Jd 3020 Gas

[Alliscman]

This tractor will not start now, it has new points condenser, cap, rotor, coil and plugs. The switch has been bypassed. 12v system has never really seemed to crank the tractor over at a decent speed. It had recently taken to sporadically cutting out. It would start and run if we pulled it but now won"t even do that. Any ideas. Looked at a new wire harness but don"t want to pay what the dealer is asking, any thoughts where we could find one? (over $500 for just the main harness is too much). The JD dealer said that this is an early 3020. Thanks for any help, am getting really frustrated at this point.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Battery, battery to starter connections including grounds, starter brushes and bearings.

Gerald J.

 

[Alliscman]

Used 3 different batteries with same result, starter has been checked by a professional several times, connections are good.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Try new bearings in the starter. Tests don't always make the armature drag like the real cranking load. I had that problem on an 8N once, the starter shop, didn't think it needed new bearings, but with new bearings and brushes it started very well.

Cables can go bad at the crimps to make for poor cranking. Cables can have been replaced from the wally world kiosk with cables suitable for a Honda Civic that won't crank a tractor engine.

Gerald J.

 

[Heat Houser]

Starter cranking slowly?

Grab your digital VOM meter and set it on volts, lowest scale you have. Place one lead on the battery post, (the one going to the starter and on the post, not the clamp)the other on the top post on the starter solenoid. Remove the coil wire so it won't fire and start. Crank the engine with the starter. The meter should read less than 0.7 volts. If you read more voltage, you have too much resistance in the circuit. Small wires, poor connections, clamps not tight?

Next measure across the two big terminals on the starter solenoid. (the one coming from the battery and the one going into the starter) Crank the engine. The meter should read less than 0.2 volts. If more, the contacts in the solenoid are bad.

Next measure from the battery ground post (note the post, not the clamp) to the metal case (frame)of the starter. The meter should read less than 0.5 volts. If more, bad connection at the Batt. Poor connection between the starter frame and the engine block. Small battery ground wire. etc.

You should note that if the starter is shorted internally, current draw is too much and will affect the voltage readings given above.

Running sporatically? Check your distributor shaft for wear. It will affect your "running" point gap as it wobbles around.

 

[buickanddeere]

Good luck getting somebody to use a voltmeter and actually trouble shoot.
I've asked dozens of times and the only replay back. Is that they threw more parts at the machine hopping to hit the problem by luck and $$$.

 

[Heat Houser]

The main problem with people being afraid of a VOM is that they don't know how to use it. A number comes up on the screen but what does it mean? They don't know if it is a good number or a bad number.

The process described above is using voltage drop to troubleshoot for a resistance. Ohm's law says the voltage drops across a resistance but Oh Well, I tried.

 

[Larry in WNY]

Once you know there is good spark, check for fuel problems: 1. plugged fuel filter 2. bad fuel pump 3. rust or other debris in tank blocking flow 4. correct float level in carb. 5. blocked fuel line 6. carb. condition, need rebuild or settings adjusted? 7. Fuel valve open all the way

Sporadic cutting out could be from lack of fuel. My 1968 JD 3020 would quit when the tank was less than 1/4 full due to the fuel pump (old style) not pumping enough. It will run on gravity feed until the fuel gets low. It was cheaper to buy a new style pump vs. rebuilding the original one with a paper filter and glass bowl.

Larry