Error code 20, plus screen reads “Depress Clutch”

[ejb11235]

EJB. I run it out of fuel a lot because the gas gauge is off. This time I was mowing up a steep hill, trying to make the tank last, rolled the dice and lost. It sputtered and died. probably tried to restart it to much on the steep hill with it gracing up hill and the pick up within the tank pulonly had air, not diesel.

Cool It's been really bugging me how an out-of-fuel problem morphed into an electrical no-crank/crank-no-start/ECU-error-code situation. I was thinking about it on the drive up to my cabin last night and all of a sudden it dawned on me "maybe he wasn't out of fuel, and the reason the tractor stopped is the same reason he can't get it going again."

This doesn't directly help the situation, but after years of writing and debugging software, I've come to believe that it's helpful, if not essential, to frequently "weed the garden" in terms of facts, assumptions, conclusions, etc. Otherwise one runs the risk of getting "thrown off the scent".

I hope when you find the problem you will post it in the forum. It sounds like you were frustrated with some things that were written in the thread. I hope you post the solution publicly for the benefit of everyone who is lurking here, or who might read it in the future.

Eric

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Hint: to move the bucket up on a nonrunning tractor
1) secure a comealong between ROPS and bucket
2) have 2nd set of hands pull 'up loader' lever ( or strap it it up)
3) use comealong to raise loader up
4) make wooden 'U-blocks' to fit between loader cylinder and ram
5) gently lower loader back down,but keep a little tension on the comealong

The U-blocks will keep the bucket OFF the ground, the comealong a 'safety',just in case you hit a bump and both blocks fall off.

I did this to one tractor for 8-10 years as loader and 3PH were 'selectable' by plugging one coupling in or the other...

Having tractor on that STEEP an angle would make bleeding a challenge. Heck I can't stand up straight easily on a far less angle !! The great thing about getting it on level ground as YOU don't have to worry about footing and you can slowly, methodically do the 'bleeding proceedure'.

As for the err-20, if it's true a 'communications' problem, you may get lucky by disconnecting the panel connectors, and reseat them 3-4 times. Be sure to have the key OFF when doing this. CAN bus has +12, gnd and 2 signals so it's possible to 'mess up' the panels computer. That 'shouldn't ' happen but......

 

[Russell King]

I was using my tractor last weekend to shred and knew it was low on fuel but wanted to burn off as much as I could of the old fuel before adding any more. Of course I ran too low and tractor started losing power. I quickly shut it down before it died and added fuel thinking I could get it running easily and it would pull the fuel through and not have to be bled.

I added fuel and let it set for a few minutes before trying to start it since it is a gravity feed setup. I thought that would be enough to remove the air in the lines so just started it and let it run at idle for a few minutes then at higher RPM for a minute. It seemed to be running fine so I started shredding again and made it a hundred feet or so before it started running out of fuel again.

I then thought well dang I should have opened the bled valve on the injector pump and gotten the air to bleed off there, but I had not. When I got that open nothing happened, no fuel was dripping out of it. I left it open for a while but still nothing happened. Air may have been coming out but it seemed like nothing happened. So then I cracked the spin on fuel filter away from the seat and started seeing fuel and air coming out of the filter. I let that happen for a few seconds until it seemed like the filter was full of fuel and tightened up the filter. Then after a few seconds fuel and air came out of the bleeder valve.

I then cracked the lines at the injectors and set throttle to high RPM to maximize fuel flow and cranked engine for a few seconds (I have a decompression knob so starter is under little load and engine spins fast). Closed injector lines and cranked up the engine. With engine running I then cracked open each injector and let more fuel and air out (no idea if this is really a benefit or just makes me feel better) and then closed it up again.

Long story but the point is that spending the time to bleed the complete fuel system is probably the best way to bleed the fuel system and trying to take shortcuts may end up taking longer overall.

Good luck and I hope you get it figured out soon.

 

[BudGoat]

Cool It's been really bugging me how an out-of-fuel problem morphed into an electrical no-crank/crank-no-start/ECU-error-code situation. I was thinking about it on the drive up to my cabin last night and all of a sudden it dawned on me "maybe he wasn't out of fuel, and the reason the tractor stopped is the same reason he can't get it going again."

This doesn't directly help the situation, but after years of writing and debugging software, I've come to believe that it's helpful, if not essential, to frequently "weed the garden" in terms of facts, assumptions, conclusions, etc. Otherwise one runs the risk of getting "thrown off the scent".

I hope when you find the problem you will post it in the forum. It sounds like you were frustrated with some things that were written in the thread. I hope you post the solution publicly for the benefit of everyone who is lurking here, or who might read it in the future.

Eric

I think the only comments I got a bit sideway with were warranted and I reacted poorly. They were just comments by men frustrated with my set of facts they had to work with, as they only had my best interests in mind and I was not helping.
Most of the comments are by well meaning master mechanics or very experienced technicians. All more expert than I. I am glad they take the time to struggle with these mental puzzles on line.

 

[D2Cat]

Bud.....I want to know the solution!!!

I'm going to print it off and put it in my manual.

 

[BudGoat]

Bud.....I want to know the solution!!!

I'm going to print it off and put it in my manual.

