BX23 is dead again......

jim_wilson · Aug 8, 2004

This is the second time something has happened to my BX23 to put it out of commision since I got it just a few short weeks ago. Last time the bolt that holds the seat to the seatframe twisted right off , this time for some reason the tractor will not start. I currently have about 47.5 hours on the tractor - had been running it most of the afternoon and had put about 4 hours on it. I was using the FEL to grab a load of dirt I had just scooped out with the box blade and the tractor died. I thought at first I had maybe moved off the seat and the kill switch did it but then when I went to try and start it it would not start. I checked everything, made sure the speed lever was in neutral, made sure I let the glow plug on for 2 seconds or so etc. After trying to get it to start for a few minutes I went in and got the voltmeter - the batter read something like 17 volts so there is more than enough juice there, when I push both of the kill switches down under the seat and turn the key to the start position I hear the sound of a solenoid or something clicking in the engine compartment dashboard area but the starter does not turn at all. I checked all the fuses I could find on the tractor with the continuity meter and they all are ok - this includes the 30amp and the 50 amp ones in the engine compartment. I am sure I could figure this out if I had to but I am a little bit peeved at the moment so I am going to let Kubota honor their warranty and get out here and fix the thing. Anybody else had this kind of problems with their BX?

_RaT_ · Aug 8, 2004

Analog voltmeter? If so, I think it needs calibrating. You will not have 17 volts at the battery. SOunds like one of the interconnect switches. Could be the seat switch, clutch switch, PTO switch, or hydro pedal switch. I am not familiar with the BX models, but I agree, let your dealer get it straightend out.

jim_wilson · Aug 8, 2004

Digital voltmeter - and it has always been correct before. I thought that was funky too. Usually a well charged battery will be 12.5 - 13 volts with no charging going on. I will check it again in the morning and see what it says before I go up and complain to the dealer.

DannyD · Aug 8, 2004

If it is at 17 volts, could that be the problem? Is there something on the tractor to NOT allow that much voltage to get to what it could hurt? Dont know myself, just wondering. Sounds odd for sure

ZackaryMac · Aug 8, 2004

I'm not familiar with that model of tractor either, but 17 volts is cetainly wrong. A device called a regulator is there to keep the charging system voltage to around 13.5 volts. Sounds like the regulator ain't a regulatin' and possibly shut something down from over-voltage. I have no idea how much electronics are on these tractors but they don't like too much voltage (that goes for ALL electronics).
Just my 2¢ worth. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

jim_wilson · Aug 8, 2004

Something dawned on me that I will have to check in the morning - it could be the regulator has gone belly up and that is why the battery was reading so high. The other thing that may have happened - I have seen this before with car batteries - is the battery itself might have gone. One way to tell is when I try to turn the engine over if I watch the battery with a volt meter and it goes way down I may have a dead battery. I am going to check this one more time before I go and see the dealer. The electronics on this tractor look pretty simple to me - definitely nothing more complicated than an automobile, and I know that a car will still function with high voltage although certain things may act screwy. With high voltage for instance I would still expect the starter to turn over - unless maybe there is a solenoid that all the safety switches connect to that got fried - in which case the tractor would not start.

ZackaryMac · Aug 8, 2004

Sometimes when the regulator goes it boils most of the juice out of the battery if left long enough, too. Then the battery is very weak. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif The poor battery takes an aweful pounding. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

jim_wilson · Aug 9, 2004

Went out and checked again this morning and it is still dead - however I did find that the battery is ok at 12.5 volts. Turned out the battery in the voltmeter was almost dead and that made it give wacky readings. So it looks to me like something is screwy in the safety interlock electrics. I talked with the dealer this morning and he asked if the power pedal was in it's neutral position and if the parking brake was on. He said that he was pretty sure that there were safety switches on both of those - I am pretty sure I worked the forward/reverse pedal back and forth a few times and it seemed to be ok - I was not aware there was a safety switch on the brake pedal though. Does anybody know if that is true? He said the engine should shutdown if I get off the tractor and it is in a drive range - but I have been jumping on and off the tractor with it running a lot since I got it and the engine always stayed running. Does anybody know if this is proper behavior for the BX?

ByronBob · Aug 9, 2004

My BX dies if I have it in gear. Now in neutral it's not a problem. Get on and off all the time.

Sounds like a switch pooped on you. Dealer here you come.

Bird · Aug 9, 2004

Make sure the PTO is off, then try turning the key to the "start" position and hold it there while you move the range selector lever back and forth and rock the hydro pedal back and forth. Sometimes one of the safety switches is just a little bit out of adjustment.