Electrical problem

[Torino 15]

My '69 Electro had a fuel leak from the hose going into the tank. I fixed that and washed the gas off everything under the tank with slow running water. I let it dry in the sun for a day. I went to crank it and the battery was dead. I recharged the battery and the next day noticed the battery was drained and the positive battery cable, the wire going from rectifier to the switch and a wire going from the engine block to the negative terminal was melted. Could water have gotten into some place and caused a short? Should I replace those wires and start the hunt for the short? I checked everything the first time it would not crank and noticed no moisture any where.

[linen beige 15]

A couple of months ago, I washed some of the decades worth of grease and dirt off of my 702 and left it to dry. The next morning I found that it had moved backwards, climbed a small tree stump and was wedged against the fence. :wtf: When I went to start it the battery was dead. While charging the battery I noticed the wire from the starter/generator to the voltage regulator was melted in two. It turned out to be that water in the push button switch for the starter had completed that circuit and since the tractor was parked with the shifter in reverse, the motor moved the tractor (With a snow blade mounted to it and dragging.) back, up onto the stump, and into the fence before being loaded enough to stop the tractor. With the key switch off, it would not start, so the starter motor kept turning, under a heavy load, until the wire heated up so much it melted and the battery ran out of juice. I also found a little water inside the voltage regulator.

I replaced the wire to the voltage reg., charged the battery, dried out the switch and voltage reg. with commpressed air, and she fired right up and works fine.

It sounds like you have done something very similar to what I did, but your ignition/charging system is different from mine. It probably wouldn't hurt to recharge your battery, replace the burned wires, dry everything out, and see what it does. You may want to make one of the connections so that it can be quickly disconnected while you're testing it out. That way if it starts to heat up, spark or smoke you can take the juice off it and not start a fire.

I guess the moral is: "You can take a Wheel Horse to water, but you shouldn't make it drink too much." :USA:

[Torino 15]

Replace wires and dryed everything out. Now when I turn the key the rectifier just clicks. Is it time for a new one?

[Torino 15]

Pardon me for being so stupid but it is the solenoid that is clicking. I have power to lights but when I try to start it just clicks. Battery is fully charged.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Since you already had this started here, I will reply to it here.

(and I deleted the new duplicate post you just made)

Have you checked all of the ground connections?

Did you try to turn the engine over by hand?

[Teddy da Bear 11]

Also measure the voltage on the opposite side of the solenoid. And on down the line from there until you get a low voltage reading or a no voltage reading.....then you might have found your problem.

[Torino 15]

Installed new solenoid. Started right up. Test started it 5 or 6 times started right up each time. Mowed awhile and shut it off. Would not start up again. Would just click. Noticed the cable going from the solenoid to the starter had melted down to the wire.

What could be causing this?

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

From the Solenoid to the starter? Weird

That should only be live when you are turning the key to start.

I does need to be a heavy gauge cable though.

Makes me wonder if the new solenoid is wired correctly.

The other possibility is that the ignition switch has a cross that is causing the starter to engage while the engine is running.

You might put the switch in the run position and then jiggle the key and bounce the tractor around some to see if you here the starter engage and/or the solenoid click.

BTW, I bet your battery is dead again.

Good luck

[Torino 15]

I'm using battery cable. I wired it according to manual. Could it have any thing to do with the grounding of the solenoid?

[linen beige 15]

I'm using battery cable. I wired it according to manual. Could it have any thing to do with the grounding of the solenoid?

It's possible, but not likely. The solinoid is really just a high current, non-latching relay. Non-latching means that once current is taken off the trigger circuit, the power circuit springs back to open (off). In order for the solinoid to continue having current running through it after the key is released from "start" there has to be either a problem in the switch, ie. it is continuing to feed power to the solinoid when in the "run" position, or the solinoid is sticking. The solinoid is only used in the starting circuit and has no place in the run circuit.

Water in your switch could have corroded some contacts. Unhook the solinoid from the switch and hook a meter to the start output. turn the key to the start position, as if you are starting the tractor. You should have current on the lead that feeds the solinoid, and the run feed. Now release the key and let it go to the run position. You should not have current on the start feed, but should have it on the run feed. If that checks out as normal reconnect the solinoid. Now hook your meter to the output side of the solinoid and turn the key to the start position to start the tractor. Release the key to the run position and any current reading you had while in the start mode should go away. If you still have current going through the solinoid after the key has gone to the run position, then the solinoid is sticking. You may be able to take it apart and polish the plunger, but you would be better off to replace it. I notice you have replaced it already, but may have gotten a bad solinoid. Don't be fooled by it clicking, as that doesn't mean it is releasing fully. It has happened to me on a couple of cars.

My money would be on the switch being bad. There may also be some smaller wires that have gotten hot and fused together. Make sure that the start circuit wires from the switch and the run circuit wires are not touching one another.

If it turns out to be something involving the rectifier, I'm stumped.

[Torino 15]

Wow, this thread is becoming a calamity of errors for me. It is the cable from the battery to the solenoid. I am truly sorry for this mistake. You guys please forgive my stupidity.

[Duff 206]

Wow, this thread is becoming a calamity of errors for me.

[Torino 15]

What do you think is making the cable to the solenoid from the battery melt? :banghead:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

The only thing on your tractor that can draw enough amperage to melt the battery cable is the starter.

Remove the starter and take it to the closest (or cheapest) place that can test it.

Make certain all ground and "hot" connections are clean and tight. (and hooked to the correct locations)

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Rig up a test lamp.

Connect from ground to the small terminal on the solenoid.

It should be off. Now turn the key to start and it should come on. It should go off immediately when you release the key. If it does not then the ignition switch is 90% likely to be your problem.

If it DOES go off when you release the key, jiggle the key and shake the tractor. If you see so much as a flicker then the problem is as above.

Best of luck :banghead:

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Hmmm,

I have never heard of a solenoid sticking ON until today.

If you solenoid is getting stuck on it would run the battery down as well as heat up both the cable from the solenoid to the battery and the cable from the solenoid to the starter.

If you do the test I mentioned above and you cannot get the signal at the small connection at the solenoid to get stuck ON then redo the test using at the starter terminal.

See this relevant thread: http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/index.php?showtopic=5539

[linen beige 15]

Hmmm,

I have never heard of a solenoid sticking ON until today.

It's not at all unheard of in the antique car world. The plungers get corroded and the springs can't pull them back to the off position. Water inside can also carry current between the large contacts as if the plunger was extended, although they have to be pretty wet, and the heat from the high current usually dries them out quickly. The worst part is, if the engine is running you don't hear the starter motor trying to keep up with it. With the engine turning the starter motor it is not drawing much current, and can actually generate it. That is a whole new set of problems. It does seem that a prolonged load would heat up both cables, but unless they have exactly equal electrical conductivity, one will heat up faster, building even more resistance, and more heat, until it fails.

I'm in total agreement in that this is probably a faulty switch, which is either keeping the solenoid (I spelled it right this time!) closed, or cycling it on and off. I also wonder if the solenoid is wired correctly, with large enough wire.

You said that now it won't start, only clicks. Does it click when you turn the key from off to run, or from run to start? If it clicks when you turn it from off to run, then the switch is definitely bad or wired wrong.