Was fuel issues now it’s electrical

[Soonerdad]

Recent fuel issues on g1800. Lift pump was bad. Replaced and problem solved. That has been replaced with a new problem. After the pump install I mowed about a half acre . I noticed on the way back to the shed the symbol for electrical was lit on the dash. Put her in the shed . Went to start it this morning. Turned on key , dash lights lit up, turned key and nothing . No juice at all at the key. Thought it might be alternator and battery was finally drained. Didn’t have multimeter so put charger on it . Wouldn’t draw charge . Waited few minutes turned key on . Lights lit up. Shut it off . Started drawing charge. Let it charge most of the day. Unhooked charger , turned key. Nothing. Waited few seconds, tried again. Boom! Power to key and started engine. Electrical light still lit on dash.
need some help here folks on the possible source. Or where to start .

 

[Russell King]

Start with the simple stuff and clean the battery and cable terminals in all connection points. See if the alternator has any loose or broken wiring near it.

Get a multimeter and see how much voltage is on the battery when running and not running.

If battery is old suspect you can probably just replace it but that is kind of expensive these days

 

[Flintknapper]

Start with the simple stuff and clean the battery and cable terminals in all connection points. See if the alternator has any loose or broken wiring near it.

Get a multimeter and see how much voltage is on the battery when running and not running.

If battery is old suspect you can probably just replace it but that is kind of expensive these days

^^^^^

This.


I like to check all chassis grounds as well. Intermittent electrical issues are often ground/connection related.

Mr. King has steered you right, check the simple stuff first.

 

[Henro]

Start with the simple stuff and clean the battery and cable terminals in all connection points. See if the alternator has any loose or broken wiring near it.

Get a multimeter and see how much voltage is on the battery when running and not running.

If battery is old suspect you can probably just replace it but that is kind of expensive these days

Agree with Russel, check the simple things first.

When you tried to charge the battery it did not show charging on your charger. The charger cables were likely attached to the battery cable clamps. If so, you likely have either a bad connection at one of the post clamps, or an intermittent connection within the battery itself.

You can diagnose this better with voltage measurements, but could also try using jumper cables from a known good vehicle battery, and see what happens. If the tractor starts when jumped from a known good battery, you know where to look for sure. Battery terminal connections or the battery itself.

 

[xrocketengineer]

Also check the battery voltage while cranking. Some internally shorted batteries show over 12 volts when not in use and go to 0 volts when starting. Normal voltage should be no less than 10 volts when cranking.

 

[Henro]

Also check the battery voltage while cranking. Some internally shorted batteries show over 12 volts when not in use and go to 0 volts when starting. Normal voltage should be no less than 10 volts when cranking.

First thing I ALWAYS do. Good point!

AND make the measuremen on the battery posts, NOT the cable clamps.

 

[Soonerdad]

Kinda hard to measure voltage when cranking when there’s no power or the key to get it to crank.
right before all this started , while idling for a few minutes I got a pretty good squeak like a loose belt, smelled like burnt rubber . Shut it off pretty quick. Checked belt for tension, cracked etc and it was all fine.
when tried to restart there was no power at the key . Finally it started after waiting a little and had no more of those symptoms Of squealing or burnt smell of rubber.
‘none of this makes a lick of sense and I’m getting frustrated as there’s no pattern to it and it’s all so sudden.
could this be alternator driven?

 

[Mark_BX25D]

‘none of this makes a lick of sense

None of it is going to make sense until you do the basics. Take the measurements that you can, and clean the connections that you can.

Then go from there.

 

[Flintknapper]

Kinda hard to measure voltage when cranking when there’s no power or the key to get it to crank.
right before all this started , while idling for a few minutes I got a pretty good squeak like a loose belt, smelled like burnt rubber . Shut it off pretty quick. Checked belt for tension, cracked etc and it was all fine.
when tried to restart there was no power at the key . Finally it started after waiting a little and had no more of those symptoms Of squealing or burnt smell of rubber.
‘none of this makes a lick of sense and I’m getting frustrated as there’s no pattern to it and it’s all so sudden.
could this be alternator driven?

Well.....sounds like you have two possible concerns. So might as well plan on spending a little time troubleshooting it in a methodical manner. Its darn sure not going to fix itself.

Since you noticed a burning smell and heard a squeak/squeal go ahead and pull the fan belt. While the belt is off inspect it for crazing (slick contact surface). Next....hand spin your alternator and see if the bearings feel OK (no drag, not gritty, no slop). Look carefully at the alternator and look for any signs of heat/burned wires or windings.

