BX22 wont start

[gengine]

Battery fluid can freeze if there isn't enough of a charge. It is possible that your battery had some ice in it. The amps required to start a motor, especially a diesel, are high enough that jumper cables have a real hard time passing that current along. I would recommend that you pull the battery to some place that stays above freezing for a couple days, then put a low amp charge on it for a day or two. If your battery is partially froze and you put a charge to it, there is the possibility of it 'boiling' over. If you have a warm garage, that is the best place because of the fumes that your battery can put off. Oh, and keep it away from sparks or open flame. =) In all, it just sounds like you weren't getting the amps you needed to really spin that motor.

 

[Deano]

bad battery?

Thinking the same...not necessarily bad, but headed there?

 

[gwdixon]

My bet is that all of the fooling around with the connections allowed for a better hookup and full current was flowing.

I had a L3650 that had "battery" problems similar to the OP. It turned out that the battery was grounded to the frame instead of the engine. Eventually, the connection degraded until only a trickle of current went through. Everything lit up but the engine wouldn't crank. Oh, and the tach would jump all over the place intermittently.

It was diagnosed by hooking a jumper cable from the battery post to the engine. The tractor started right up. A trip to an auto parts store for a longer ground cable to attach to an engine bolt cleared up all of the electrical problems.

 

[Jimbrown]

Hmmm original no start day temp in low 20's. Started couple days later I bet the temp was warmer. Sounds like cold thick oil to me.

 

[copperhead1967]

My bet is that all of the fooling around with the connections allowed for a better hookup and full current was flowing.

I had a L3650 that had "battery" problems similar to the OP. It turned out that the battery was grounded to the frame instead of the engine. Eventually, the connection degraded until only a trickle of current went through. Everything lit up but the engine wouldn't crank. Oh, and the tach would jump all over the place intermittently.

It was diagnosed by hooking a jumper cable from the battery post to the engine. The tractor started right up. A trip to an auto parts store for a longer ground cable to attach to an engine bolt cleared up all of the electrical problems.

Maybe on to something because the fuel gage and temp gage where acting funny the usage before the no start day. They where both pegged into the negative zone. Not just at zero but pegged to the lower limit. Now of couse they are working fine. HMMMMM

 

[paulemar]

Is this your original battery? If it is, I'll bet on a bad battery-------it's old. The best advice was to take it to an auto parts store and have it tested. A weak or bad battery can cause all kinds of weird problems. If it's fairly new, I might have it tested anyway-----they don't make em' like they used to, and a tractor bouncing around can be hard on a battery. If the battery tests OK, then as others have said, check all + and - connections from the battery. Make sure they are clean and tight!

A fuel problem won't cause your symptoms. And even if you are using 15w-40 oil, it hasn't been cold enough around W. PA to thicken the oil that much. We would need to lose another 25 or 30 night time degrees to worry about that.

A few months ago I had intermittant starter problems on my old JD 210 garden tractor. If I gave the starter a rap with a stick, it would start up. Turns out it wasn't the starter after all but a loose + wire to battery clamp. I tightened that up and no more starting problems. I'm guessing that my moving stuff around while using the stick method gave enough of a connection to start the tractor. I keep all electrical connections that I can covered with di-electric (SP) grease to help prevent corrosion too.

 

[dodge man]

I still think you have the problem. I don't know what a good, fully charged battery should read, but I think it should be more than 12.5v.

 

[KWentling]

I still think you have the problem. I don't know what a good, fully charged battery should read, but I think it should be more than 12.5v.

I'm kind of in the same boat. My BX wouldn't start. (Turned over slowly) Pulled the battery out and cleaned connections and charged the battery. I didn't check the voltage before I charged it, but after it was 13.5 Volts. I was led to believe a fully charged battery was 12.7 V? Anyway it starts good now. The battery is the original Deka 10 years old. If it happens again I will be looking deeper. Probably time for a new battery at any rate.

Kim

 

[ibnxe]

12.7 volts is a good reading, depending on a couple of factors. Just after being charged, the battery voltage will read closer to 13.5 volts. After resting for a few hours this voltage will drop to more like 12.5-12.7 volts at room temperature. On a cold day that could be a few tenths of a volt lower.
Ten years is a pretty good lifetime for a battery. A replacement may be in your future.

 

[Deano]

I'm kind of in the same boat. My BX wouldn't start. (Turned over slowly) Pulled the battery out and cleaned connections and charged the battery. I didn't check the voltage before I charged it, but after it was 13.5 Volts. I was led to believe a fully charged battery was 12.7 V? Anyway it starts good now. The battery is the original Deka 10 years old. If it happens again I will be looking deeper. Probably time for a new battery at any rate.

Kim

10 years?? Wow!! Good life, but, time for a new one so you don't have to chase a problem caused by a "faithful" battery!