Turn key and nothing. No start, no gauges, no lights.

[Krash]

Hello, first post here.

I bought a Farm Pro 2425 about a year ago. It worked great all last summer.

I went to start it for first time this year, and nothing. No click, no lights, no gauges, just zero. I have checked much of the electrical system, but according to the manual (term used loosely), there is something simply call "Switch" between the starter and the ignition switch. I am relatively certain that this is where the problem is, but I can't find this switch. Maybe it is a clutch switch, but I don't know.

Just FYI, battery good, starter turns engine over fine when I jump the starter, so I am pretty sure this is in this mysterious "Switch".

Hope someone can help?

 

[RNeumann]

Probably a safety switch like a PTO lever that got bumped. The other common one is the seat and or seatbelt switch. My guess it’s an easy tool-less fix.....once you find what got bumped or switched.

 

[Rustyiron]

Battery ground cable? Easy to check.

 

[Krash]

Battery ground cable? Easy to check.

Checked the ground, and all is good. I will just keep looking for some sort of safety switch.

 

[darmstrong2319]

That’s what it sounds like to me a safety switch. Is it getting fuel to injectors, I know very little about that tractor. You may have to go to the Chinese section and post there to get help.

 

[Krash]

Maybe I am in the wrong place? The manual I got with it says it is a HHJM 18-30A and is made by Mahindra. Can anyone point me to the right place to post my question?

 

[RNeumann]

If you aren’t a big dude take your knee and push it into the seat as you try to start it. Sometimes the seat gets stiff and or the seat switch gets out of wack.

 

[MatHaas]

Hello, first post here.

I bought a Farm Pro 2425 about a year ago. It worked great all last summer.

I went to start it for first time this year, and nothing. No click, no lights, no gauges, just zero. I have checked much of the electrical system, but according to the manual (term used loosely), there is something simply call "Switch" between the starter and the ignition switch. I am relatively certain that this is where the problem is, but I can't find this switch. Maybe it is a clutch switch, but I don't know.

Just FYI, battery good, starter turns engine over fine when I jump the starter, so I am pretty sure this is in this mysterious "Switch".

Hope someone can help?

Ok, well lets start with what you said.

Battery is good.
If you run direct power to starter, it works.

BUT, when you try to turn on the ignition, there is nothing.

That's not a safety switch. A safety switch stops you from starting the engine. It doesn't cut all electrical power on the entire machine.

I would check your fuses. power goes from the battery to the ignition switch. from the ignition switch to the ECU, which then tells everything to work, how to work, and when to work.

I know nothing about your tractor, but on my 3550, the battery is under the hood at the front. There is also a small cluster of relays and a main power fuse. Check that first. Then look for the other fuse box. On my 3550 it's located at the bottom left of the steering column area, at the front of the "cab" floor.

There's a main ECU fuse and several other fuses.

Your ignition switch isn't sending power to the ecu, etc (assuming it's all electronic since you bought it last year). Or it's not even getting power to allow it to send it.

If you can't find a main fuse out, then I'd inspect the switch itself. You stored it over winter, it wouldn't be uncommon for a rodent to get in there and chew on some wires. you can disassemble the steering column and check the ignition switch/key.

Really just need a test light and start working your way from the battery to the ignition switch.

Atleast that's my train of thought right now. On my 3550 it's not very hard to follow the harness from the battery to the steering column and then the ecu..

 

[Krash]

Thanks MatHaas

You have described the situation just as it is. Except, I don't remember what year the tractor is. I bought it used last year, so I don't know if it has an ECU.

All fuses are good. I have two relays on the fuse block, and they test good. I also have some sort of heat sink on the fuse block too, but not sure how to test it. I will look for the other fuses you mentioned. I have a 4 pole ignition switch, and none of the poles have any power. The only fuse that has power is the top one which is 30 amps. I think it is the main power fuse. All other fuses have no power.

