sonnyz
New member
I have a 318. Two issues: 1). the mower deck does not engage properly with the on switch, and 2). when I do finally get the mower to engage it quickly drains the battery. Solutions??
john deere 318 electrical
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bobmisi
Silver Member
I'm not an electrical wizard, by any means, but sounds like the problem I had with my Bolens GT1800. It turned out to be a bad PTO clutch, which engages the mower deck. That would be what I would suspect. There must be a way to check that with a meter, maybe someone else will chime in. Good luck.
kansas john deere
Bronze Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2011
- Messages
- 81
- Tractor
- 1986 john deere 318
First thing to check is the "Air Gap" on the PTO. It should be 0.18. The four lock nuts around the outside of it is how you adjust it. Take your feeler guage and measure the gap. Ususally you will have to go around a couple of time to get it set correct. 2nd step is the battery charge up all the way? Is the battery light up on the dash on? If the battery light is on the dash then you have a charging issue. First is make sure the regulator wires have not come loose. The regulator is located in the engine tins on the right side as you sitting on the tractor. The regulator has to be grounded good. If the regulator is not grounded you might have a bad regulator. If the regulator is bad Mother Deere should have one. But you can buy the correct one from Onanpart.com for about half the price. Now the most expensive part to replace is going to be the Stator. That is where the wires that connect to the regulator come from. If you have to replace that it is under the fly wheel and the engine has to come out to replace that/ Hopfully it is not the problem...................KJD
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General Stuart
Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2012
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- 31
- Location
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Tractor
- 1983 John Deere 318 & a 1986 John Deere 130
Hello Sonnyz
In most cases what you describe sound's like Excessive air gap at the PTO. I set mine at 0.015" which is three Thousand's tighter than their suggested setting of 0.018" but given the age of my Original 1983 PTO clutch things do wear over time and I don't have to adjust it much. The fast drain of the battery sound's like a Voltage Regulator issue. You can buy a re-pop regualtor for these Onan's that will not break the bank or even a Used one can be placed. Before you start Playing with the charging system I would suggest that you completly charge the battery. Then start it up and use an electric meter set to DC volt's. Place it on your battery Terminals and if the Voltage Regulator is working correctly it should read around 13.2 Volts with the Tractor running at high RPM's. If it is less than that or show's to be just 12-Volt's the Regulator is more than Likely bad. It is very seldom that these Onan engine's have any issues with their charging stator's. I am not saying it is Rare just not common as most time's it is the Voltage Regulator. one thing to check is that the Voltage Regulator is grounded properly. They have to be Grounded well to work correctly. Most are held in Place by One 1/4"-20 bolt that go through the engine's blower housing, as the Regulator will have a Groove in it to fit into the blower housing sheet metal, and the 1/4"-20 Bolt keep's it set into that Groove. The Regulator itself will have a Tapped Thread of 1/4-20" and if that bolt is loose or the Thread's are dicked it will not charge. If the original bolt through the regulator is stripped out making it loose simply go up to the next size in a self Tapping screw to correct the issue. When working around the Voltage Regulator be Cautious to not hit any of it's terminal's while the battery cable's are hooked up as it is Hot and you could destroy a Good regulator if a wrench or screwdriver ground's out one of the Terminals. I hope this helps Keep us Posted and PM me if you need to know anything else along the way of Tracking down your isses. Hammerdown
In most cases what you describe sound's like Excessive air gap at the PTO. I set mine at 0.015" which is three Thousand's tighter than their suggested setting of 0.018" but given the age of my Original 1983 PTO clutch things do wear over time and I don't have to adjust it much. The fast drain of the battery sound's like a Voltage Regulator issue. You can buy a re-pop regualtor for these Onan's that will not break the bank or even a Used one can be placed. Before you start Playing with the charging system I would suggest that you completly charge the battery. Then start it up and use an electric meter set to DC volt's. Place it on your battery Terminals and if the Voltage Regulator is working correctly it should read around 13.2 Volts with the Tractor running at high RPM's. If it is less than that or show's to be just 12-Volt's the Regulator is more than Likely bad. It is very seldom that these Onan engine's have any issues with their charging stator's. I am not saying it is Rare just not common as most time's it is the Voltage Regulator. one thing to check is that the Voltage Regulator is grounded properly. They have to be Grounded well to work correctly. Most are held in Place by One 1/4"-20 bolt that go through the engine's blower housing, as the Regulator will have a Groove in it to fit into the blower housing sheet metal, and the 1/4"-20 Bolt keep's it set into that Groove. The Regulator itself will have a Tapped Thread of 1/4-20" and if that bolt is loose or the Thread's are dicked it will not charge. If the original bolt through the regulator is stripped out making it loose simply go up to the next size in a self Tapping screw to correct the issue. When working around the Voltage Regulator be Cautious to not hit any of it's terminal's while the battery cable's are hooked up as it is Hot and you could destroy a Good regulator if a wrench or screwdriver ground's out one of the Terminals. I hope this helps Keep us Posted and PM me if you need to know anything else along the way of Tracking down your isses. Hammerdown