Hand turn your Water Pump to see if it turns freely and smoothly (no slop). IF both those items check out OK, then you've eliminated any possibility either were trying to seize/fail and burning your belt.

On to your starting issue:

Take a multi-meter and check the resting voltage of your battery. Anything less than 12.3vdc and it needs to be charged (or jumped). Conversely....you can swap in a new or known to be good battery. Since your electrical issue appears to be intermittent....you'll want to look for common problems that cause that.

In no particular order:

* Poor grounds or connections to circuits
*Poor connection at battery posts (or corrosion), poor connection at starter or solenoid
*Internally broken battery post or plates (hard to detect,) replace with known to be good battery
*Failing ignition switch (very common)
*Neutral safety switch or other safety switches (seat switch, clutch/brake switch, etc)
* Ignition relay (if so equipped)

IF you don't have a multi-meter get one. If you are not familiar with how to use one or test with it....just ask, we are happy to help.

Electrical gremlins can be simple or hair pulling in nature. But one outstanding hint...is that your issue seems intermittent....which can point us to certain areas of trouble.

 

[ve9aa]

Some good advice given already.

I'll just add that if the alternator (and water pump_) and connections all check out, you'll also want to measure your battery voltage with it running. (12.3VDC could be about right with the machine off, but running, it has to be a bit higher. ) I am not intimately familiar with the G1800, but I am sure the voltage will be in the 13-13.8VDC range with the machine running.

If you see no (or very very little) difference in voltage between off and running, then you've found your problem.

Start with the easy stuff first though.

 

[Soonerdad]

THANK YOU ALL for the guidance here. saves me a lot of wasted time chasing rainbows . Electrical is not my wheelhouse of comfort and expertise and I’m not afraid to say so..lol
I’ll report back once I get time to start narrowing it down. Tractor is 40 miles away at my lake place so limited time to get my hands on it On a weekly basis.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

if possible, trailer it home. Should allow you more time to work on it.
sounds like you'll nee a new fan belt. check alternaot to see if it goes round and round smoothly when belt is off...

 

[whitetiger]

Just pointing out that a G1800 has a dynamo, not an alternator. When you spin a dynamo, it is very jery from the magnets. It should not spin freely or be smooth.

 

[Soonerdad]

Well I have an update. got ahold of a correct wiring diagram and began eliminating things.
did Have intermittent ground issue that I corrected. Got good contact. Fired it up , tested Dynamo output . ZERO. In fact the damn thing had frozen up. Wouldn’t rotate AT ALL. about 3pm seconds into running you could smell the belt . Dynamo was HOTTTT .
im pretty sure I’ve tested to the source of the problem. Thank you to all the folks who offered me some input without being snarky about it . This is my first diesel. I’m learning. I’ll update after I get the new one on

 

[Soonerdad]

Update; pulled the dynamo and sure enough, the bearings have seized. Pulled them and picking up a new set today . Should be good to go after that. Plus , replacing the bearings cost me 12.00 . A new dynamo is 218.00 . Y’all can do the math on that one!.lol

 

[Pawnee]

Update; pulled the dynamo and sure enough, the bearings have seized. Pulled them and picking up a new set today . Should be good to go after that. Plus , replacing the bearings cost me 12.00 . A new dynamo is 218.00 . Y’all can do the math on that one!.lol

So, $218 - $12 = $206 savings

Plus, you fixed it yourself, kept a good part out of the recycle, maybe learned a thing or two along the way, encouraged the next guy with this problem to solve it, and brought us a little closer back to the times when we repaired things instead of throwing them out. = PRICELESS

 

[Soonerdad]

Yessir! Trust me , I learned ALOT. Thanks again to everyone for the constructive input.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I hope you put a new fan belt on........
..or that 'Murphy' doesn't come by........

 

[Soonerdad]

Debating that very subject. Part of me says do it. Part of me says wait till summers over. It’s a PITA to change. I know I know. Taking a chance. Belt is not in bad shape. Will see after I get her running again. Belt conditioner might be in order for a couple months.

 

[Soonerdad]

New bearings pressed in and reassembled. Bench tested for output with cordless drill and multimeter. Makin juice, baby!!! Will get reinstalled this afternoon and should be good to go. As “The Duke“ said, “ it looks like this little fracas is over “ .