 

[MatHaas]

Thanks MatHaas

You have described the situation just as it is. Except, I don't remember what year the tractor is. I bought it used last year, so I don't know if it has an ECU.

All fuses are good. I have two relays on the fuse block, and they test good. I also have some sort of heat sink on the fuse block too, but not sure how to test it. I will look for the other fuses you mentioned. I have a 4 pole ignition switch, and none of the poles have any power. The only fuse that has power is the top one which is 30 amps. I think it is the main power fuse. All other fuses have no power.

Take some pics if you can. Take a picture of your tractor in general. And where you're working at too. I can do some Googling or look on the Mahindra Parts Catalog to try and help trace it down.

Ok, so lets go over what you found here.
So your ignition switch has zero power coming to it on any of the connections. So the issue is power from the battery to the ignition. I wouldn't chase anything further down the line than that at this time.

So if you found a fuse that has power, you know that power from the battery is reaching that point. Now the disconnect is somewhere from that fuse to the ignition switch.

I'd need to see pictures to try and understand where you're working.
A 30 amp fuse is small for a main fuse. The ECU fuse is 30 amps on my tractor, but the main fuse right off of the battery is definitely rated much higher..

really, the best thing I can suggest is physically following the entire harness. That's what I'd do. With a test light. The battery negative is connected to the chassis. The positive should go to a main fuse and then be run it's way to some relays, another fuse block maybe and the ignition switch. I personally would just physically follow it the whole way, looking for damage or a disconnect.

 

[RJI]

push back and hold the PTO lever... turn the key...

 

[Krash]

"So if you found a fuse that has power, you know that power from the battery is reaching that point. Now the disconnect is somewhere from that fuse to the ignition switch."

Yes, I agree. I will get pictures tomorrow and post them if I can post them directly. I will continue to trace the power as you have described too.

Here is the schematic I am using. The red indicates a direct line from the starter (+), to the ignition switch. There is a Switch (28) in that circuit. That "Switch" is what I am trying to find, and where I suspect the problem is.



Thanks for the help.

 

[texasranger556]

#28 might be a circuit breaker. Does the wiring look original or hacked up by the previous owner?

 

[MatHaas]

"So if you found a fuse that has power, you know that power from the battery is reaching that point. Now the disconnect is somewhere from that fuse to the ignition switch."

Yes, I agree. I will get pictures tomorrow and post them if I can post them directly. I will continue to trace the power as you have described too.

Here is the schematic I am using. The red indicates a direct line from the starter (+), to the ignition switch. There is a Switch (28) in that circuit. That "Switch" is what I am trying to find, and where I suspect the problem is.

View attachment 552457

Thanks for the help.

well lets look at this schematic for a minute. a picture of the what the numbers represent would be helpful too. haha

but battery positive leaves battery and goes to image 6 the starter's first post. That should be a live wire (so use your test light on post 1 and see if there is direct power there).
I will answer that question now for myself (haha), and say there is power there since that post 1 also goes to image 7 which appears to be a fuse box. It goes to the top fuse, which I will assume is the 30amp fuse you had power to.

So break that down now, That schematic shows two posts on the starter, one is power at post 1. That means the second post has to be a signal from the ignition to engage that starter. Which you can trace it back to the ignition switch, so i'd be pretty sure on that. That means that switch 28 is not your problem. Because the ignition switch doesn't even have power to send the signal to the starter through switch 28. it's downstream of the real problem.

So we need to follow post 1 of the starter, thru the fuse box. and on.

Im curious as to what the numbers in parenthesis mean on the schematic, or does it just tell a wire color maybe?

Anyway.

We follow hot starter wire to fuse box 7. top fuse has power. (dumb question, did you check power on both sides? and pull of the fuse to make sure it wasn't blown? because one side will test good with power and the other side won't if it's blown. just covering the basics)

Power then goes to Figure 12, and then onward where it enters what appears to be the ignition switch figure 13. where you said you have no power on any post.

