L3430 no power to Intellipanel, and no start

[waterbar]

Tractor was running fine. A few days later, I went to start and Intellipanel did not light up. I continued to turn key and heard fuel solonoid "click", waited and turned to start - engine turned over, but would not start. Checked all fuses, and they tested fine. Can't be a safety switch because engine turned over. Cleaned and tested ground at battery - not sure if there's a separate ground for intellipanel. Tractor has full cab, but believe wiring is independent from Intellipanel.
My gut tells me it's something simple, but I don't know where else to look/test. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks....

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Do you have the WSM (aka Service manual)?

 

[TheOldHokie]

Tractor was running fine. A few days later, I went to start and Intellipanel did not light up. I continued to turn key and heard fuel solonoid "click", waited and turned to start - engine turned over, but would not start. Checked all fuses, and they tested fine. Can't be a safety switch because engine turned over. Cleaned and tested ground at battery - not sure if there's a separate ground for intellipanel. Tractor has full cab, but believe wiring is independent from Intellipanel.
My gut tells me it's something simple, but I don't know where else to look/test. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks....

Get a circuit diagram, a test light/DVM and trace the power circuit. Usually pretty easy to find the point where power disappears.

Dan

 

[mikester]

Check out your wiring harnesses?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

It's possible the ground for the intellipanel has been chewed into two by vermin. You wouldn't be the 1st to fall victim to them....
Agree a wiring diagram is ESSENTIAL for ANY troubleshooting of 'electrical'.
Hopefully you're young and agile as it's getting in and out from under dash that's the pain for me nowadays. Wiring is simple...

 

[waterbar]

Thanks for the response! I do have a service manual and wiring diagram, but since wire harness is all enclosed was unsure where to start. Will try to figure out how to remove cab dash, and start there. Unfortunately, I'm not young and flexible, so it could be painful. Appreciate the help!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

sadly NONE of us are getting younger, the older we get.......
'fun' ? try wearing bifocals and looking under the dash !
One 'trick' is to take a few pictures of 'underneath' and look at them to see if anything obvious pops out.
Ground wires tend to be solid black wires on Kubotas, so 'fun' to see, under the dash, next to black frame.....
Just go slow and have a box of bandaids handy.....

 

[waterbar]

Checked Grounds, checked and cleaned as many connections as I could, removed battery and had it checked and fully charged, reinstalled battery and when I turned on ignition I heard fuse pop. However, for an instant the intellipanel was working! Fuse was for the alternator. I removed the plug from the rear of alternator and tested it per the manual and things looked fine. However, I replaced the fuse and left the plug unconnected, and the panel lit up and the tractor started and ran fine!
Not sure if alternator is bad, or if there's a short in the IG or L wire that I left disconnected. Came across story in forum about an alternator problem that caused owner having to replace panel at a high cost, so was wondering if I need the IG/L connection? Since the glow relay is on the same circuit, I'm assuming it's unlikely there's a short in the IG wire. Can I replace the alternator (to be safe) and not connect the IG/L connection and not worry about the panel lamp indicator, or do I need to purchase a single wire alternator? Thanks in advance for any advice - this forum is a great resource!

 

[Russell King]

You can remove the alternator and have it tested at a local auto parts store.

I believe that without those wires connected to the alternator, the alternator is not working properly to charge the battery.

I would inspect the wiring harness if that is possible. I think you have a wiring issue but it is possible to eliminate the alternator as an issue and probably easier to do than finding the wiring issue.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

if you've disconnected the alternator, at the alternator , and the machine starts/runs fine/no blown fuses then it's not a wiring problem. You've got a bad alternator.

 

[waterbar]

May have spoken too quickly. Tested IG wire with power on, and it tested at approx. battery voltage (page 9-S44 of WSM). Everything seems to work fine with alternator disconnected, so assumed no short in IG wire. However, I pulled fuse and got continuity test between IG and frame, which I believe is an indication of a short. Not sure why fuse doesn't blow if short is present. Could bad glow relay be the problem?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I found the WSM at www.kubotabooks.com and it looks like a 7.5 amp fuse sends power to the alternator IG terminal as well as the glowplug relay AND the instrument panel.

When you say 'continuity' between IG and ground, how many OHMS is it ?
The relay may be 100 ohms ?? BUT what's on the instrument panel as a 'load' ?

Quick test, on alternator, disconnected, measure between IG terminal and ground. It probably says zero ohms......

BTW Some sell alts for $120 US$...not a bad price....

 

[waterbar]

GreensvilleJay you are correct. Zero ohms. I've ordered a new alternator.

This has been a learning experience for me, and I appreciate the help from everyone! Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas!

 

[waterbar]

Problem resolved! New alternator installed and everything is working fine!

Thanks again for everyone's help and advice!