John Deere 5045e

[Vicinalvictor]

Any idea what would cause the instrument panel to light up when running from time to time & all the gauges to peg out? I put a new battery in it recently and the starter sounds like it is dragging now. It won't start unless I put a charger on it for a few minutes, then it cranks right over as it should until next time....

 

[used red MN]

Does it have a volt meter? Is it showing over 13 volts? If not your alternator is not charging so the system voltage is to low causing the instrument panel to reset. This is probably not the problem if it is a cab tractor because the fan blower would have probably ran the battery low enough that everything would just quit. If no volt meter you will probably have to check the battery voltage with a meter. If this is a problem you are probably ignoring some warning light on the dash.

 

[Vicinalvictor]

It's not a cab tractor, and has no gauges, just lights. Also, the new battery I bought from John Deere does not fit the holder as it should, parts department says it's the right battery for that tractor, but does not match the old battery....

 

[used red MN]

That is all kind of good info but it does not tell you or me if the system is charging. You need a volt meter for that. Go to an auto parts store, Harbor Freight or home improvement center they will have one. Since it is a diesel it requires very little battery power to stay running without a charge. So little bit you charge it may be enough to run the tractor a while if the charge system is not working.

 

[Vicinalvictor]

Yes, once I get the right battery back in the tractor. Monday is going to be the third time to the John Deere dealership in attempt to get the right battery for that tractor. It really should not be this difficult since I bought the tractor new from them in 2016....

 

[wore out]

A friend has a similar tractor that had similar issues and it turned out to be that the connection between the battery ground cable and the chassis was loose/rusty/not making a good connection.

I would check that out, as well as any other ground connections you can find. Perhaps there's an issue with the instrument panel ground (wherever that may be.)

 

[JD Dave]

Sounds like you have either a ground problem, battery problem or charging problem. Check ALL connections and get a voltmeter (multi-meter, DC) across the battery and get a voltage reading with the engine at 1,500 rpm's. You should see 13.5 to 14 volts.