john deere 790 electric

[jimdocsr]

i have a fully charged battery. Good connections, juice at the starter and fuel solenoid. No lights, indicator lights on dash and will not click or turnover. It as if a relay is stuck or the ignition switch is bad. Any ideas

Update- This morning I went to the tractor and turned on the keys and my indicator lights came on. I jumped up on the seat - put it n neutral, depressed clutch and turned the key. All I got was one loud click. Turned it again and got the same single click. The third time my lights were off, no click and all dark as described above.

 

[Spanner]

Ign. sw. 'could' be bad. Also there're a lot of fuses in the fuse box...

 

[crashz]

My 770 would bounce around enough for the seat switch to fall out of place. I tend to forget the PTO safety switch too.

 

[jimdocsr]

checked all fuses-all good.
is there a relay you know of or now based on my updated thread . Could it be a shorted starter? If so why do my indicator lights go dark?

 

[jimdocsr]

please review my updated thread.

 

[k0ua]

It "could" be a lot of things. What you have to do is take a voltmeter and an assistant and start at the battery posts. Take a measurement on the battery posts. NOT the battery terminals, but the battery posts. Have the assistant attempt to start the tractor. What does the voltmeter read before and after the test? Form a hypothesis from the data you just gathered. Move out to the battery terminals, and perform the test. Form a hypothesis from the data gathered from the test. Move out to the other ends of the battery cables, namely the ground lug to the chassis and the starter solenoid input bolt. Perform the test and once again, decide on you hypothesis. Do you see where I am headed with this? This is NOT rocket science.. Simple tests and simple ideas. It amazes me that people always think because a tractor doesn't start, it must be some sort of starter failure. The starter is about number 30 on a list of problems why a tractor will not start. Way up on that list is the battery itself, the battery to terminal connections, the terminal to battery cable connections, the battery cables themselves, the ground lug bolt, etc. etc. ALL of these things are far far far more likely to cause a tractor not to start than a defective starter. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of "my tractor wont start" threads here on TBN. and the results are nearly always the same. Come to think of it, I can't remember a single defective starter in hundreds of these threads. Good luck.

 

[Dave M7040]

Take the negative battery cable off the frame or engine.

Polish both the frame and cable end as it sounds like you have a connection which cannot pass lots of aamps.

Dave M7040

 

[jimdocsr]

I followed your instructions - Unplugged solenoid on starter(small wire) inserted slip connecter with wire into slot on solenoid (starter) -tractor neutral key on (no lights on dash) touched starter battery terminal and nothing happened. Turned key to start and touched starter- Nothing happened.

Tested wire jumper with key on and it had juice while plugged into small wire connection- tested starter lug from battery and it had juice.

If its the starter why are my dash lights not on when the key is on. They always are. I have no running lights-or headlights either.

 

[jimdocsr]

installed new battery and terminals- tested with battery analyzer battery real good. - get juice to starter. I an try and come off battery direct to starter lug

 

[jimdocsr]

We are on the same page as a starting point- I have new battery-(tested real good) new terminals cleaned and positive replaced- reading same off post at terminal.
just a very small drop at starter lug.
what puzzles me is that my dash lights, flashers and gauges all came on this morning when I turned the key. But as soon as I turned it to start all I got was one loud click. The engine didn't crank at all. tried again and another single click only.
Then everything was off again. No lights, gauges or indicators
i was using the tractor drill post holes. All I noticed was a low straining cranking sound overtime I started it. By the 8th post I got on it and it did nothing. So I started with the battery and here I am

 

[Dave M7040]

Have you removed the negative battery cable on the tractor frame?

Can you plse post pictures of your starter and your battery.

Dave M7040

 

[jimdocsr]

I went back to chasing my grounds- Positive side looks good. It seems like I can get things turned on by wiggling the ground at the connection point to the battery compartment floor. It still doesn't have enough to turn it over when i wiggle it but I get all the lights on
So I an going to pick up a new longer ground cable and run it to a new location on the frame . I can't get the area it is attached to now cleaned up and its corroded.
I think this may be the problem
I will use a jumper cable first to test my suspicions

 

[Spanner]

I followed your instructions - Unplugged solenoid on starter(small wire) inserted slip connecter with wire into slot on solenoid (starter) -tractor neutral key on (no lights on dash) touched starter battery terminal and nothing happened. Turned key to start and touched starter- Nothing happened.

Tested wire jumper with key on and it had juice while plugged into small wire connection- tested starter lug from battery and it had juice.

If its the starter why are my dash lights not on when the key is on. They always are. I have no running lights-or headlights either.

Jim, I read the 'update' and the above. It sure read like a dud battery or dud connector issue. Especially when you have " inserted slip connecter with wire into slot on solenoid (starter) -tractor neutral key on (no lights on dash) touched starter battery terminal and nothing happened."

But then you say you had 'juice'. Volts is one thing but you need Amps to make things work.

Can you use Jumper Leads from a known good battery or nearby car/tractor/ride-on etc? A Power Pack perhaps?

Rather than using the negative terminal on your battery (which uses the 'ground') connection to the chassis/frame) clamp the jumper directly to the alternator bracket or other easy point on the engine.

We always need to start at the battery and work forward as James & Dave have suggested.

 

[Spanner]

Ahh... We're all posting at the same time! Haha. A jumper to bypass your Earth/Negative/Ground would be the first thing to try.

It doesn't take much current to run the dashboard lights, but it sure needs some 'grunt' to crank the engine. The click is a sign of this.

Post #13 is very revealing.

You may need to charge your battery now also. You seem to have run it down between Post hole No.'s 1 - 8.

 

[jimdocsr]

TO ALL-

Thanks so much for responding to my problem. Its not fixed yet but I it started right up after using jumper cables from the battery negative posts to the chassis.

Turns out my readings at the bolt to the battery compartment were good but in reality it was a weak ground at the surface under the bolt and washer.

I am off to get a new negative terminal and longer cable and connect at a new location I can monitor,

Thanks a million

 

[Spanner]

James, Dave & I are off to the bar for a beer. :drink:

 

[Dave M7040]

I always think it is good insurance to buy a second negative battery cable with an eye on each end.

Connect it in the same place as the main battery ground and then run it to a mounting bolt on the starter.

There have been cases on this forum where the failure to start on an older tractor was because of the rust between the starter and the engine block which provides the starter with a ground.

This way you will never have that problem.
.

Dave M7040

 

[Dave M7040]

James, Dave & I are off to the bar for a beer. :drink:

Spanner
My wife was just saying today she would like to visit New Zealand.

Send a couple of tickets and I will pay the bar tab

Dave M7040

 

[jimdocsr]

Thanks Dave

If I come across any I will definitely send them to a smart Canadian like you.
Don't know where Williamtown is. But I have family in Eganville which is between Renfrew and Pembroke.
Just got back last month from a week at the lake.

Take care