I promise I will.

Give me a recess of a couple days. I tried to pull it up the hill but the 4x4 truck spun out.

It is raining hard tonight so that killed further trials.

Tomorrow I have some ideas to try to pull the FEL and 82” mover off the three point hitch without tractor power. Then I will pull the stripped tractor up onto my trailer with chain come a-longs. Then it goes to my shop and level ground for a post mortem.

Will make a video on You Tube to link to this forum. Hope it is not a video of my tractor busting loose and running down to the bottom of the canyon!

 

[D2Cat]

You can use straps (like used for anchoring your tractor to a trailer) from the top of your ROPS up to your loader bucket, and back to the mower to ratchet them up a way to move the tractor without removing the implements.

 

[BudGoat]

Hint: to move the bucket up on a nonrunning tractor
1) secure a comealong between ROPS and bucket
2) have 2nd set of hands pull 'up loader' lever ( or strap it it up)
3) use comealong to raise loader up
4) make wooden 'U-blocks' to fit between loader cylinder and ram
5) gently lower loader back down,but keep a little tension on the comealong

The U-blocks will keep the bucket OFF the ground, the comealong a 'safety',just in case you hit a bump and both blocks fall off.

I did this to one tractor for 8-10 years as loader and 3PH were 'selectable' by plugging one coupling in or the other...

Having tractor on that STEEP an angle would make bleeding a challenge. Heck I can't stand up straight easily on a far less angle !! The great thing about getting it on level ground as YOU don't have to worry about footing and you can slowly, methodically do the 'bleeding proceedure'.

As for the err-20, if it's true a 'communications' problem, you may get lucky by disconnecting the panel connectors, and reseat them 3-4 times. Be sure to have the key OFF when doing this. CAN bus has +12, gnd and 2 signals so it's possible to 'mess up' the panels computer. That 'shouldn't ' happen but......
[/QUOTE

Wow! Great info! Will save me a lot of work.
Hardest rains of the year right now. Flooding homes in town.

I will get into trussing up the loader this afternoon when the rain stops. Will be a couple more days to let ground to settle before I try to pull it up in the trailer.

thank you!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

hmm maybe wait a day or two for the ground to firm up a tad !!!!
Toronto go a month's worth of rain in a day,they complained about the flooded highways.Seems they 'forgot' it happened before and did NOTHING then (boo hoo, no money..)

 

[BudGoat]

hmm maybe wait a day or two for the ground to firm up a tad !!!!
Toronto go a month's worth of rain in a day,they complained about the flooded highways.Seems they 'forgot' it happened before and did NOTHING then (boo hoo, no money..)

You have good instincts!

it rained here 16” in one night.

I went back to check on the tractor and start getting the bucket raised and it all had slid down the slope 50 yards!

I left yesterday with the parking brakes set hard, the bucket down and the heavy mower down. Plus put a wheel chock behind one back tire.

The bucket was full with rain water.

I was now closer to the trail below so I eased it with the brake to slide further down to that trail.

But the normally rocky ground is still mushy. I will wait a few days of no rainfall before trying to pull it. Where it is now, I can pull it to the shop and tools without putting it on the trailer

 

[BudGoat]

You have good instincts!

it rained here 16” in one night.

I went back to check on the tractor and start getting the bucket raised and it all had slid down the slope 50 yards!

I left yesterday with the parking brakes set hard, the bucket down and the heavy mower down. Plus put a wheel chock behind one back tire.

The bucket was full with rain water.

I was now closer to the trail below so I eased it with the brake to slide further down to that trail.

But the normally rocky ground is still mushy. I will wait a few days of no rainfall before trying to pull it. Where it is now, I can pull it to the shop and tools without putting it on the trailer

update:

I got some kind of respiratory virus and was laid up 2 weeks. But I needed to let the ground dry up. But it never did.

the grass and weeds were now 3’ and filled with water. The tow vehicle just spun out and made water squeeze out of the weeds. I had lifted the bucket up 4” with a chain hoist and removed the heavy Bushhog 84” mower. Still no go.

So I finally got an operator to pull it up to my shop where the tools and power is.

$200 fee and worth it.

I will trouble shoot it and get back to you all. Thanks !

 

[BudGoat]

In the words of Dr. Frankenstein, “ITS ALIVE!!!

There were to many commentators here to mention them all. But the Error 20 and depress clutch warning began after running it out of fuel on a very steep hill. This made matters more complex when I found that my battery was bad.

I could not clear the errors. But in trouble shooting I replaced the sensors for HST pedal switch and the PTO switch. The clutch safety switch was good. To tow it in, I took the advise and use a chain come along to lift the bucket by hooking it to the heavy brush guard in front of the radiator. I could not pull it up from the ROPs because the tractor hood was in the way. I guess I could have used two come alongs attached to the outside edge of the bucket to the ROPs.

One advisor suggested I could try disconnecting the battery to trick the ECU to encourage it to give up on those error codes and let the starter work. That seems to be the solution. Fired right up with bleed mode button turned open and she ran fine.

Very happy and thank you. They say a girl sees her wedding day as the happiest day in her life, whereas in a boy it is his first car or truck. Well for us old men, it’s getting your tractor running again!