L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday

   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday #1  

tracecom

Bronze Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Messages
55
Location
West Tennessee/North Mississippi
Tractor
Kubota L3830GST
I changed the hydraulic fluid as part of the 600 hour service, and then used the tractor to bush hog for about 4 hours with no problems. Put the tractor in the barn for the night last night. Went to start the tractor today, and it will not turn over. The dash lights up as usual, the glow plug indicator lights and goes out. I turn the key to start and the starter doesn't run. The battery is fully charged. The shuttle selector is in neutral. The PTO is off. The parking brake is set. The clutch is depressed. I try again but starter doesn't run. I reset the wrench light on the dash, and try again. Nothing. I disconnect, wait 70 seconds, and reconnect the battery. Nothing. I try again, and the wrench light is on again. I fumble with resetting it and the dash lights the Service Inspect warning and the A of the ABCDEFG section is flashing. I am baffled.

What next? Thanks.
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday #2  
Very likely one of your electrical interlocks is preventing starter actuation. Weight on seat, PTO on, etc, etc. There are several. No clicking or sound right ?
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday #3  
My first thought is a safety switch.

Even though you’ve checked the safeties, I’d triple check.
 
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   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Very likely one of your electrical interlocks is preventing starter actuation. Weight on seat, PTO on, etc, etc. There are several. No clicking or sound right ?
No clicking; the only reaction is a slight flicker to the dash lights at the instant I turn the key to start. I know the engine oil and filter need changing; is there a failsafe to prevent the engine from starting?
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday
  • Thread Starter
#5  
No clicking; the only reaction is a slight flicker to the dash lights at the instant I turn the key to start. I know the engine oil and filter need changing; is there a failsafe to prevent the engine from starting?
It very well could be. Is it a matter of visual inspection or what...?
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Okay, I changed the engine oil and filter and it still won't turn over. I guess I will try checking the safety switches in the morning.
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday #7  
Okay, I changed the engine oil and filter and it still won't turn over. I guess I will try checking the safety switches in the morning.
The oil and filter have nothing to do with it. There is no such interlock. Several of us have been saying that your issue is very likely one of the 'safety switches' or interlocks.
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday #8  
Flickering when you try to turn it over as crazy as it sounds even though it worked the day before I'd really check the battery and it's connections real good. Check the ground cable to the frame as well. Do you have a battery load tester? If so I'd load test it and check how many amps its capable of.
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Flickering when you try to turn it over as crazy as it sounds even though it worked the day before I'd really check the battery and it's connections real good. Check the ground cable to the frame as well. Do you have a battery load tester? If so I'd load test it and check how many amps its capable of.
I checked the battery and the cranking amps were down to about half of the battery rating. I replaced the battery with a new one, but it did not help. Then, I bypassed the ECU input at the starter, and the engine cranked immediately, but when I re-enabled the ECU input, the starter wouldn't respond to turning the key to start. I started looking for a bad safety switch and began with the shuttle selector. I removed the covers, but could not find anything that looked like a switch. So, I cleaned the inside of the covers of a dirt dauber's nest and some other trash, and reinstalled them. I tried the switch again and the engine started. Although I am glad of that, I am leery that the problem will reoccur since I did not really find a cause. Being a microprocessor programmer, I tend to suspect a software glitch in the ECU, but I have no proof. It's still a mystery.
 
   / L3830GST won't turn over after working fine yesterday
  • Thread Starter
#10  
The oil and filter have nothing to do with it. There is no such interlock. Several of us have been saying that your issue is very likely one of the 'safety switches' or interlocks.
See my response to dusty3030's post.
 
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