I have an L3901HST, about 4 years old, 1020 hrs, very few problems. Last week I was hauling firewood, had shut the tractor off, and when I went to re-start it, nothing happened. All dash lights off except the charging and oil pressure lights, which stay on until the engines starts (seemed normal). Battery seems to have normal voltage (13v). I drifted the tractor downhill a little with the clutch out and then back in, set the parking brake, turned the key and the engine started. Ran the tractor several times in the last week, shutting it down and starting it back up numerous times. Today it did it again. Shut down to take a short break, went back out and no dice. Won't even try. Could I have a problem with my starter motor, so that when I shut down it is in the "wrong" position it just won't make contact? Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Intermittent starting problem - help please!
- Thread starter Lancelot
- Start date
Captain13
Active member
Equipment
M7040 4WD ROPS, ZD28, Woods (84” box blade, 72” harrow, 48” pallet forks)
There could be a dead spot on the starter. Keep a hammer with you. If it does it again, tap on the starter a few times. Also, check your battery connections. Also, your starter relay may be going bad. On my M series, several of the relays are the same and you you swap positions between two relays And see if that solves your problem. Since you said it doesn’t do anything, a relay may be suspect. finally, one of the safety switches may be loose, such as the seat, PTO, shifter that may be loose or making an intermittent connection.
BigG
Well-known member
Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
A good place to start would be to remove and clean the battery terminals. Then follow the ground cable to were it attaches to the tractor. Remove the ground cable and clean the two surfaces and reconnect the ground cable. Hopeful that will cure the problem. If not let us know and can trouble shot from there.
Do not look at them and say they look good. Take them apart and clean them as a bad connection can look just like a good connection. Good luck.
Do not look at them and say they look good. Take them apart and clean them as a bad connection can look just like a good connection. Good luck.
Outnumbered
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L3901, FEL, BB1260, RCF2060, FDR2572, Titan Forks, Caryall, 5' Tiller
I had a similar thing happen on my 3901HST a few months back. I played with it for a few days and then discovered if I pushed back on the PTO switch it would fire right up. I adjusted the nut on it to ensure it hit the micro switch on it and no more problems. Hopefully it is a simple fix like mine was. Good luck!
I had intermittent starting problems with two tractors. The Kubota L3200 was a quick fix. It needed the hydro pedal switch adjusted.
The other was on the Ford 1210. I did the tap on the starter trick and it worked for a while. Eventually it acted dead. Turned out being a break inside the insulation on the wire taking power from the key switch to the starter. I apparently disturbed the wire enough to have it make contact when I was hammering on the starter.
The other was on the Ford 1210. I did the tap on the starter trick and it worked for a while. Eventually it acted dead. Turned out being a break inside the insulation on the wire taking power from the key switch to the starter. I apparently disturbed the wire enough to have it make contact when I was hammering on the starter.
Thanks for all the good information. I decided to check the easy stuff first, and looked at the safety switches. The PTO switch looked to be engaging properly. The HST has one on the foot pedal to sense that the pedal has returned to neutral. Couldn't see it without removing the pedal and floorplate, so I just moved the pedal forward and back, let it come to rest, and tried the starter. Fired right up! I can't thank you enough for helping me with this. I should probably go ahead and clean the battery terminals and ground connections, just due to the age of the unit, and I will be sure to remember the little tapping on the starter motor tip, and the info about the relays. If it quits me again and the above doesn't get me going, I will be sure to let you know what I found out. Thanks again!
This is good advice. Turns out I found a problem with one of the safety switches this morning (HST pedal neutral switch) and got my tractor started. Even so, it would probably be a good idea for me to clean the terminals and cable connections, just because of the age and hours on the machine. Thanks a bunch for replying to my post. I sure appreciate it.
You just about nailed it. Played with the safety switch on the HST pedal this morning and got the tractor started. Thanks so much for your help with this!
I am new at this so I am wondering; can you see the replies I made to the other folks who were kind enough to reply to my post? in any case, thanks for your info. I tried checking the safety switches this morning, and after cycling the hydro pedal, the tractor started right up. If it happens again and this doesn't fix it, I will investigate further and publish my findings. Thanks again for your help!
On my L3200 I adjusted the switch by a turn or so. It just makes the sweet spot a bit easier for the pedal to hit. You're welcome and as far as I know we all see the same thing when we look at the threads on here. I guess the exception would be if someone really gets your goat and you hit "IGNORE" for that person?