Hi all. I have a 1960's Massey Furgeson 35 diesel tractor. It has always run for me when I needed, which used to be regularly but is now very infrequently. It now won't engage the starter. I'm hoping someone will have some knowledge and interest in these electrical systems and coud help me troubleshoot at my house. Please let me know! I'm a little north of Winthrop, up the E. Chewuch.
Travis
206-370-9135
Looking for electrical help for an old tractor
-
tsthornton
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 9:02 am
Re: Looking for electrical help for an old tractor
Does the starter motor spin? If it does but wont engage the flywheel, then it's the "bendix" on the starter motor which, when sent current from the starter solenoid, will move the gear on the starter motor forward to engage the flywheel teeth and turn over the tractor motor. The "bendix" is on the outside of the starter motor casing and has a large gauge wire connection that comes from the starter solenoid and It should be replaceable.
If the starter motor doesn't spin then the problem could be a bad starter solenoid, a bad starter motor, a dead battery, or a bad connection between the battery and the starter solenoid, a bad connection between the solenoid and the starter motor. That's where I would start, checking the connections. Should be fairly easy on an older tractor. Every thing is pretty much in the open. One more thing, it could be a bad ignition switch. To test the starter motor you can run a jumper cable from the positive post on the battery and touch the terminal on the "bendix". If the starter motor spins then you have confirmed that the starter motor is good and you can move on to the other trouble shooting steps. BE CAREFUL! Make sure the tractor is in neutral and the wheels are chocked.
If you think it is the starter solenoid you can use the jumper cable to touch the solenoid terminal that goes to the starter motor. If the starter motor spins then the problem is a bad connection between the solenoid and the battery or the solenoid itself is bad.
Good luck!
If the starter motor doesn't spin then the problem could be a bad starter solenoid, a bad starter motor, a dead battery, or a bad connection between the battery and the starter solenoid, a bad connection between the solenoid and the starter motor. That's where I would start, checking the connections. Should be fairly easy on an older tractor. Every thing is pretty much in the open. One more thing, it could be a bad ignition switch. To test the starter motor you can run a jumper cable from the positive post on the battery and touch the terminal on the "bendix". If the starter motor spins then you have confirmed that the starter motor is good and you can move on to the other trouble shooting steps. BE CAREFUL! Make sure the tractor is in neutral and the wheels are chocked.
If you think it is the starter solenoid you can use the jumper cable to touch the solenoid terminal that goes to the starter motor. If the starter motor spins then the problem is a bad connection between the solenoid and the battery or the solenoid itself is bad.
Good luck!
John Okoneski - Wenatchee/Mazama