L3301 - fuel gauge showing zero

[Telkwa]

I suspect rodent damage. They ruined the headlight wiring a few months ago.

How do I open up the instrument nacelle or housing? I removed the 12mm bolt just above the display, hoping that would give me quick access, but nope not gonna be that easy.

Guess I'm gonna need a garage.

 

[lugbolt]

Are you trying to get the cluster out of the tractor or just trying to get TO it (and the wiring)?

Actually it's a loaded question because the entire plastic part surrounding the cluster has to come off. Remove steering wheel, throttle grip, 2 screws on the sides near the fuel tank, bolt above the dash, and bolt at the bottom/rear. Then remove the hood and I think there's a couple more screws up there. Don't forget to unplug the DPF switches-and MARK them. They are the same plug, IIRC but do two different things. Unplug the main switch and the headlight switch. Then lift it all off, and you can get to much of the harness. And the cluster then comes off easy.

BUT....you can test the fuel gauge quicker and easier. Remove the wire from the sensor and ground it. Gauge should go to full. If not, suspect wiring and/or gauge. If it does, your sending unit is likely at fault.

 

[Telkwa]

Well, I guess I'm just trying to get to the fuel gauge and the wiring behind it. Although I've had it over a year, I've done very little wrenching on it and not familiar with how the Kubota engineers do things.

Geez, I just had that danged hood off to fix the headlight wires. That stupid bolt that pinches the hood to the hinge is a pain. The one you need a 2' extension to get to.

Can I get to the sensor wire without removing the hood? I looked around the tank as well as I could with the hood on yesterday afternoon. There's something coming off the tank near the leading edge, but it's just a square brass fitting that looks like a breather, not an electrical connection.

I see the manuals are expensive. There are a few websites advertising the whole manual on CD for about $12. Worth it?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I see the manuals are expensive. There are a few websites advertising the whole manual on CD for about $12. Worth it?

The CD manuals for you L3301 are a scam!
Go to the dealer or dealer online like Coleman Equipment or Messicks and buy the original WSM it's well worth it!

 

[lugbolt]

Even the sensor's a pain to get to on these. You have to remove the plastic part around the cluster, then then the sensor's underneath a metal support. It can be removed, however, if the need should arise. It looks worse than it really is.

 

[Ortimber]

I just had a similar issue w/ my M7040. Fuel gage read empty. After pulling the dash and checking all the connections, I discovered that a mouse chewed a wire near the sending unit on the tank. There is absolutely no access to that area without either dropping the tank, or taking apart half the tractor to gain access.

I decided the best solution was to cut a small piece out of the floorboard and fix the wires. It worked out good, and I repaired the floorboard in such a way that I could get to the wires again if needed...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hiho silver]

I see the manuals are expensive. There are a few websites advertising the whole manual on CD for about $12. Worth it?

http://www.kubotabooks.com/AutoInde...file=L3301, L3901, L4701 Workshop manual..pdf

Download the above linked pdf file and it should shed some light on your situation. It is the official 600+ page workshop service manual for your your tractor.

That same web site:
http://www.kubotabooks.com/AutoIndex/index.php?dir=Tractor Owners Manuals/&sort=d&sortMode=m
has service manuals and operators manuals for many tractors/loaders.

 

[Telkwa]

Woah, I hadn't been back here in months. Thanks very much for the link!! I'll take a closer look but wanted to report first.

I realized our shop at work had the full manual for an L3800, which was close enuf to the L3301. Copied a few pages. The hood and rear cowling is off.

I'm hoping someone can make sense of this.

When the key is turned, the fuel gauge acts like the other gauges, jumping to full, then falling back. Problem is of course it falls back to empty. But it does move, which gives me hope the gauge itself might be OK.

Rodents chewed into the fuel sensor wire, but only broke a couple of strands. I checked continuity to the yellow/green wire in the plug on the back of the instrument cluster and got signal.

I connected the ignition plug back into the loom and turned the tractor on. Not running, but on. I shorted the fuel sensor wire to the ground wire, hoping to see the gauge jump, but got nothing.

Removed the fuel sensor. The metal components are rusty. Disappointing. I put an ohmeter across it and got one or two ohms regardless of float position.

So it appears the sensor is toast. But the gauge shoulda moved to full when I shorted the sensor & ground wires together, correct?

I'll dig into that link.

EDIT: Can't find a guide in the .pdf to troubleshoot the gauges themselves? It talks about which wire does what, but no suggestions for testing?

 

[Telkwa]

The instrument cluster is not that bad to get to. And you don't need to remove the hood.

This is for a 2015 L3301:

- There's one 12mm bolt on each side of the tractor securing the gray plastic cowling pieces that set below the hood and in front of the rear bonnet. Remove the two bolts and pop the cowling pieces off.

- With the two cowling pieces removed, you can access the two 12mm bolts that secure the rear bonnet's two side tabs.

- There's another bolt just above the instrument cluster, and one more below the steering wheel column.

- Pop off the plastic button covering the steering wheel bolt. Remove the 17mm bolt. With any luck at all, a couple of raps with a dead-blow hammer will pop the steering wheel off. Don't lose the washer under the bolt. The rubbery shroud slides off the steering column.

- The soft orange knob on the throttle lever pulls right off.

- You'll have to work the throttle lever one way or the other to get the rear bonnet off. Full throttle IIRC.

- There are four electrical plugs tethering the bonnet to the tractor. Disconnect the lighting plug and the two regen plugs. Those regen plugs have a weird detent. It took me several minutes to figure it out. You have to reach in with a small hooking tool and pry the outer sleeve away, then pull down on the plug with some small pliers.

- Leave the ign switch plugged in if you want to do some testing. If not, remove that plug too.

- With all four 12mm bolts removed, the soft orange throttle knob removed, the plugs unplugged, and the steering wheel parts out of the way, the rear bonnet comes off, exposing the fuel sensor.

- The instrument cluster is easy. Four 10mm bolts and it's off.

I put some Never-Seez on all the parts during reassembly, especially the steering wheel so it doesn't rust on there permanently.