TC33D wont start

[ch1ch2]

I have a TC33D that had the same problem.
Turned out to be the ground cable to the battery was corroded inside of the insulation.
It did not show up with my meter at first, later it did. Go figure.

 

[Ken789]

Wow! This story is remarkable! I'm reading this thread because this morning my tc 35 developed the EXACT SAME symptoms!!! Came to my TC buddies for advice. Was working fine drag harrowing a field, then shut it off to get out of the field gate. Tried to start it and it acted EXACTLY the same way yours did Sherpa! Same symptoms, same buzzing, same voltage drop.....hmmmm. I am going to investigate both of my cables tomorrow first thing and see what happens. Curiously my 35 is also 4 years old, but with 1300 hours on it. I'll be back to post the results and if no luck, seek the advise of those of you here wiser and more experienced than me. Sherpa, thanks for the post, and thanks to everyone who replied. This is consistently the best place to get reliable, level headed counsel.

This is great - Just as Jedjoe has said - this just happened to me. I replaced the battery with a new one - still had issues. Came here read this thread, cut the terminal end off the Factory Positive battery terminal, held the raw wire to the battery terminal and presto - starts like a dream. Repeated this test 3 times no issues, tomorrow I have to replace the "Cable terminal head" and the rubber grommet at the radiator wall.

But thank you all for sharing - saved me from taking my tractor in for service ! Thank you ! Thank you !
KJKoch

 

[Bobby22]

Had my starter rebuilt for $125 from a friend. but he said it would usually cost $165. That is here in Florida.

 

[Bobby22]

I went to NAPA and purchased the relay and the connector as mentioned in the diagram. I have a question though, There is a 87a pin in the middle of this relay. What do you do with that pin/wire. Do I just cap it off???? I could use some help.

 

[Bobby22]

Still having issues with the tractor starting. Did the relay install, rebuilt starter, battery checked, new battery lugs installed. I hear the fuel shutoff solenoid click (sometimes) and usually only starts if I shoot ether down the intake and will remain running for the rest of the day. Fuel filter 1 month old. Service manual does not mention much else. Air filter new (both of them) so it is not clogged or obstructed. Getting 9vdc at fuel solenoid when key is turned on. Any other suggestions?

 

[Ohio Paul]

I have also been having the starting problems on my TC29DA. In fact, I just got back from NAPA with the relay and base. Bobby 22 has hit on my question exactly. What do you do with the 87 and 87a terminals on the relay base? I see no one has answered since 8/25/16.
Bobby, did you figure out what to do? Please let me know, as I am getting ready to do the mod.
Thanks for any help I can get.

 

[Ford850]

Post #51 in this thread has a 3 page PDF that shows all connections with notes. Others have said they leave 87a blank.

 

[Ohio Paul]

Ford 850, Thank you for the quick reply. Actually, I printed out the 3 page PDF but never saw where it advised what to do with the 87a terminal.
I will leave it blank and hopefully this problem will go away.
I love this web site, great people and great information!
Thanks again

 

[Bobby22]

Sorry about the late post Paul, I work midnights and with the hurricane coming to Florida my days were spent prepping. And yes 87A is useless for this application. It did not fix my problem at all. I had to put a jumper in one of my relays. I bought two new relays and it still does not start the tractor. So I bypassed that relay with a 3 inch jumper. I am thinking something that is hooked to my relay has gone bad (one of the interlocks). The repair manual does not even show two of the relays that are on this tractor so I am not sure where to start from here. the jumper is working for now so until I get better at understanding the wiring I will just use the jumper.

 

[Ohio Paul]

Bobby, thanks for the reply. I have found that the electrical system on this model of tractor is very poorly designed. I have had trouble for years with intermittent starting problems. I did replace the 10 amp fuse with a resettable one that helped. At least you can continue to try to start it with out changing the fuse all the time. The dealer always says it is one of the safety switches and wants to move on. As far as I know, I have never had a problem with a safety switch it's self. After several hours of looking I found an electrical connector on the neutral safety switch that was loose and just fell apart when I touched it. I put it back together and was good to go for several years. I am now having the same problem again. I got under the tractor and checked the connector and it was ok but of very poor quality. I wanted to replace it but it is very hard to get to. I have to remove the linkage for the range selector to even get my hand in there. To replace it correctly I would have to take the wheel off which I don't want to do for obvious reasons. You might look there for your problem as well as cleaning the ground connection on the frame. Mine was corroded.
I have high hopes that this mod will finally fix my issues but now I have my doubts after your experience. Which relays do you jump?
As an aside, we winter in Ruskin so we are neighbors for 3 months. How did you make out with the storm?