MF35 Battery issue

[Scottnumurkah]

Hi guys,

I need some help. I have lent my MF35 to my son, who had
some issues with the tractor starting. He suspected bad/old
battery so took out the battery from his V8 ute and put it in the
MF35. He turned the key and there was sparks and a click. He
replaced this with the original battery which at least cranked the
engine. Now nothing just a click. THe battery from the ute was
obviously way to powerful for the old MF35?.

My question is what needs replacing?, as i am pretty sure a fuse
has blown or the Regulator needs replacing?, as that is where the
click is now coming from. I now have my tractor back and want
to start using it again. I see Voltage regulators are on ebay for
$55.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Scott

 

[maxwell99]

if it was a 12 volt battery the tractor would have been fine with it.

Issues:
is your tractor a 6 volt?????????????

did he hook the battery up backwards???????

These are issues that could be your problem now and could have burned up some electrical parts.

 

[Alont]

You may be lucky, sounds as though the swapping of the batteries has revealed a bad connection, either supply or return to the starter circuit.
Carefully check all the connections and make sure they are "shiny clean" then try to start again.

Long shot but may work.

Good Luck

 

[Tom-TX]

No such thing as "too powerful" battery as long as tractor is 12V and battery is 12V. The tractor will only draw the amps it needs from the battery, regardless of how high the battery capacity is.

Now is he put a 12V battery on your 6V tractor then there is your trouble.
Now if he hooked up + grnd on - grnd tractor then there is your trouble.
Now if he hooked up - grnd on + grnd tractor then there is your trouble.
Tom

 

[Scottnumurkah]

Hi mate,

I have run out of light tonight, damn daylight savings or lack of there of.

You will see some photos of my 12v system here. I have noticed the clicking when turning the ignition key is not coming from the regulator but actually coming from the Starter solonoid, which i have taken a photo of as you'll see. I have assurance that polarity was not an issue with the other battery. Why it would spark is beyond me.

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/32536650/1/fergy?h=a8e634



Anyway any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Scott

 

[Bill Brox]

Hi,

If you hook up a different battery and there is a spark when you connect the last cable it can be one or several of the following.

1. A light switch is on or some other "current user".
2. There is a diode in the circuit and you have connected the battery with the opposite polarity of the old one.
3. You have an alternator and connected the battery wth the opposite polarity of the old one.
4. There is a shortening in cables or any other electrical component.

If you have an original wiring and a generator and you switch polarity nothing will really happen right then. The starter will spin the same way as before, and if it is a diesel it will just start, and if it is a gas it will start too, bet will have less spark energy for hard work.
But, in both cases the generator will not charge, until you stop the engine and re-polarize the generator the opposite way.

As said by others, a larger battery is not going to do any damage... normally.
But, let us assume you have a weak battery, and the starter solenoid is worn too, and on the way to break, just that the battery is so weak that it still holds up. Then, if you find a larger battery with a lot of cranking amps, you can experience that this is just what it takes to blow the starter solenoid.
But, this also mean that if you had not been using a larger battery, just that your original battery had been fresh and in good condition, it would have blown the solenoid too.

If you have a multimeter, you can measure the voltage on the cable where it comes from the battery and connects to the solenoid. And then try to turn the starter switch to see if it drops a lot. If it drops a lot you have a weak connection either at the solenoid end of the cable, or at the battery end of the cable.
If the voltage does not drop, measure on the other side of the solenoid, where the big cable goes to the starter. Does it drop when you turn the ign. key, or not. If it does not drop, and does not drop on the battery side of the solenoid either, the fault is in the solenoid.
If it does drop, you have to measure at the starter end of the cable, what happens there.

If it drops, but the battery does not spin, the starter is faulty.
We are talking about a 3-4 volt drop. Or even more.

If there is no drop in either of these places, you have to measure on the ground cable, if you can see a drop there.

If no drop at all at any place, try disconnecting the cables on the starter, and use jumpercables directly to the starter.

If the starter then works you know it is a problem with the cables / solenoid, and if the starter remains quiet, the starter if faulty.


Bill

 

[Scottnumurkah]

I bridged the solonoid with a screw driver and the starter tries to crank, but the battery appears weak. Just bridging the two nuts on the top of the solonoid did nothing, but bridging the nuts and cables attached sparked and got it cranking

Possible dead starter solonoid?

 

[Bill Brox]

Does the starter solenoid click when you turn the key ? If it does, and the starter does not crank and the test you have told about, then I would find a new solenoid. But, if there is no click in the solenoid, nothing to hear, it can still be the solenoid, but it can also be a problem with the starter switch. Have you checked the safety switch in the transmission ?

If you do not have a multimeter for reading voltage, you can use a little piece of wire and connect it directly on the battery and touch with the other end on the small terminal on the solenoid, where the wire comes from the starter switch.
If the solenoid still does not click, the solenoid is gone. If it then clicks, and not when you turn the starter key, you have a problem in the starter key, or safety switch in the transmission, or broken wire or a loose connection. Or blown fuse somewhere.


Bill

 

[Scottnumurkah]

Hi guys

Just letting you know that i got another battery and starter solenoid today. Its a bareco one but the guy assured me it works fine on MF35. I will have a go at hooking it up tomorrow. One thing i did notice today. The neutral safety switch i think it is, that is behind the gears. Should that have two wires coming off it for a 4 cyl petrol mf35?. One of them was off, and the other end of that wire went into the Starter solenoid. This would be the smaller wire coming off the solenoid on the right shown in my picture. I havnt mended it yet, ran out of light again but i will screw that on to make contact again and see what happens. Might get lucky.

New battery was in order though and it probly wouldnt hurt to hook up the new solenoid you think?.

Cheers
Scott

 

[Alont]

The neutral/safety switch is in series with the starter solenoid. From the START position of the ign switch 12 volts should be fed to the neutral/safety switch, across BOTH contacts
[Provided it is in NEUTRAL-and both wires connected]and on to the Starter solenoid. This should energise the solenoid and crank the starter.
I still think there is a bad connection somewhere!!

 

[Bill Brox]

The switch is located just behind the bellhousing on the right side, and in front of the steering box, or under the battery tray.
Mounted down from the top, 2 wires. One from
the starter/ign. switch, and the other to the solenoid or starter on a diesel.


Bill

 

[Scottnumurkah]

Quick update.

Installed the new battery. Got the clicking on solenoid still when i turned the key. However after i shorted Solenoid on this new battery with my trusty screwdriver, she started straight up, and kept running fine.

I will wack on the new solenoid tomorrow and see how it goes. All things point to the old solenoid one would think?.

Cheers
Scott

 

[scott weaver]

What size battery is supposed to be in the 35"s?