Dead spot on starter

[tree grower]

There is a dead spot on the starter of my 1050. I have had the starter rebuilt twice in the past few years, and the last time the guy said the problem is low voltage. The battery and alternator are in good condition. The tractor never fails to start after umpteen tries, and the last time we attached jumper cables which gave a magical boost. It has been suggested that the problem may be a bad ground, or a bad connection somewhere, and that sounds logical. I can methodically clean and tighten all the wires, but is there a particular wire or particular circuit which should be my first target?

 

[AWSubie]

U can test the bad ground theory by running a cable (heavy gage wire) from the starter housing back to the negative battery terminal and see if ur performance markedly improves. If so then u know to focus on cleaning up that side of the circuit (or just leave the cable attached.

A side note: if this is a diesel tractor; check ur battery voltage. If the voltage on the battery is less than 12.6 then u need a new battery. Unlike gas engines, a diesel must reach a certain rpm to ensure reliable starting. A weak battery will cause intermittent starting problems.

 

[Zebrafive]

On my JD 2030, I added a "jumper" ground from the factory ground at the sheet metal of the battery box to the engine block. It helped. Even better was when I swapped to an aftermarket gear reduction starter.

 

[Tx Jim]

With a helper sitting in seat to depress clutch short across top terminal & S terminal on solenoid. If tractor starter engages then I suggest to add a relay that will send higher voltage to S terminal. JD introduced a kit(photo below) but you could fabricate the wiring. Relay only from JD or auto store is about $25

 

[Tx Jim]

On my JD 2030, I added a "jumper" ground from the factory ground at the sheet metal of the battery box to the engine block. It helped. Even better was when I swapped to an aftermarket gear reduction starter.

I think 1050 has a much better battery ground attachment than JD utility tractors that were built in Dubuque or Mannheim factories that after several yrs became a ""rusty battery box connection"". But I agree attaching battery ground cable to engine block is the best method unless ground is attached to starter mounting bolt which is best.

 

[flyerdan]

If it clicks and clicks every time you key it, and eventually will spin right over, chances are that it's the solenoid. The big copper bolts that carry the current erode and get dirty with arcing, easy fix.

 

[1010]

You could have a bad cable too. It might not make good enough contact inside cable end that goes on the battery terminal or the other end is bad.

 

[tree grower]

Thanks for all the feedback. My situation is as described by Flyerdan--Each turn of the key yields an anemic click, and the next two to 20 turns of the key gives the same results, but suddenly it will spin right over. This might happen two or three times a day, or it might not happen again for a month.

 

[beenthere]

I'd have the battery removed and load tested.. sounds like needing a new one.

Also do the cable connection remove/clean and tighten down routine.

Then follow up with more in-depth if needed.

 

[flyerdan]

Take the solenoid off; in the bakelite end cap are two square head copper bolts that the battery cables attach to, and the motor windings the other. They wear slightly where the contact disc arcs on them. They can be carefully tapped out and reinstalled so the new part of the head faces in. Clean all the black crud off with a wire wheel both on the bolts and the plunger, it will act like a new starter.
That's what I did on the forklift when it was doing the same thing.

 

[tree grower]

Flyerdan gave me the link to a solenoid repair kit, and I relocated the ground strap connection to the main frame. Battery cables appear to be in very good condition, battery is only two yrs old, and installation of the solenoid repair should be very easy. I think my problem is solved. Thanks to all for help and suggestions. Happy new year to all.

 

[jd110]

I hope you are right, but in my experience the addition of a starter relay as TxJim suggested earlier cures most starting problems on 50 series compacts. Deere offers a relay kit part number RE44536 that works well. It was not designed for these models but is easily adaptable. I comes with a relay and a harness as well as instructions. If you buy just the relay, it is easy to wire it in as well. Most of these starting problems are caused by a voltage drop from resistance in harness, switches and connectors, causing voltage applied to starter solenoid to be too low to reliably engage the starter. The addition of a relay assures that 12 volts is supplied to energize the starter.

 

[tree grower]

This has turned into quite a little project. With the solenoid repair kit on order, I turned my attention to the relay concept, The part recommended by JD110 is too close to $200 w/o being an exact fit, so I Googled 'relay', 'relay wiring', etc. Fortunately there were some very clear schematics. I confess that I have been skeptical about the value of relays, but it couldn't hurt. After ordering what appears to be a simple but correctly functional unit, skeptical me went out to where my won't start 1050 sits (click, click, etc), and jumped the 2 inches from the battery cable on the starter to the 'ignition' wire on the solenoid---what a happy sound ! Ten points and a gold star to JD110. I'll let you all know when my ordeal is over.

 

[Tx Jim]

Thanks for update. I'm glad adding a relay to your tractors starting circuit helped your tractor to start easier.
Jim