John Deere 4100 will not turn over

[buddylee63]

The other day I went to put my mower deck back on my John Deere 4100 hydrostatic tractor. My tractor was at one end of the building, I started it with no problem and drove thirty feet and shut it down. I hooked the deck up without any issues and went to start it up. I turned the key over to the first position and I always listen for the two clicks( not sure if I need to or not). I went to start it up and nothing. It was like it was still in gear. I move the high/low gear selector and made sure it was in neutral and went to try to start it again....the same. When I turn it to the first position I get the two lights on the left side of the instrument panel and I hear the two clicks which I am guessing to be the fuel pump. Not knowing a lot about what to do, I started by cleaning the battery cables, all good and tight. I checked the four fuses under the hood and all OK. Unsure what else I can do. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[JD5210]

Since it had just started. My thought would be a safety switch either came disconnected when putting the mower on. Check that the PTO is off and that the hydrostatic pedals are in the neutral position.

 

[diesel lover]

The other day I went to put my mower deck back on my John Deere 4100 hydrostatic tractor. My tractor was at one end of the building, I started it with no problem and drove thirty feet and shut it down. I hooked the deck up without any issues and went to start it up. I turned the key over to the first position and I always listen for the two clicks( not sure if I need to or not). I went to start it up and nothing. It was like it was still in gear. I move the high/low gear selector and made sure it was in neutral and went to try to start it again....the same. When I turn it to the first position I get the two lights on the left side of the instrument panel and I hear the two clicks which I am guessing to be the fuel pump. Not knowing a lot about what to do, I started by cleaning the battery cables, all good and tight. I checked the four fuses under the hood and all OK. Unsure what else I can do. Any help would be appreciated!

Do you have a volt meter? Check the voltage at the battery while hitting the key. See if your voltage is changing when your hitting the key. If your not hearing anything then the starter is probably not engaging at all. Voltage should be at least 12.5 volts at all time and should still be at least 9 volts whole under a large load such as cranking over an engine.

I fully agree with JD5210. You may have something that disconnected and is not allowing the transfer of power to the starter.

 

[buddylee63]

Do you have a volt meter? Check the voltage at the battery while hitting the key. See if your voltage is changing when your hitting the key. If your not hearing anything then the starter is probably not engaging at all. Voltage should be at least 12.5 volts at all time and should still be at least 9 volts whole under a large load such as cranking over an engine.

I fully agree with JD5210. You may have something that disconnected and is not allowing the transfer of power to the starter.

Thank you both for your time an I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.

I am clear about the safety switch. I wiggled the pedals and I hooked up the voltage meter and it read 12.5 and did not move when I started to crank it. So I took the PTO switch out of the instrument panel and made sure it was hooked in the harness plug thoroughly and still no turn over. I got to messing around with the volt meter and checked to see if there was power on the plug going to the PTO switch and I had power. I plugged the PTO switch almost all the way in and then checked to see if there was power on the three terminals and there was none. Does that mean the switch is bad or am i totally off base? Is there a way, without messing something up, to by pass the switch or do I just need to replace the switch and go from there?
Again thanks for your time and patience.

BL

 

[DFB]

Did you check to see if the pto selector lever is engaged correctly in one the proper positions. Front, rear, or both. That happened to me one time lever somehow got moved out of place and nada...no starty!

 

[buddylee63]

Just tried the PTO shift in multiple positions and still No start.
Thanks.

 

[diesel lover]

If you run 12 volts to the "S" terminal on the starter it should start. For some reason the starter is not engauging at all. I have to do it to forklifts and other engines from time to time for different reasons. Its safer to do this with two people as one can make sure the tractor will not move. If needed you can do this. You can do this with a remote start button from the seat of the tractor. One wire on the positive battery terminal and one on the S terminal of the starter. This way you could drive it to a garage etc to work on it. Your wire going to the S terminal could have corroded out etc

 

[JD5210]

At this point it sounds like you problem is a little more complex, than a wire came lose. It seems you know how to use a volt meter. My suggestion is go to selectmanuals.com and get the tech for $24.95. Look up the starting system and start tracing the wiring system. The tech manual should answer your question on the PTO switch. Since nothing is happening when you turn the key, start with the safety switches.

