Tractor Killing Wife: A.K.A. Fuse Trouble

[BigDave]

Hey Guys,

Got back from my business trip and my tractor died after my wife started it: I posted the story in the General area since everyone deserves a laugh, but I need technical help from the <font color=blue> boys on blue. </font color=blue> Anyway after the tractor was started for the second time this evening, the cold starting light came back on. I turned on the headlights, it was getting dark, and the tractor died. The starter would not turn, but rather than waiting to call the dealer Saturday morning, I decided to do some investigating. I found a blown 10 amp fuse: it was fuse #5 which according to the owner's manual is for the turn signals, BUT the turn signals still worked with no fuse. The turn signals are wired to the 15 amp fuse #6: the Rear Hazard lights. I checked my toolbox, but no 10 amp fuses, only 7.5 & 15 amps. Since the tractor is brand new, I put in the 7.5 amp. The tractor started right up. The cold starting light stayed off. I cycled the lights on & off, no problems. I moved the tractor to the end of the driveway, and I'll call my dealer tomorrow. Anybody know what happened? /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

 

[Mrwurm]

Hopefully it was just a rare circumstance of a bad fuse

Have fun with the new machine /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[jinman]

When a problem goes away, you're only left with "intelligent" guesses, so here is mine...maybe intelligent, maybe not./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

A few months ago, I had my TC45D partially disassembled while I re-engineered the hydrostatic pedals. I also had the cover/cowling off from around the steering column and noticed a thick layer of dirt had collected there. I got most of the dust off with a foxtale broom and then "carefully" rinsed the rest off with water. Actually, I was not so careful and got water on the lower portion of the fuseblock assy. and several relays there. I thought I gave it time to dry out, but when I started the tractor, the cylinder preheat light would not go out. I didn't turn off anything else electrical, but shut the tractor down and blew some compressed air into the relay's base to dry it out. The problem went away.

With your problem, it occurs to me that you could have a bad relay (contacts sticking) or some moisture in the area which caused the same problem I had. The cylinder preheaters pull lots of current and if your lights are on the same circuit, both at once could blow the fuse; especially if there is a miswiring of the circuits. ...my two cents.

 

[BigDave]

Jim,

Thanks for the comment, I decided to fore go professional help since it was likely the problem was trivial and not worth sending the tractor to the shop. I figured if I have a lower amp fuse, 7.5 vs. 10, I'm operating on the safe side. So with the 7.5 amp fuse, I was able to do some mowing, scraping & loading this weekend. I did blow the fuse once more: I had accidentally left the lights on while trying to start the tractor. So, the wiring for the lights is somehow the culprit, but they work even when that fuse is out. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif Crossed wires or a short, I'll investigate fully once I get my tech manuals. Other than that, the tractor worked flawlessly all weekend, too bad the operator wasn't flawless: a couple of scraped trees, tractor tracks in the lawn from leaving it in FWD. You know the usual stuff for us newbies. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

P.S. This means my wife is innocent. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif Maybe she doesn't need to know. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif She's not an avid TBN reader. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif