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kudzu3

DEAD!

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kudzu3

Made the first attempt to crank my B80 resto this morning and nothing happened. Starter didn't turn, nothing clicked, the ammeter gage hand didn't move. Checked the battery, all wiring, referring to the diagram, ground, everything I can think of but it's just dead, as if the battery wasn't there. Before I started disassembly, everything worked. Any suggestions? Thanks

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stevasaurus

Tell me you took plenty of pictures before you took it apart.  If the battery checks out...it almost has to be a ground.  Use your meter to follow your hot around through the wires.  Keep the black lead from the meter on the ground at the battery...turn the key on.  If you get a reading through the wires, it has to be a ground or a broken wire.  :)

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AMC RULES

:scratchead: By any chance, have any safety switches anywhere on it?    :eusa-think: 

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kudzu3

Thanks folks! No Steve, I did not take pictures :*****:One day I'll learn (maybe). I do not have a meter but tomorrow I will. I was thinking ground, but don't know much about this stuff. AMC, I by passed all the safety switches (2) and went straight to the solenoid from the S terminal on the switch. They were not connected when I got it and it ran well, so I didn't re-connect them. This may have been a mistake. :eusa-think: Thanks again, I'll keep you posted.

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stevasaurus

FOR ALL OF THE MEMBERS ON RED SQUARE...kudzu3 failed to take pictures of his horse when he took it apart...this goes against the Holy Grail of what the Planets align for and actually can warp the space/time fabric causing ruptures where other universes can enter and reek havoc!!!  We need to band together and right this  now!!   :eusa-think: 

 

You can buy a Multi-meter for around $16...I think.  Radio Shack has some choices.  You do not have to get a good one...if you take pictures.  :ychain: I hope you know that I am just giving you a ruff time.  Seriously, the meter will walk you through the trouble shooting.  I would say this at this point...Do not change anything until you put a meter to work.  I say this because...you said it ran great when you tore it apart, but you did not put it back together the same way (by passed switches).  You want to check things out now first...before you change things...shorting out points, a condenser, maybe a coil makes more then one thing wrong.

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rmaynard

If nothing happens, no clicks at the solenoid, then try taking a jumper wire directly from the (+) on the battery to the small lug on the solenoid. If the solenoid does not click and engage the starter, you have a bad ground from the battery to the engine/frame.

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kudzu3

Oh... I'm so ashamed :sad:...sniff...sniff.

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rmaynard

Oh... I'm so ashamed :sad:...sniff...sniff.

And the answer is...?

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kudzu3

TAKE PICTURES!!!

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km3h

Is there a fuse that might not be inserted or maybe it is blown.

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kudzu3

No sir, there are no fuses other than the tail light and it works perfectly when the switch is turned on. I guess that means that the battery has a good ground...right?

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km3h

The tail lights do not draw much amperage so you can't use that as a test for a good ground. If you have any doubts about your ground then tht in itself is a good reason to clean it up.

I would use a 12 volt test light. Try it across the battery. Note the brightness of it. Now test it at the Solenoid. Not the brightness. There may not be enough amperage to actuate the solenoid.

Someone above told you to run a jumper directly to the center post of the solenoid. Did you try that.

You said you restored this. What did you restore? The tractor or did you rebuild the motor? Is the factory wiring intact or has it been butchered?

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kudzu3

km3h, No sir, I have not tried any of the above suggestions yet, it's all on hold until tomorrow. I will try the jumper to the solenoid first, and take it from there. The entire tractor has been restored, engine rebuilt, trans gone into and repaired, everything was removed and either replaced or refurbished. The wiring was a mess when I got it, I have another post here concerning the wiring harness. I removed all wiring and started all over again, doing it all myself (that could be the problem :eusa-think: ) . Pictures are posted of the tractor in the restorations section, with questions about the fuel pump. I have checked and re-checked the wiring, using the wiring diagram for this machine and all seems to be well. I did paint all parts, starter and other electrical, but removed paint everywhere they make contact with other metal parts, and used tooth washers where I could, for better contact. I will start here tomorrow and keep you posted. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

Edited by kudzu3
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kudzu3

My solenoid has two small posts on it, does it matter which one I connect to? I'm connected to the one on the right facing the engine from the seat.

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km3h

That could be your problem. The solenoid for that tractor only has one small post not two. I tried to find a way to copy the page from my pdf manual with the schematic but don't know how. What are the two post you have wired to?

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rmaynard

On the solenoid with two small posts, both should be internally isolated from ground.  The wire from the start switch connects to either one, and the other has to be connected to ground.

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km3h

Click on this and it will enlarge. The ground is the mounting bracket. It must be mounted cleanly. I have used a separate wire from one of the mounting bolts and ran it directly to the battery negative post. Usually is not required but when all else fails??????

post-2564-0-82642800-1407713765_thumb.jp

Try this.

Edited by km3h

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kudzu3

Okay, I just went down and jumped from + on battery to solenoid post that I'm connected to...nothing. I then bumped the jump to the other solenoid post and it worked :greetings-clappingyellow: . I guess I'll connect to the other post tomorrow and hopefully all will be well. If I understand correctly, I should go ahead and run a ground from the other solenoid post to - on battery? As I stated, I'm connected to the right post looking from seat. I'll certainly let you good folks know what happens. Thank you all.

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gwest_ca

I would not ground the other terminal. Some of these solenoids for auto applications used the 2nd small terminal to feed the ignition coil on starting which bypassed the ignition resistor for hotter cold spark.

 

Garry

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kudzu3

Thanks Garry, I'll just change posts and hope for the best.

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rmaynard

What Garry said. If you don't have a solenoid with an isolated coil,  and it worked by connecting the wire to the other terminal, DON'T ground the other terminal. Just leave it alone.

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km3h

Ditto what he said.

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kudzu3

When I started this project, I knew almost nothing about this stuff. I must say here, you folks have been so helpful and have taught me so much. I am very appreciative and respectful of your knowledge and your willingness to share it, thank you all! I'll work on this project tomorrow and keep you posted.

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Coadster32

You end up learning way more that you ever wanted to....for sure!!! Thankfully, the guys here on RS are top notch, and very patient. (Just have do deal with a good ribbing every now and again.  No sweat, as we've all been there.

 

Glad to hear it's running now.

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squonk

Be careful using a 12V test light for diagnosing a problem. They come with 9V bulbs in them. All they do is tell you that you have SOME voltage present. A nice bright light at the solenoid for instance may not be enough voltage to spin a started ect. Use a meter to confirm the correct amount of juice is present.

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