I got home from work the other day and my BX1870-1 was in the driveway running. The key was in the house, so I ran in and got the key and the gauge display stayed blank with the key in any position. I dug the bucket in and stalled the motor. Now with the motor stopped, the key still did nothing. Pulled out the battery and was dead (1.2 volts). Tractor only has about 30 hours on it. It was outside and it did rain the night before, almost an inch of rain. My question is, is it possible to short out the ignition switch with water to engage the starter and get the motor to start and run? My dealer has never heard of such a thing, the sales department didn't come right out and say it, but he treated me like I was making it up or something.
BX1870-1 started all by it's self.
- Thread starter jambrose603
- Start date
Sounds like a warranty issue, to me...
Are you sure someone didn't try to steal it, by hot wiring it?
Are you sure someone didn't try to steal it, by hot wiring it?
It rained over night and the seat was still full of water, so no one sat in the seat and it had 1/2 tank of fuel the last time I used it and after I charged the battery and turned it on, there was only about 1/4 tank, so it must have run for a couple hours. The dealer said they would pick it up and check it out today, but it's 2:00 pm and no sign of them yet. The service manager thinks I have a ghost.
Clean water is actually an insulator, it will not carry current. However dirty water, depending on what it is dirtied with will happily carry all the current it can depending on how dirty, etc.
12v is a rare critter to have it suddenly short out and 'start' the tractor. 12v is really weak and unless the water was doped with conductive metals there is no way it could 'short' start the starter, just not enough current. However, if it got into a switch and shorted the 'start' and 'run' positions of the switch, then yeah, you could have a ghost like that because it only has to have enough current to trigger the relay and the run solenoid.
My guess is you had some metal shavings (copper, brass, whatever) that kept some air around them as the switch filled with water and floated to make contact with the terminals in just the wrong way. I agree, it's far fetched, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Remember, both the run solenoid and the starter solenoid have to be in on the gag or it doesn't work.
Having said that... it would be an awesome prank to pull on a friend!
12v is a rare critter to have it suddenly short out and 'start' the tractor. 12v is really weak and unless the water was doped with conductive metals there is no way it could 'short' start the starter, just not enough current. However, if it got into a switch and shorted the 'start' and 'run' positions of the switch, then yeah, you could have a ghost like that because it only has to have enough current to trigger the relay and the run solenoid.
My guess is you had some metal shavings (copper, brass, whatever) that kept some air around them as the switch filled with water and floated to make contact with the terminals in just the wrong way. I agree, it's far fetched, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Remember, both the run solenoid and the starter solenoid have to be in on the gag or it doesn't work.
Having said that... it would be an awesome prank to pull on a friend!
The key switch is toast. Dealer should replace it. IIRC, there is a new part number which tells me something is different about it. If it's less than 2 years old, warranty should apply. Dealer may or may not be able to duplicate the issue so they might give you some grief about it. If they do, ask them if they can submit a pre-approval to Kubota. Kubota should replace it no problem...again...as long as it's less than 2 years old.
Seen a couple of them with similar issues. One, nothing worked at all. The other, it was running (idling) after being gone all weekend. Don't know how long it ran. Hourmeter did not run up any hours as the key was off while engine was running.
Seen a couple of them with similar issues. One, nothing worked at all. The other, it was running (idling) after being gone all weekend. Don't know how long it ran. Hourmeter did not run up any hours as the key was off while engine was running.
Weird stuff man. I had my Exmark mower on a trailer and it sat thru a downpour. After that it did some weird things which is the big reason I bought an enclosed trailer to haul it with. These modern electronics get wet and funky stuff happens. I keep all my stuff inside to prevent this. Even my old junk is shedded. I realize that not everyone has this option but certain things need protection.
Kurtee
Kurtee
Just thought of it, but have seen a TON of John Deere stuff over the years do the same thing. In all but 2 cases, key switch was the culprit. One of them was mine. RX75. Mowed one evening, parked it, got up and went to work next day. Got home, went into the house and kept hearing something that sounded like it was cranking. Walked out to the shop and sure enough the RX75 was cranking itself, not running, just cranking, albeit slowly. It must have been cranking for a while because the starter motor was smoking and the cables were toasty. Actually got a decent burn from trying to remove the + cable from the battery. Tested key switch immediately. Junk/internally shorted. Replaced, charged battery, and sold it immediately. Current owner is a friend and oddly, has never had a single other issue out of it other than belts, blades, and tires.
Seen it on those, a couple of LT133's and LT155's, a D100 last year, L118 that belongs to another friend, and a couple SRX's from yesteryear.
Seen it on those, a couple of LT133's and LT155's, a D100 last year, L118 that belongs to another friend, and a couple SRX's from yesteryear.
Just got a call from the dealer and he said the ignition switch was full of water and corrosion. He's never seen one that bad. No ghost after all.