Starter Stopped

[midget-farmer]

Yesterday I went out to get some seat time & found the starter on Rojito had died. I cleaned all the connections, bypassed the switch & it still wouldn't work. It wasn't completely dead. The starter would turn 1 or 1 1/2 revolutions then not have the guts to start the tractor. I could easily bump start him & I still used him most of the day, but the starter is defenately not getting it done.

Any thoughts? I will be getting a hand crank asap to help if I have this issue for long.

Forgot to add - all 6 volt system completely original no goofy mods or strangeness.

[awander]

Are you sure the battery is charged and good?

What happens if you run acables from teh battery direct to the starter? I woudl suspect the ground wires/connection from battery and/or starter to the frame.

[John(videodoc)]

i would agree with awander. CHeck your grounds, make sure they are all bright and shinny connections and that the battery has a full charge. You can bypass the whole system and go straight to the starter pole and a good ground, accuate the switch and see how good your starter is. You can use a 12 volt battery, but dont let it sit too long or use too often. See you next week at DOCFEST.......

[Bigdog]

Have your battery load tested to see if it is fully charge and not just surface charged. It would be very unusual for a starter to go bad just sitting for a few months. but it would be very common for a battery to fail that way.

[Barnyard]

And if all else fails and you do have a bad starter, send it to Podge (Deputy Jailer) and he will fix you right up reasonably.

[redfin]

Big Dog and Barnyard Podge is the man for your starter and generator repair if needed.



Jim

[midget-farmer]

Thanks guys - I thought battery first. It is about 6 months old, has a full charge & I tried a 12 volt jumper (twice). I cleaned all the connections to the switch, though I didn't look at where the ground connects to the frame. That will be next.

Are there bushings or brushes or something in the starter that could be cleaned? If the ground wire doesn't do it I'm going to start taking things apart!

I use the tractor regularly. About 1 x per week. Usually not for longer than a few minutes except during mowing season.

[evielboweviel]

use a good heavy set of jumper cables straight from the battery to the starter.
probably will work just fine. then order a set of battery cables off of Bill Poor and clean where there bolt on real good
OR will work the same then you get a new battery and still need to get those cables from Bill Poor
Ron

[midget-farmer]

OK - I just jumped from the battery to the starter & got nothing. So I put my 12 volt charger directly on the starter & got nothing. I definitely saw the voltage go through the starter from the gage on the charger. Nothing not a bump, no sign of life.

How much does a starter cost?

[awander]

Probably just needs brushes, or a good cleaning.

[Don McCombs]

Send it here for a checkout and/or rebuild.

Josh "Podge" Meredith
799 Pearman Road
Clarkson, Kentucky 42726
Telephone: (270) 230-5280

[Eugene]

Bad battery. Check out the battery first, before you repair the starter.

Most battery chargers do not have sufficient amperage to turn over a starter. Starter motors can develop from 1 to 2 horsepower depending on the size of the engine and existing conditions when cranking the engine. Starters can draw around 150 to 200 amps during the summer, more in winter.

[midget-farmer]

Thanks guys - I'll drop in a new 12 volt & see what i get. After that I will start taking things apart. It can't be that hard to rebuild a starter right? I just saw one on ebay for $145 completely rebuilt. I could try a lot of things before I get near $145.

[midget-farmer]

I thought battery first. It is about 6 months old, has a full charge & I tried a 12 volt jumper (twice).

You guys ROCK! Eugene saved me $$$$. I went out today & jumped directly to the starter with a new 12 volt battery. 'hito fired up like new. Funny how I was sure my 6 month old 6 volt battery was great & fully charged.

So no new starter - but this now opens up a whole new list of questions.
1. Will a new 12 volt battery be bad in the long run (don't want to hurt anything I don't have to)?
2. Why did my new 6 volt crap out so soon?
3. Since my ammeter has never worked how else do I check if the generator is working? I assume that if the tractor runs with the battery disconnected then something is generating the juice for the spark correct? (I ran it w/o battery today after the jump start).

[midget-farmer]

4. It could still be the ground.
5. It could still be the cables.

now I have something to do this weekend!