3520 won't start... "nuetof" on display

[jeepinator]

I have been running my tractor for several hours today. It was running like a champ, as usual. I pulled the e brake and hopped off to get a limb out of the way and it shut off exactly when I left the seat (like the PTO was on). The PTO was not on, nor had I been using it for days. I hopped right back on to start it as I am paranoid about the turbo heat thing. And it wouldn't start. The first click of the key sounds and acts totally normal, but the next click, where the engine usually cranks, nothing. At this point the display reads "nuetof".

Does anyone have a clue what this means?
I searched for this word and got no hits.

 

[jdbower]

Wild shot in the dark - is it actually "neut" and it means that you're actually in gear and not in neutral? My 2520 won't start in gear and would cause that (but it's not smart enough to throw an error code when I try).

 

[jeepinator]

Yes, it is "neutof". My mistake.
As far as I know, I don't have gears. It is an e-Hydro machine.

 

[jdbower]

I've got an eHydro also, my gearshift lever is on the lefthand side and labeled Low - Neutral - High (not sure if the bigger tractors have more selections). My guess is that you're not fully in neutral (if you think you are, shift into low or high and back again), but I'd also check to see that your PTO is off, that your parking brake is on, and anything else you normally check before starting.

 

[SFish]

The neutral start switch has a jumper that, presumably, allows e-hydros to start when not in neutral. The jumper is listed in my 3320 manual under troubleshooting as causing the starter not to work if it is faulty.

Steve

 

[jeepinator]

jbblower,
OK, ya. I have a lever like that. It has A B C and N, but I have always been able to start in any position. I did check it anyways, due to the nature of the error. I tinkered with every switch, lever, and button before giving up and posting here.
I am going to go check if all the fuses are still there (I did check that the ones that are there and they are all good). I just printed out the part of the manual that shows the fuse box.

Thanks for the help!

 

[jd110]

"neutof" means that the neutral start switch is not sensing neutral in the hydro pedals. That could be caused by a bad switch, sticking linkage, or a loose or broken wire. Have you tried pushing and releasing the pedals to see if they move freely? It is possible to get a stick or something jammed in the pedal linkage. Also look for any loose wires underneath that should be hooked up somewhere.

 

[Chris2520]

if its like a 2520. the nutrual switch is down on the left side of
the frame under the gear shifter. it has a 2 prog plug. you could unplug it ,
and put a jumper wire in it to see if it starts. if it does . the switch is bad......

Chris......

 

[jeepinator]

Sweet. Those are excellent leads. And it makes sense why it died when I got off the seat.
I'll monkey with it after work tomorrow. If I am lucky, there is a vine causing either the linkage or the switch to not return all the way... or similar. I was taking care of the most insane jungle I have ever seen. 20 ft tall blackberry bushes, zillions of deciduous saplings of all sorts, stinging neddles, stumps, logs, 5 year old struggling cedar starts I am trying to avoid, poison oak that I am REALLY trying to avoid, and worst of all, thistles as tall as my head when I am on the tractor, which are in full spread their seeds mode.
And I still had fun

uhh... until it died.

 

[jeepinator]

Most of the important stuff was hidden behind a plastic cover, held on by those single use plastic push on rivet-like things. I cut those off and removed the cover. I unplugged the harness from the "switches" and using a Fluke multimeter, tested the resistance between the 3 leads of the plug. Both "switches" read the same values; open, open, 170 ohms. The values did not change at all when I pushed the pedals. The tractor is supplying 5v to the "switches".
The switches are not switches at all, nor do they appear to be variable resistors. They seem to need to be energized to provide whatever feedback they provide. Having 3 leads also supports this idea.

FWIW, if I am not on the seat and I push the pedals, I get an error 15 (operator not in seat). And I only get this if I push a pedal. It seems to me that if the pedal sensor gizmos were wrong that I would always or never get an error 15. No?

Normally I would just call the dealer since this thing is under warranty. The problem is that it would take a dozer to get this thing out of the place it is in. I can just barely get the tractor out under it's own power. Also, I seriously doubt any repair truck would make it back out.

Thanks again for any and all help!