That means, the issue is between the top fuse of image 7 and the ignition switch 13.

Find out what image 12 is. And get back to us. again, check that fuse top fuse too just incase you only touched one side of the fuse with the test light and didn't pull the fuse. haha, sorry i have to be redundant.

 

[Krash]

Figure 12 is the ammeter. Only the top fuse (7) has any power. It has power with the key off or on. I have checked both sides of the fuse at (7). It looks like from (7), the power goes through the ammeter and then to the ignition switch. Does that seem right?

Here is all I have for labels for the schematic.



I will start checking all suggestions after one more cup of coffee.

 

[PILOON]

Hey, power comes to the switch but none comes out at any other position.
Problem is the switch!
Key switches have a spring loaded wiper arm that makes the contacts.
They dab some lubricant to deter wear and improve conductivity.
What very often happens is that lubricant drys up, hardens and prevents contact from occurring.
In other words the spring action is not sufficient to overcome the hard lube resistance.

One thing I have done is to spray some WD40 into the key slot and wiggle work the key a bit and that has restored operation.

Try that, nothing to lose.

PS: I have dismantled a few as I like to find what caused the problem.

 

[MatHaas]

Figure 12 is the ammeter. Only the top fuse (7) has any power. It has power with the key off or on. Here is all I have for labels for the schematic.

View attachment 552467

I will start checking all suggestions after one more cup of coffee.

Correct. We expect it to have power.
Did you pull the fuse and check it or did you just use a test light and touch the top of it?

Like I mentioned. A blade fuse has two metal spots on the top of it to test both sides of the fuse. If it's blown, the input blade will have power but the output blade won't.


I'm just covering all bases. Maybe you know that already but it can be missed.

The ammeter is the voltage reader for cluster. Give me a few minutes

 

[MatHaas]

Hey, power comes to the switch but none comes out at any other position.
Problem is the switch!
Key switches have a spring loaded wiper arm that makes the contacts.
They dab some lubricant to deter wear and improve conductivity.
What very often happens is that lubricant drys up, hardens and prevents contact from occurring.
In other words the spring action is not sufficient to overcome the hard lube resistance.

One thing I have done is to spray some WD40 into the key slot and wiggle work the key a bit and that has restored operation.

Try that, nothing to lose.

PS: I have dismantled a few as I like to find what caused the problem.

Dude, read his post. he has no power to any post on the ignition switch... come on.

 

[MatHaas]

Looking at your posted schematic I have a few questions and I'll be making a couple of assumptions;
lets list the numbered components first,
#1 battery
#2 a grounding block ???
#5 alternator
#6 starter
#7 fuse block
#12 key switch
#13 push to start switch???
#14 ????
#19 voltage regulator ?
#20 ????

So power flow from #1 battery positive to #6 starter main lug,
from #6 starter main lug wire #(2) to fuse block #7 isolated fuse,
from isolated fuse using wire #(3) to item #12 (key switch),
from #12 to item #13 (push button?) using wire #(5) also from #12 to item #5 (alternator) positive reference,
from #13 to item #28 using wire #(10), from #28 to starter activation terminal on item #6 starter,
item #13 also feeds fuse block item #7
item #19 also feeds fuse block item #7 from item #5 (alternator) thru wire #(8) to item #19 and wire #(7)

So you need power from the battery #1 to the starter #6, from the piggy backed wire on the starter to the isolated fuse in the fuse block#7 to the main switch #12
to the device #13 to the switch #28, to the starter activation post on #6

12 is the ammeter, 13 is the key switch.

 

[Krash]

"Did you pull the fuse and check it or did you just use a test light and touch the top of it?"

I am using a digital volt/ohm meter. The blade fuse tested good. No problem with any of the fuses on the fuse block. It looks to me like the only way for the ignition switch to get power is thru the ammeter? I pulled all of them and checked for continuity. I also tested for voltage on all of them, both sides. Only 7 has power on both sides. No voltage at any other fuses. All are good.