Farmall 350 Key Switch

[Bill VA]

I believe the key switch on my Farmall 350 is going south (push button starter works). What happens is, I think, the key is not being held snug in the ON position. It will move a hair towards the off position and shut down the tractor. A bump will cause some movement, sometimes just idling, ignition key on a ring with other keys the worst, thinking additional weight. Still looking to see for sure if the switch is the culprit.

Couple of questions…

Does the above sound reasonable?

There appear to be lots of replacement switches, including one sold by YT - should I go aftermarket or seek out something OEM, if it even exists anymore?

Any sage advice is much appreciated!

Bill

 

[M-MAN]

If barely moving the key kills it like you suggest I would replace it. Anything you get now is probably going to be aftermarket but Cole Hearse does still supply oem switches for some tractors at a hefty price.

I replaced the switch on my 424 recently. It had continuity when off. I went to Amazon and found a Cole Hearse three position ignition switch. I did have to file a flat on one side for mounting. Reasonable price. CH was bought out by Littlefuse but it's still quality.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Easy way to see if the switch is the problem is to eliminate the switch. Hot wire it.

On new switches take this as an educated opinion on my part, but all the switches you can buy are the same. All cranked out on the same factory line overseas. They made a sea can full of them in one production run, put 'em on a boat, and sent 'em over here where some distributor doles them out to whoever wants to sell them. The only way to get OEM is if you happen to have access to an old IH dealership that has a stash of parts from the 1980's.

 

[Janicholson]

Any quality 2 position switch will work. Marine sources tend to be more water resistant. It needs Off position and On. Having a shank of the right size also helps.

 

[Bill VA]

Thanks for the replies everyone - very much appreciated!!!