BX2680 Hard to Turn Over After Loose Starter wire

[Kaempfe]

Hi.

Yesterday, my tractor was running great. When I went to restart it - nothing. It didn’t even try to turn over. I checked another forum thread and they recommended checking cable to the starter then safety switches. It was the starter wire that came loose. I plugged it back in but the tractor was very hard to turn over and it didn’t start like normal. It took a good amount of cranking.
Once it’s running it seems to run fine until under load like a really tight turn or using loader.

The battery reads 12v then 9-10 when starting. I put it on a charger and tried again before full charge. Same issue.

Does this sound like I damaged the battery trying to start it when start was unplugged or could I have clogged the fuel filter somehow?

I can charge/replace battery and swap fuel filters but I’m not clear why it would act like this after I found the starter wire was loose but it started up first shot and ran like a champ just prior to the starting issue.

Thanks!

 

[85Hokie]

when you say 12 volts......... really 12.0 volts? or 12.6 ..... 12.7??? That little bit can make a difference.

Fuel will not make it hard to turn over....... unless the cylinder HAS liquid fuel in it!

 

[Kaempfe]

Ok. But if the battery why suddenly after the starter wiring being unplugged?

 

[85Hokie]

What IS your specific battery voltage? You have VOM meter? See what actual voltage is. I would check all the connections to the battery while checking.

 

[Kaempfe]

What IS your specific battery voltage? You have VOM meter? See what actual voltage is. I would check all the connections to the battery while checking.

12.8V
I’d have to re-check during cranking but I recall 9-10V

I’ll check it at the starter tomorrow and clean posts etc.

 

[Russell King]

And which wire to the starter was loose? Small solenoid wire or large cable?

 

[Kaempfe]

And which wire to the starter was loose? Small solenoid wire or large cable?

small solenoid wire.

 

[Russell King]

Check all your fuses, especially the one for glow plugs and fuel pump and fuel solenoid. Maybe you blew a fuse when attaching the wire?

(Your other thread said it cranks fine just won’t fire up.)

 

[Kaempfe]

Check all your fuses, especially the one for glow plugs and fuel pump and fuel solenoid. Maybe you blew a fuse when attaching the wire?

(Your other thread said it cranks fine just won’t fire up.)

yeah. At first, nothing. It seems like the wire or safety switch. Once I fixed the wire, it seemed to crank wouldn’t catch. I’ll check the fuses. Thanks!!

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Check the basics. Your symptoms are typical of poor connections or a failed battery. Could be something else, too, but start with the basics.


Check the battery cables and connections, both ends. This does not mean "glance at the top of the battery and if there's no obvious corrosion you are good". It means TAKE IT APART AND CLEAN IT. And do not overlook the ground connection to the frame, and the hot connection to the starter. People often make that mistake. "Battery's good, must be something else." Nope, BOTH ends need to be good.

And while you are at it, very carefully inspect the cables. Again, both ends. Corrosion can wick up inside a cable and rot it from the inside out. It's not readily visible from the outside. Look at the exposed end of the cable. Do you see corrosion there? If so, the cable may be bad. One way to find out is to get rough with the cable. Twist it, push it, bend it. If it feels at all "crackly", replace it. "Oh, but if I get rough with it, I might break it!" Good! If it's a good cable you won't bother it. If it's borderline, you want to break it.

If that's all good, get your battery load tested. A battery can show the correct voltage but not be able to support the load of a starting engine.

 

[Kaempfe]

If I keep cranking, it will eventually turn over but it is a rough start. It then will drive and run but if I’m in a tight corner and driving or out it under heavier load it will bog down. That doesn’t sound like fuel supply?

 

[85Hokie]

If I keep cranking, it will eventually turn over but it is a rough start. It then will drive and run but if I’m in a tight corner and driving or out it under heavier load it will bog down. That doesn’t sound like fuel supply?

so........ we have two problems.

You glowing the plugs TO START?

yes - you seem to have a fuel problem too

 

[Kaempfe]

Sorry to be dense….
Can you explain this?
“You glowing the plugs TO START?”

 

[Russell King]

Diesel engine needs to preheat the cylinders to start easily. Kubota uses glow plugs to help start. Your tractor probably does that sort of automatic when you put the key in the correct position and then some light probably comes on and then goes off then you crank the engine and it fires up faster.

The hard starting indicates glow plugs not working correctly or a fuel supply issue. Lack of power indicates poor fuel supply or poor air supply.

You can easily verify that the air filter is clean and nothing is clogged

You can verify that fuel is getting to the pump but that is a bit more technical. What are you up for?

 

[Russell King]

And yes two bad things can happen at almost the same time.

 

[85Hokie]

Sorry to be dense….
Can you explain this?
“You glowing the plugs TO START?”

When you turn the key clockwise one "click" and hold it - all the light come on the dash and there is a mild ticking sound below.......hold it there and count for 10 seconds - THEN continue turning the key more clockwise - it should fire up perfectly.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

If I keep cranking, it will eventually turn over

Cranking = turning over. Same thing. The battery spins the starter motor which makes the ending go roundy roundy. Both terms mean exactly the same thing. Comes from the Model T days when a crank was used to turn the engine over in order to start it.


"Turn over" does NOT mean, "start".

Use the wrong terms, get the wrong answers.

Since now we know that it IS turning over, yes, that could be a fuel issue.

Could also be turning over too slowly to start.

 

[Kaempfe]

Cranking = turning over. Same thing. The battery spins the starter motor which makes the ending go roundy roundy. Both terms mean exactly the same thing. Comes from the Model T days when a crank was used to turn the engine over in order to start it.


"Turn over" does NOT mean, "start".

Use the wrong terms, get the wrong answers.

Since now we know that it IS turning over, yes, that could be a fuel issue.

Could also be turning over too slowly to start.

Yes. Sorry. It will eventually start. As other posts suggest, I have verified air filters are ok and recently changed them. I’ll confirm good battery connection. It seems to be turning over at same speed as before. I’ll check fuses and glow plug as well as the start sequence with the pause. I will also change the fuel filters as I have them just need to get the time to tackle it.

 

[Kaempfe]

Diesel engine needs to preheat the cylinders to start easily. Kubota uses glow plugs to help start. Your tractor probably does that sort of automatic when you put the key in the correct position and then some light probably comes on and then goes off then you crank the engine and it fires up faster.

The hard starting indicates glow plugs not working correctly or a fuel supply issue. Lack of power indicates poor fuel supply or poor air supply.

You can easily verify that the air filter is clean and nothing is clogged

You can verify that fuel is getting to the pump but that is a bit more technical. What are you up for?

I am up for it. I have replaced the air filter. I will check it to be sure. I will check fuses. I had planned to replace the fuel filters anyway. What would you suggest for glow plug and fuel supply troubleshooting? I just downloaded the Work Shop Manual.

 

[ve9aa]

Are you running the glow plugs 10-15seconds before attempting to whirl over the starter motor?

My BX will start fairly easily without too much glow, but
my TG1860 (similar engine) won't even THINK about starting unless I glow it at least 12-13seconds before cranking.

Listen to Mark_BX25D. He knows what he's talking about.