intellipanel just dead... tractor does not start

[mcastator]

I baled hay last week but had a family emergency at the end (husband had heart attack). When I left, I mistakenly left the switch on the baler on all week. When found this this week, I presumed it had drained the battery. When I tried to start it, the intellipanel lights (all of them) blinked on and off rapidly about 3-4 times but the engine made no attempt to start. I charged the battery then and tried again.... this time nothing. No lights on the panel at all and no attempt from the engine to start. I replaced the battery. Same thing. I pulled each of the small fuses and visually inspected them and none seems faulty. I tried moving all of the safety switches to see if any of them was in the wrong position. 1) pto 2) hst pedal to be sure in the middle. The tractor has a seat sensor that disengages the motor if the PTO is on so I tried making sure the PTO was off and the seat switch was depressed. I then tried a trick I had read about earlier on this forum which involved turning the key to the start position and moving every switch or pedal in sight to see if any of them altered the scenario.... none of them did. Now I'm left with a tractor that worked great last week, was parked in a barn afterwards safe and sound but no will not even attempt to start. I'm out of ideas and could really use some advice on what to check now. Any advice would be very appreciated!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I would check both ends of the cables very carefully, might even remove them and clean and replace them.
Not very uncommon for cables to get corroded when they have been drawing power that is steadily decreasing.
Quick check is to take a set of jumper cables from the battery - to the ground and from battery + to the starter battery side and see what that does, if it comes back to life, look at a bad cable or end.

 

[mickeyd]

Welcome to OTT mcastator. Sorry to hear about your husband. I do hope he is is better now. You know the old saying; "When it rains, it pours," well you got poured on with your husband first and now the tractor.

 

[85Hokie]

you said that you " I pulled each of the small fuses and visually inspected them"

pull them again - and place a multimeter across them - and see if you have continuity. I have seen fuses that looked good but were not.

Also - like NIW said - cables, clean them and make them bright and tight.

If you decide to throw 12 volts to the starter and bypass everything - make sure everything is in neutral - gears, hst - and see if the starter will bump over.

 

[mcastator]

I will do that tomorrow... and let you know what I find. Thanks!

 

[mcastator]

Ok, I have cleaned the cables ends to battery and to ground carefully and everything is as you say 'bright and tight'. Still nothing on starter turning. Pulled and checked all fuses with voltmeter.... none were bad. Voltage from battery is 12.5 (seems a little low? but i think should work)... same voltage to starter positive cable from battery neg. Every now and then, the intellipanel will very briefly light up when I try something but the starter has never moved and the panel goes back out immediately and again, even this sign of life is infrequent. I tried hooking jumper cables to battery and then positive to positive starter post... got nothing.... added hooking negative jumper cable to frame of tractor and tried touching of the starter but still nothing. Is the starter grounded to the frame by the bolts or if I try hard enough, will I find a ground connection way around in back (feel a bolt back there but very hard to get to). Should I try getting connected to that (if possible) and the positive starter post? Seems like that direct connection, if I continue to get absolutely nothing means the starter has failed, right? (As you can tell, I may know just about enough about all of this to blow myself up! ha!) Surely appreciate your help....

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Make sure the tractor is not in gear, brakes are set, go to the starter and look for a small single wire disconnect that from the starter then with a small piece of wire jump from the large battery terminal on the starter to the small terminal the starter should turn.
If it does then the starter is fine and the problem is elsewhere.

 

[Mork]

I baled hay last week but had a family emergency at the end (husband had heart attack). When I left, I mistakenly left the switch on the baler on all week. When found this this week, I presumed it had drained the battery. When I tried to start it, the intellipanel lights (all of them) blinked on and off rapidly about 3-4 times but the engine made no attempt to start. I charged the battery then and tried again.... this time nothing. No lights on the panel at all and no attempt from the engine to start. I replaced the battery. Same thing. I pulled each of the small fuses and visually inspected them and none seems faulty. I tried moving all of the safety switches to see if any of them was in the wrong position. 1) pto 2) hst pedal to be sure in the middle. The tractor has a seat sensor that disengages the motor if the PTO is on so I tried making sure the PTO was off and the seat switch was depressed. I then tried a trick I had read about earlier on this forum which involved turning the key to the start position and moving every switch or pedal in sight to see if any of them altered the scenario.... none of them did. Now I'm left with a tractor that worked great last week, was parked in a barn afterwards safe and sound but no will not even attempt to start. I'm out of ideas and could really use some advice on what to check now. Any advice would be very appreciated!

Bad ignition switch?

 

[mcastator]

You are so right! just composed this to post back when I read your reply....

I GOT IT!!! It was the ignition switch.... jumped across the connections with my voltmeter and everything came on.... must have gotten dust down in it from the hay field. I think I will replace it just to be on the 'hope this does not happen again' side of things... and thank you all so much for your help! My husband is feeling better today too so things are looking up!