I have been running the tractor for a couple of days now. And the no start issue is a constant now. Even when I start it in the morning for the first time. This should be easier to diagnose now. I have called the dealer and they are expecting me to bring her in. I can't for a couple of weeks, it is being used every day that I am not at work. I traded out the battery yesterday with one in my truck. it didn't change a thing. I then when back through and changed out the cruise module and relay to no luck. I checked the output of the alternator, checked the battery all were in normal 11.70 from the meter. I have no idea. Anyone have anything else for me?
Nick
11.7 volts is 1 volt low for a battery without the alternator running. And it is at least 2 volts low for running tractor with a spinning alternator..Perhaps your meter is not accurate?
BUT we are still back to the basic questions. Tractor will not crank. WHY wont the tractor crank.. Does the starter solenoid pull in? Yes/No? If not, then did the starter relay pull in? Yes/no? If the relay did not energize, WHY did the relay not energize?.. Did the ground signal come out of the Cruise module, and did it make it to the low side terminal of the Starter relay socket?. Did the key switch provide voltage to the starter relay high side? If not WHY not.. If the relay coil energized, did the relay contacts send power to the starter solenoid? Or do the contacts have a high resistance? Is the wiring or contacts intermittently open? The only way you can find the reason the tractor does not crank is by analyzing and answering each of these questions. The mechanic at the dealership must go through the exact same thought process and analysis. Taking measurements, form a hypothesis, prove or disprove that hypothesis, move on to the next section of the circuit etc. Many of these measurements will require a helper, a warm dry place to work, a schematic diagram, a notebook to write down what was measured, and critical thinking to form a hypothesis. This may or may not be beyond your capability's. But if the tractor is to be repaired, these are the steps that must be taken.
The other approach, and unfortunately one often taken by owners and mechanics too, is the "shotgun" approach.. Start replacing parts. One after the other. Unfortunately this does not fix all of these types of intermittent problems. Sometimes this works, but not always, and this can get very expensive very fast. The scientific method Always works, but it may be more time consuming and is the most difficult to apply and requires more knowledge ( of ohms law for instance) and requires linear thinking.
Always divide your problem in half, and look first one direction, until satisfied that direction is not a fault, and then look the other direction.
Example, The starter does not spin, is there voltage from the battery on the larger starter contact from the battery? When the helper turns the key, does the voltage stay near a nominal 12 volts? Does it drop below 10 volts? If it stays up, you would conclude that the battery and connections to it are most likely OK.
So next question of why does the starter not spin is did the starter solenoid pull in? Did the starter solenoid receive voltage from the starter relay? Take a reading on the input stud of the starter solenoid while helper is attempting to start the tractor. If voltage is present on starter solenoid stud, and voltage is present on the large starter motor input lead, starter MUST spin provided its chassis ground connections are of a low resistance back to the negative return path to the battery. If it fails to spin, then the starter solenoid contacts may be defective, or the negative path may be a high resistance. One way to check for that is to place your negative lead of the meter directly on the battery negative post, and measure for voltage on the case of the starter. If you see any appreciable voltage then your connection to the starter, tractor chassis, battery ground cable is defective.
These are the thought processes you must have to solve this intermittent problem. These are the thought processes the mechanic must have if you give up and take it to the dealer. There is no fault in a piece of equipment harder to solve than the intermittent problem.
