PTO Safety Relay M.I.A...!?

[mrtwister]

Coyote machine: yes, the plastic cap came with the tractor and I did use it "most" of the time but not religiously....maybe that's why I'm now having problems.

ritcheyvs & Fallon: I use an actual "contact cleaner" which is made especially for cleaning electronic contacts....I discovered the existence of this stuff about 30 years ago and used it to clean potentiometers, volume and other controls on electronics like stereos, radios etc when they got dirty from dust and started making "scratching" noises when adjusted....it simply cleans the contacts and there is no build-up....somewhat magical.

I'm happy to report that since I applied the cleaner through the key switch hole, the problem has gone away.....for now. As stated earlier, I'll probably remove the switch and give it a complete cleaning once dismantled.

Thanks to all and Happy New Year!!

 

[Everhard]

One more thought for you Mrtwister - when my tractor (keep in mind it's a ck model) started having start problems (key switch issue it turned out to be) it would sometimes work fine for me especially when I was using the tractor thru the day turning it on off repeatedly. The issue would pop it's head back up after the tractor sat for a period of time. Say a few days. Once I took the switch apart and cleaned it per instructions I found here that fixed the problem.
So if you find the problem comes back intermittently (you said it seems to be working fine again right now.) I'll add my vote to dismantling the switch and give it a proper cleaning. Yes there's a couple springs, and yes one of them did end up on my floor but if you prep your work space so that the little buggers can't hide you'll be fine. Honestly wasn't that big a deal to do.

E.

 

[Hope Caper]

I had a similar problem with intermittent starting. Here is what I found out. The problem was the key switch. Rebuilding it would not help. I bought the tractor used so did not know about the plastic cap or that the ignition could be compromised from being left outside. From the sun fade you can tell the tractor was outside a lot. I drove tractors years ago long before all of the electrical features that have been added to make our lives easier. So anything electrical was outside of my experience. No manual either so I had to guess what the dash lights meant.
Symptoms were no power at all to various dash lights being on or off randomly. A friend suggested the ignition to start. It was easy to take out and I took it to my dealer. They hooked it on another tractor and got the same behaviour I was getting. The mechanic took it apart and showed where the problem was. Apparently moisture in the switch will freeze and literally will warp the switch housing so that all contacts will not touch (hence rebuilding won't help). I got a new one for under 80.00 on the spot. Took it home and plugged it in. Has worked great ever since. They also gave me a plastic cap which I have used religiously and my baby has its own shed now so being left out in the weather is a rare occasion. I would like to replace the sun faded plastic because other than that the tractor looks pretty much like new (11 years old this year) but that is way down on my list of things to do.

 

[mrtwister]

Everhard and Hope Caper: thanks for your input...it certainly looks like the key switch is indeed the culprit in this case....it's still starting good however a complete dismantle and cleaning is planned for the near future......at least I know what I'm up against regarding flying springs etc....so I'll be prepared.....twister....out!! :salute: