650 John Deere Electrical

[SCUBAInstr]

Dear widowed neighbor lady has a 650 JD - Mid 80's model. Asked me to look at it as it did nothing when trying to crank. Here is what I found:
- Turn switch on - Lights on dash come on
- Try to crank - nothing happens and everything goes dead.

So the usual suspect here is ground. So I cleaned both ends and battery post. Tried to crank - Hear click at solenoid now but nothing turns over, AND lights on dash stay on now. Checked battery - approx. 6 volts across the posts. Attach jumper cables to my truck. Let truck run for a few minutes - try to crank tractor - same deal - Click but nothing turns over. 13.5 volts across the battery with cables attached.

I hate to start blindly replacing parts at her expense. Is there something else I can try?

All guidance is appreciated.

Tommy D.

 

[Mike M]

Try actually sticking the battery in there and not use the jumper cables. If you have a really bad battery jumper cables are still useless.

 

[Dan in North Houston]

I have an 850 and have had no problems with it. But I ran across this posting years ago and copied it to my files "just in case". I don't know which particular model the guy was talking about, but the responder says it is a common problem for this series of tractors. This might be your probme.


Question: I have replaced the ignition switch, the front PTO switch, rebuilt the starter and it still will not start with the key switch. You can "jump" the starter from the battery,. I am at my wits end. Runs great, but can't keep jumping. I have checked the rear PTO switch and the neutral gear switch and have ground on both. ANY IDEAS????

Response: This is a common problem on all 650/750/850/950 tractors. The fix is to have a solenoid relay setup off of a John Deere 2520 tractor and wire it in so that the starter gets the full 12 volts at the solenoid. I did this on a 950 which had the same problem as you. Although I can't remember how this setup worked, if you talk to a reputable john deere dealer and mechanic, he will tell you to wire this relay in.

 

[JoeM(GA)]

Tommy, I have a PDF of the Deere tech manual you're welcome to.
If wanted, shoot me your email

Joe