 

[Blaneypark]

When I had my 4100 that happened to me twice. I removed the left pannel and jiggled the wires it started right up. Talked with a JD service guy and he told me the wireing is fuseable. I had and still have my doubts but it worked. The second time I removed the plug-ins to the ignition switch and cleaned them. Never had another problem.

 

[buddylee63]

At this point it sounds like you problem is a little more complex, than a wire came lose. It seems you know how to use a volt meter. My suggestion is go to selectmanuals.com and get the tech for $24.95. Look up the starting system and start tracing the wiring system. The tech manual should answer your question on the PTO switch. Since nothing is happening when you turn the key, start with the safety switches.

Ok got a little more tinkering done and here what I have come up with. I am still checking wires and electrical. I replaced the pto switch and still nothing.

Got to thinking. When I shut it down I was still rolling a little. (Man was that stupid....maybe). I tried to move the tractor with a winch and it would not move. The gear shift will move and it feels like it comes out of gear. Is it possible that it is stuck in gear and is there a way to manually move it to neutral?

Going to look into the manual right now.
Thanks
BL

 

[JD5210]

I do not own a 4100, but here is what your manual says to do tow it. I picked towing as I would have to think everything needs to be in neutral to tow. Hope this helps.

My take from reading the manual is you have PTO switch and a PTO control level?

1. Pull PTO control lever rearward to the disengaged/off position.

2. Disengage differential lock.

3. Unlock the park brake.

4. Gear Models: Place transmission in the neutral position.

5. Place the range shift lever in the N (neutral) position.

6. Disengage the MFWD.

Introduction

 

[Dutch445]

being a hydro you only have hi and low for "gears", with neutral between them.
you say you can move the lever, but would you say that it feels normal?
can you move between H-N-L with ease, and feel all the detents?
your may be stuck in a range, but it's odd that the tractor won't roll,
is there a chance the diff lock is locked down? have you tried rolling the tractor
both ways? for sure the brakes are released? (not that they have a safety switch)

 

[Dutch445]

here's a picture of the parts breakdown, it says number 20 is the neutral safety
switch on a hydro:

 

[diesel lover]

Ok got a little more tinkering done and here what I have come up with. I am still checking wires and electrical. I replaced the pto switch and still nothing.

Got to thinking. When I shut it down I was still rolling a little. (Man was that stupid....maybe). I tried to move the tractor with a winch and it would not move. The gear shift will move and it feels like it comes out of gear. Is it possible that it is stuck in gear and is there a way to manually move it to neutral?

Going to look into the manual right now.
Thanks
BL

so this is a gear shift trans and not a hydrostatic? Hydrostatic are not easy to tow with the engine off. There is sometimes a lever to move to the "tow" position for hydrostatic.

If its a power reverser like my friends 4510 was then you may need to switch it into both neutrals to tow it.

Again if it is a safety lock out you could start it with a remote start button from the tractor seat, bypassing the safeties and moving the tractor. Had to do it lots of times for different reasons.

 

[johns_dmax]

My JD5105 was doing this a few weeks ago. It turned out to be a bad ground connection at the frame. I had 12 volts at the battery and 12 volts at the starter when using the battery ground. When I used an alternator bolt for the ground the voltage dropped to zero when turning the key to the start position. I cleaned the frame surface and cable and it started right up. No problems since. Hope you get it running.

 

[Dutch445]

it's a 2 range hydrostatic transmission.
with the range selector in Neutral, the tractor truly is in Neutral and
will roll easily. there is no hydro disconnect per say, other than being in neutral.
if the tractor won't roll easily, then it could be in gear or the brakes are locked,
or the mfwd is bound (inside now, maybe was in 4wd and forgot).
that neutral safety switch should be easy to test.

 

[buddylee63]

Well hot dog!!!!!!! I just got it to turn over! The schematic really helped. The neutral safety switch had come unplugged. I plugged it back in and as soon as I got it all out back together, She fired right up. Huge Thanks for all who helped and posted. I learned a tremendous amount about my tractor. I just hope it will help somebody else too. Again thanks for the help