grnlark 479 #1 Posted May 29, 2017 I need some technical input. I've never had a working battery in my 953. Ever since I've been working on it I've been jumping it off my roll-away car jumper (set to 12v boost). It starts and runs like a swiss watch. Today, I put a new battery in the tractor and all it does is crank and crank and crank but won't fire. As soon as I connect the jumper, the motor barely gets through one revolution and fires right up without issue. Bottom line, it just won't fire off the battery alone and I have no clue why. I've checked spark, and visually seems ok, but who knows. Could it possibly be the 230 CCA battery vs. the 275 CCA battery? Is the coil possibly throwing a weak spark (yet once started runs flawlessly)? I'm at a total loss here... Any thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 38,928 #2 Posted May 29, 2017 First thing I would do is really clean the battery cable end.. It may be an illusion but that neg end looks oxidized. Perhaps using the box and clamps helps the connection and provides enough oomph for the coil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnlark 479 #3 Posted May 29, 2017 6 minutes ago, squonk said: First thing I would do is really clean the battery cable end.. It may be an illusion but that neg end looks oxidized. Perhaps using the box and clamps helps the connection and provides enough oomph for the coil. Ok! I will try that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 35,770 #4 Posted May 29, 2017 Are you connecting the jumper to the same cable ends that are bolted to the battery, or are you jumping directly to the starter ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnlark 479 #5 Posted May 29, 2017 15 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said: Are you connecting the jumper to the same cable ends that are bolted to the battery, or are you jumping directly to the starter ? Same cable ends bolted to the battery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 35,770 #6 Posted May 29, 2017 Hmmm...this may be one of those unsolvable electrical mysteries. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnlark 479 #7 Posted May 29, 2017 Several folks on the WH Facebook page are all saying the main ground wire. Ill have to check it out tomorrow. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 51,682 #8 Posted May 29, 2017 3 minutes ago, grnlark said: Several folks on the WH Facebook page are all saying the main ground wire. Ill have to check it out tomorrow. Lots of times a freshly built tractor has too much paint to get a good ground, be sure the condenser is seeing a good ground too. A new 230 CCA battery should be fine. Are you using an original type key switch and starter switch? When it is cranking from the battery is the coil "+" seeing 12 volts? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TravelinJavelin 620 #9 Posted May 30, 2017 I had a bad ignition switch that did that to me once ...........try to just turn the key so it just makes the contact if you can feel it I discovered my issue by accident Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 46,774 #10 Posted May 30, 2017 If the rest of the tractor looks as clean as your pic I'd better come get it and figure it out for you No really check the grounds.... how many times have you fellas had problems with trailer lights only to finally figure out the simplest thing.. a stupid bad ground? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 38,928 #11 Posted May 30, 2017 6 hours ago, WHX11 said: If the rest of the tractor looks as clean as your pic I'd better come get it and figure it out for you No really check the grounds.... how many times have you fellas had problems with trailer lights only to finally figure out the simplest thing.. a stupid bad ground? Trailer lights are like k-cars. In the same class with anything that uses Lucas Electrics! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,147 #12 Posted May 30, 2017 3 hours ago, squonk said: Trailer lights are like k-cars. In the same class with anything that uses Lucas Electrics! Lucas Electric aka the Prince of Darkness 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnlark 479 #13 Posted May 30, 2017 I can't say for sure what the culprit was, but I cleaned the main ground contact again at the starter generator and re-gapped the points which were definitely out of spec. Starts and runs like a champ. Thank you all for your thoughts and input. It is very much appreciated! 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 35,770 #14 Posted May 31, 2017 Those mysterious electrical Gremlins. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6bg6ga 271 #15 Posted May 31, 2017 Just a thought here.....considering the time and money some put out to rebuild and restore I would think a couple of bucks more for some new cables wouldn't be out of line. First clean up the ground area so you get a good ground. Take your meter and test your ground. Any resistance even slight means your ground isn't as good as you think it is. Throw away those old cables and have the parts shop make a new set and you will be money and time ahead. When you deal with battery and ground connections there is always a possibility that what may look ok has problems under the insulation. I once had a problem with my company provided service truck not starting. The battery connectors were the aftermarket type you tighten down on the cable. The cable and connector looked fine until I took them apart. I ended up spending 10 minutes cleaning them up and the truck started for the next 5 years until it got retired at 300K miles. 22 hours ago, pfrederi said: Lucas Electric aka the Prince of Darkness The funny thing is most of the time the ground is to blame and its the most overlooked and unappreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6bg6ga 271 #16 Posted May 31, 2017 On 5/29/2017 at 4:15 PM, grnlark said: I need some technical input. I've never had a working battery in my 953. Ever since I've been working on it I've been jumping it off my roll-away car jumper (set to 12v boost). It starts and runs like a swiss watch. Today, I put a new battery in the tractor and all it does is crank and crank and crank but won't fire. As soon as I connect the jumper, the motor barely gets through one revolution and fires right up without issue. Bottom line, it just won't fire off the battery alone and I have no clue why. I've checked spark, and visually seems ok, but who knows. Could it possibly be the 230 CCA battery vs. the 275 CCA battery? Is the coil possibly throwing a weak spark (yet once started runs flawlessly)? I'm at a total loss here... Any thoughts? In looking at the picture I would not recommend using cable ties to secure battery cables to the frame. A possibly better option would be to run the cable thru a piece of plastic tubing and secure the plastic tubing to the frame. It would be a shame to have an electrical fire just because the cable rubbed and exposed wire to the chassis. An electrical fire on one of these little guys can be almost as bad as a car fire. The newer colored plastic plumbing flex pipe makes a nice insulator and its available in different colors. Red is easy to obtain and I have also seen black and blue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnlark 479 #17 Posted May 31, 2017 Good point on the cable ties. All battery cables are brand new. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites