DK45Se won't start

[tpulley]

I have looked through old threads and haven't seen anything quite like this.

My DK45SE (2012) will not turn over. This happened two times before and I was able to fiddle with the forward neutral shifter on the dash and it started then. It will not now. To be safe and start ruling out the possible pieces I cleaned the battery terminals to no avail. This evening after work I took off the switch that tells it when it's in neutral. The switch appears to be a ball type spring that when all pressure is off the neutral light comes on. I thought ok I will take it out to releive any possible pressure. No change. The switch is a sealed unit (see attached photos), the second pic is when it is mounted on the bracket. I am not sure which direction to go. The local dealer is in between mechanics or I would have had him send someone over there as I live only a few miles from him.

Anyone got any suggestions or ideas how to prove what is wrong? At this point I am thinking of spending the $86 on the switch to see if that is it.

 

[k0ua]

I have looked through old threads and haven't seen anything quite like this.

My DK45SE (2012) will not turn over. This happened two times before and I was able to fiddle with the forward neutral shifter on the dash and it started then. It will not now. To be safe and start ruling out the possible pieces I cleaned the battery terminals to no avail. This evening after work I took off the switch that tells it when it's in neutral. The switch appears to be a ball type spring that when all pressure is off the neutral light comes on. I thought ok I will take it out to releive any possible pressure. No change. The switch is a sealed unit (see attached photos), the second pic is when it is mounted on the bracket. I am not sure which direction to go. The local dealer is in between mechanics or I would have had him send someone over there as I live only a few miles from him.

Anyone got any suggestions or ideas how to prove what is wrong? At this point I am thinking of spending the $86 on the switch to see if that is it.

Why don't you test the switch?. It is out in your hand. Put your ohm meter on it and operate the switch. Or continuity tester if you don't have an ohm meter.

 

[iseki]

Don't you have a security switch on your clutch pedal ?may be that one

 

[Highgear]

As KOua said = Easy check with a DMM ( Digital Multi Meter ) set on Buzz .

 

[k0ua]

You of course start any troubleshooting procedure by checking the obvious things like battery condition (again with the multimeter) Battery terminals and cables and possible voltage drops (again with that pesky multimeter) Starter solenoid and starter relay, key switch bus voltage and any safety switches (shuttle position, PTO etc) with your trusty multimeter and your brain.

Typically you either start at one of the the chain and work forward or you can break the problem in half by starting in the middle and isolating each half and working toward isolation of the defective half. Since you took the time to pull out a suspected part (the safety switch) you can quickly test that part individually and either condemn it or exonerate it and move on along the likely circuit chain.

If you do not own a multimeter and/or do not know how to use one, then I would recommend a course of study to gain that knowledge or enlist the aid of someone that does have both the instrument and the knowledge or winch the offending unit up on a roll back and cart it off to the dealer.

 

[k0ua]

By the way spending money to randomly buy suspected parts is NEVER a good way to troubleshoot any kind of problem, electrical or otherwise. It is known as the "shotgun" approach. It is typically a total waste of money and time. A systematic testing and elimination of components and subsystems, known as the scientific method is the only sane way of problem solving. You should have been exposed to the scientific method of problem solving even in junior high or at least by the time you took high school science courses. Of course my lower level education experiences were so long ago, perhaps I date myself.

 

[k0ua]

One can solve many problems with nothing more than a "thought experiment" by sitting in ones easy chair and forming a hypothesis but will then have to move ones posterior over to the problem to prove or disprove that hypothesis.

For example: "My tractor will not crank! Hm, perhaps the battery voltage is too low under load?" To prove or disprove this hypothesis you must actually test the battery voltage under a probable cranking condition. How? With your trusty, ever-present multimeter that you have owned and familiarized yourself with long before you actually needed it.

When that hypothesis proves to be in the negative, then you form a new hypothesis: "perhaps my battery cables are so corroded on the inside under the insulation as to not pass sufficient current to pull in the starter solenoid?" Again the multimeter to the rescue by measuring for voltage drop across the cables. or "perhaps my starter relay on the firewall on the motor side does not provide voltage to the starter solenoid?" again a simple measurement of voltage on the starter solenoid terminals will either prove or disprove this. "perhaps my starter relays coil is never energized in the first place by the key switch", "perhaps a safety switch is open and not allowing any current to flow to energize the starter relay?" and on and on until one of your hypothesis's are proven true.

As you can see with this "thought experiment" trouble shooting when broken down into easily proven or disproved elements is really quite easy isn't it? Of course some actual hands on with a simple instrument will be required. One cannot entirely "pencil whip" the whole process, but some thinking out of the gate will go a long way getting the desired result.

 

[Highgear]

KOua - Saddly repairing and fixing things has become a lost ART .

 

[k0ua]

KOua - Saddly repairing and fixing things has become a lost ART .

Perhaps so in some quarters. Fortunately I had mentoring by my father and others and some schooling in methods at an early age. Plus I have had a lifetime of troubleshooting and repair as an avocation. I blame the educational system for some of the failure to think logically. Of course our present day to day circumstances and upbringing may contribute to lack of inspiration to "git'er done". Where and when I grew up, nearly every adult and most children were "fixers". When visiting other children's homes their fathers and older brothers would be out in the shop tearing down engines, or welding up something on the farm or fixing something. Perhaps it was the "can do" spirit of the greatest generation that had come back victorious from WWII, or just necessity of our social standing and wealth to always have to "make do" "fix it up" or figure out a way to make one of your own design that was so prevalent in my environment. I don't know for sure, but I know I was repairing things at an early age as was most of my peers.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Be sure the PTO is off. The starter will not crank if the PTO is on.
Adding to k0ua admonishment against random parts swapping, there is a good chance of breaking something else when swapping out good parts.