch = 11.98
2. Battery - to coil + = 12.14
3. Battery - top of solenoid = 12.18
4. No power was going to "S" terminal or solenoid or to push button

All of this done with known good battery.

 

[Soundguy]

11.98 with key on? dead battery.... start over with a good battery and wires.

you should be able to run that tractor with a wire from the bat to the coil, and then roll it down the hill and pop the clutch.

proper 4 terminal solenoid needs power on one small termional, and ground from thumb switch on the other small term. bat and starter on the large terminals. don't matter what's conencted to what side on the big or little. little is the electromagnet, big is the switch.


double check the thumb switch is making good ground conenctions each time too.