G4200H Electrical Problem

[gr0blin]

The problem is i'm getting no power at all. Nothing will turn on. No head lights and no oil pressure light; the starter won't even click.

The battery is fully charged and even with the charger and battery hooked up at the same time, i'm getting no power.

I've checked all connections and I don't see anything disconnected.

The starter wire is missing a fusible link (the previous owner pulled the connector off and hard-wired it with electrical tape).

There is another fuse near the ignition switch that also looks fine. No burn marks on the tube and no melting. The previous owner has a 15A fuse here while the wiring diagram on my manual calls for a 10A fuse. Could this be the problem?

Is it possible that I have a bad ignition switch? Is there a way I could test this?

Any and all advice is very much appreciated.

 

[bruceatlam]

You say that the battery is fully charged? How many volts at the battery terminals? Have you checked your ground from the battery to the frame ----

 

[gr0blin]

I removed the ground from the frame and sanded the rust off to ensure contact, so I don't think that's the problem.

I don't own a multimeter so unfortunately I don't know the voltage coming from the battery. However, I did use a 50A charger and it reads that the battery is fully charged.

With a 50A charger attached, even if the battery is bad, shouldn't I be seeing some indication of power? E.g. the oil pressure light coming on or the starter clicking?

I may have to go pick up a multimeter some time soon just so I can diagnose this problem.

Any other ideas?

 

[davemskinner]

You will find a meter extremely useful for many many jobs. You can find really cheap ones now for $10-$15 at the big box stores.

Once you have your meter:
Test the voltage at the terminals of the battery.
Then move your black lead down to the frame mount terminal.
Then to the frame. Verify voltage is the same. If there is any significant voltage drop your problem is here at the ground.
Since you have no indication of power this is a valid test because no current is flowing.

Now that you have established a ground path, start moving your red lead up the circuit verifying your voltages as you go.

 

[gr0blin]

Thank you very much for all advice so far.

I bought a multimeter and am getting a good 12V reading on the battery so all is well there.

I will test the ground on the tractor and then keep moving along the circuit as you suggest.

I will update my findings in a few hours when I get a chance to do some work.

 

[gr0blin]

Problem solved.

Taking your advice, I checked the grounding path and all was well with a solid 12v reading. I then followed the red terminal down to the starter and all was well there. I kept following the positive lead, checking the junction plug under the dash next, and that was good too. Finally, I checked the connection from the junction plug to the ignition switch and bingo, no voltage. I checked the resistance on the wire as well, which confirmed the bad connection.

I pulled the wire and found that the small metal prong on the end had completely corroded off. After replacing with new wire and new connectors, the tractor had power again.

Now on to my next problem -- the starter that clicks but doesn't crank.

Thanks for the help Dave.

 

[Cooperjb]

The starter require a lot of amperage to engage. Have the battery tested at a shop. The recommended battery only holds up for a couple of years, I use an actual car battery in mine, over 7 years in use! Also the starter itself has grease in it that can dry out and become very stiff and sticky, preventing the bendix from shooting forward and engaging the flywheel which will give you the same feel of a weak/bad battery. Test the battery first as it is most likely to be the problem. The starter can be removed, disassembled, cleaned, new (wheel bearing) grease applied, reassembled(can be tricky), reinstalled. And try it out. Good luck

 

[Stubbyie]

Poster CooperJB mentions dried grease as a problem preventing the bendix from engaging.

I had related problem but found shaft completely dry. Disassembled starter and greased well but not sloppily and now works like new.

Please post back your experiences so we may all learn.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Starter has two terminals, one with big battery cable, other has a smaller wire. By jumping ( while trans in neutral) big to little terminal will identify if you have more wiring trouble or a bad starter. Bad wiring can lead to low voltage, needs good power to pull in bendix and close circuit to crank