1715 Ford

[South]

My Ford 1715 will not start. The battery is very good and I change the ground battery cable. When I turn the key, there is nothing. If I put a battery jumper on it, after a while I can get the glow plug red and it will start, albeit it barely turns over. If I run the tractor for a while and turn it off and try to restart it it will click then nothing. Any ideas? Why is the extra jump allowing it to crank over?

 

[J Hamilton]

Are all the battery cables clean and tight? On the battery end and ground, and at the starter or solenoid?

 

[South]

For sure the battery cables are.

 

[Harry in Ky]

Three things are required here. 1) A good battery. 2) A good starter. 3) Good battery cables with good connections to starter post and engine block ground. Obviously you think you have all three. I'm betting you don't. I/we can't test anything for you from out here, but I can't help wondering where is the bolt that attaches the ground cable to the frame? Is the cable long enough to reach the engine block? Maybe it is, but somehow I doubt it. If it's not, then that would be my next step. A longer ground cable bolted directly to the block and as near the starter as possible.

 

[South]

Thank you I will look tomorrow. The ground cable is connected to the frame in the original spot.

 

[Harry in Ky]

That's part of, if not all of your problem. It's bolted o something that bolted to something else, that's bolted to the engine. Somewhere in all that is at least ONE lousy connection, and poor cranking is the result.

 

[used red MN]

Hello South, welcome to YT! Sorry, we need something more substantial about the battery than you saying “it is a very good battery” We need to know it was tested somehow and determined to be good. You can pull it out and take it to an auto parts store to be tested. Although this may not be the immediate reason the tractor is not starting now, but what kind of an instrument does it have to monitor the charging system an ammeter or a light? When you had it running was there any indication that the charging system was or was not working? Lastly, Harry’s recommendation about the location of the negative battery cable connection is a good idea, but you’re putting your eggs all in one basket if you think that will be the magic fix. I would guess by percentage, that may be the problem somewhere less than 15 percent of the time. Has any work been done to the tractor lately, particularly to wiring?

 

[bc]

Something I just dealt with. A battery can show over 12 volts but have a bad cell or two so it won't deliver the amps needed to start it. Pull a good battery out of your pickup to see if it makes a difference. Look for corrosion on your positive cable both at the battery and the starter solenoid. It can corrode enough at the ends to where it won't pass enough current and a marginal battery towards the end of its life won't work. That corrosion can move inside the cable insulation so you don't notice it. Look at the positive cable at the starter and make sure it is shiny copper and not corroded. Short across the starter solenoid to see if the starter kicks in or clicks as it could be the starter solenoid. Check the voltage at the battery posts, at the battery cables on the posts, at the starter solenoid and your ground cable, and the starter solenoid and on the engine where your ground cable is bolted to. I ended up putting a group size 31 battery in my Ford 1500 with the 2 cylinder diesel even though it was overkill. Good luck.

 

[showcrop]

As others are posting your problem is usually caused by bad cables or poor connections, even though the cables may be in perfect condition and perfectly clean.

 

[South]

Thankyou to all of you! I cleaned all of the contacts and I believe my problem was on the positive battery cable clamp. In any event your comments got me going in the right direction. Thanks again.
South

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Thankyou to all of you! I cleaned all of the contacts and I believe my problem was on the positive battery cable clamp. In any event your comments got me going in the right direction. Thanks again.
South

Good deal. Never trust a visual inspection for things like this. Things can look good and still be bad.

 

[bc]

Thankyou to all of you! I cleaned all of the contacts and I believe my problem was on the positive battery cable clamp. In any event your comments got me going in the right direction. Thanks again.
South

Glad to hear that you were pointed in the "right direction".