4600 diesel

[BudKaiser]

I noticed when I turned my key on that It had lost power to my instrument panel and alternator is not charging. I was able to start and shred yesterday. Did a quick check and did not see anything obvious. I thought if maybe some one has experienced this it could save me some time on repair.
Thanks:

 

[RodinNS]

Likely the fuse for the cluster. If you remove the cluster you will find an inline glass fuse holder somewhere on top of the fuel tank. Check for bare wires in the area while you're in there.

Rod

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

I don't have that model tractor but my new Holland and Kubota have taught me battery cable connections for both pos & neg should be inspected cleaned first, battery cable conditions also inspected. I'm not versed in ohm meters and checking continuity, but that's probably the right way. I inspect the cables visually, and if there is any defect/excessive corrosion the cable gets replaced. 97% of no start issues fixed. The other 3% have been the key switch itself.

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

(quoted from post at 07:40:45 07/24/22) I don't have that model tractor but my new Holland and Kubota have taught me battery cable connections for both pos & neg should be inspected cleaned first, battery cable conditions also inspected. I'm not versed in ohm meters and checking continuity, but that's probably the right way. I inspect the cables visually, and if there is any defect/excessive corrosion the cable gets replaced. 97% of no start issues fixed. The other 3% have been the key switch itself.

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

I didn't read your post very well, it's just your dash cluster. Still check your cables and grounds my 97 NH has a ground problem on my dash cluster so I have no fuel gauge reading. Had varmints take up nest behind the dash cluster and chew up the wiring. Still have a cluster ground issue on mine.

 

[Sean in PA]

(quoted from post at 10:37:19 07/24/22) Likely the fuse for the cluster. If you remove the cluster you will find an inline glass fuse holder somewhere on top of the fuel tank. Check for bare wires in the area while you're in there.

Rod

I'm not familiar with those alternators on the x600 series, will a blown instrument cluster fuse cause the alternator to not charge?

 

[Bern]

Yes. The field circuit is initially excited through the charge indicator light.

 

[Sean in PA]

(quoted from post at 22:46:52 07/24/22) Yes. The field circuit is initially excited through the charge indicator light.

Is the charge indicator light on the same fused wire that provides the voltage to the rest of the instrument cluster?

 

[Keith Williams]

I put a new instrument panel in my 4600 2 years ago.
The ground wire coming into the panel was frayed and broke when I started to work on it. I opened the wiring up and cut it back some to get to good wire,
I spliced a new ground wire in. My fuel sender was bad as was my Temp sender.
I blew that fuse a couple times because of the bad fuel sender.
All the gauges work now.
As has been stated here before by many people, the tac on new panels tend to read high. The temp gauge reads a little high on mine too.
So check the ground and then replace the fuse.
HTH
Keith

 

[Bern]

Yes, as you can see, power comes from the key switch, through the instrument cluster fuse, and then on to
the alt warning light. That same fuse powers the rest of the cluster.

The diagram also shows a field fuse, but that was only used on cab tractors. This is because cab tractors
could use a voltmeter in the dash instead of a warning light.

Image taken from a Ford factory training manual on Motorola charging systems.

 

[Sean in PA]

Bern- Thanks for the explanation and schematic. I've never had to work on one of those with the alternator with the external VR. I've only worked on the earlier ones with the generator and the external VR or ones with the 10si conversion.

 

[Bern]

Those Motorola systems were a little odd, but there's a lot of them out there considering that Ford used
that system for well over 10 years, starting with the 7000.