L175 Starter

[devnull]

I have an L175 (1977 according to seller) with 2100 hours. I think the starter may need replaced, but want to make sure before I commit to a purchase. I think the previous owner may have put undue wear by not knowing the correct procedures for starting (according to the manual). He was of the impression, that once the glow pug indicator glowed, then it was ready to start cranking. The manual indicated 40 secs (60 in cold weather) of warming before attempting to start. Also, both glow plugs were barely working when I bought the tractor. I have replaced the glow plus, which made a big difference. Even in very warm weather, I use the glow plugs, because without it, I get a lot of white smoke during extended cranking.

Another site about the L175 said that a properly functioning starter on an L175 should crank the engine at 400 RPMs - from what I see on the tac, it doesn't crank anywhere near this speed. Should I replace the starter? If so, is there a recommended reseller and replacement part number. According to my parts manual, the starter parts appear in the range of 15221-63014 - 15221-63510. I have found some starters that appear to be correct, but didn't see an exact match. The numbers on the starter sticker are worn-off, so I can't be sure.

Any advice on if I should replace and recommended replacement starter would be appreciated.

[Service Dept Vic]

I think that there are a few other things that require some detective work before moving onto considering the starter, and even then, it should be bench tested.

My overall service experience with the L175 is that they are reliable "starters", but there are factors that determine that.

1. Check the battery. Visually see if the battery you have for your Kubota L175 is rated at a MINIMUM of 850 CCA. If not, buy a new one no matter how good "looking" the old one is. If the battery in your Kubota rates at 850CCA or higher, take it to a service provider that can conduct a "load test" on it (make sure the battery has been fully charged before you take it in). If it fails load, buy a new one. Most of the "start issues" I see with Kubota product is directly related to an inefficient battery! If the battery cable ends appear original (the cable and end appear as one), replace them. Corossion builds inside the sealed cable end creating extremely high resistance, reducing the efficiency of the battery regardless of the CCA's. While you have your 10MM box end in your hand, quickly check the fan/alt belt and make sure the belt is tight. You have the correct tension if pushing the fan by hand rolls the engine over. Take a look at the underside of the belt, replace it if it's cracked, glazed or original.

2. The air filter in a diesel must be clean. No air, no start! Poor air, poor start. Open the air box (See Servicing your Kubota 101 on the main page), remove the cup end, drop out any dirt, then remove the cyclonic filter. Rap it firmly on the shop bench or garage floor. If you get about a half a pound of fine powdery grey dirt, it's replacement time! When you get the new filter, clean it according to the table in your ops manual. Don't forget to make sure the gasket/washer is intact on the thumb-screw that holds the filter cylinder into the box.

3. Fuel and Fuel Filter-Replace the filter just because you don't know when it was last done, and fill the tank with new, fresh #2 diesel. Your Kubota L-175 can run all day on the smell of an oily rag, so the fuel in that tank can be a season or four old especially if the previous owner didn't use the tractor much. You have a 32 year old tractor with 2100 hrs on it. The math works out to 65hrs a year use! With the filter off, drain the tank! Make sure the new fuel filter fills with fuel before you spin it completley down, burp any air from the fuel line to the pump if necessary. See Servicing your Kubota Parts 1-3 for tons of details!

4) Change Oil-Drop the oil in the engine and replace it with a 15W/40 motor oil made for Diesel Engine use. Your Kubota ops manual and possibly the filler hole on the valve cover will have information stating the use of 10-30, or something else, however, 15W/40 is recognized almost universally as the engine oil of choice for year round operation of any diesel engine. Spin on a new oil filter and use a felt marker or bright paint pen to write the current "hours" the tractor has on the end of the filter. That way, at a glance 3 months from now, you'll know how many hours are on the oil and filters. Make sure oil level is sitting high on the hash marks on the dip stick, prior to start up.
Grab your grease gun and grease the tie rod ends, the drag link, the front axle spindles, the front axle pivot, the clutch and brake pedal cross over shaft, and let's see.......oh ya, the clutch release bearing slide, accessable through the square door on the RH side of the clutch bell housing. Greasing your Kubota tractor won't make it start better, but it basically completes your service job and gets you more familiar with your Kubota front to back, top to bottom.

With a strong battery, correct glow time, the on-going availability of massive amounts of un-restricted air and fresh diesel fuel you may find your hard starting problem has gone away.

White smoke when a diesel first fires up is an indication of "over fueling", and if your "starting" issue is still present after you do this service job, post back. I'll take you through some service checks that will assist in diagnosing the problem further.

If you've read this far and still just want to replace the starter before finishing the diagnostic, I've got that part! :)

[Mr. K]

You can find parts 1, 2 and 3 of Servicing your Kubota 101 here:

1. http://www.orangetractortalks.com/2008/09/kubota-servicing-101-part-1-air-filter/

2. http://www.orangetractortalks.com/2008/09/kubota-servicing-101-part-2-fuel-filter/

3. http://www.orangetractortalks.com/2008/09/kubota-servicing-101-part-3-cooling-system/

And as always, 99.99% of the time, Vic's got that part. :D

[devnull]

Thanks for detailed info. Right after I bought the tractor I replaced al the filters (fuel, oil, air) and change oils (engine and trans). I also replaced the batery cables. The battery in the tractor was a marine battery - the previous owner thought it a better option because of all the cranking he did without properly functioning glow plugs. I changed the battery with an 850 cca battery that was in my card (I think the one I put in it was 4+ years old). I think investing in a new battery sounds like the best option at this point. I will also re-check the points you made (especially the alternator). Also, thanks for the tip about the clutch release bearing. I saw your video about that topic - I had no idea it existed.

I am probably overstating the the problem - overall it starts fairly easily. I just want to make sure everything is functioning as well as possible. If I do need parts I will definitely be in contact.

Thanks again - great site!

[Service Dept Vic]

We're here to help, 24/7/365, right Mr. K? Mr. K???

[Mr. K]

Yep. Always here to help out. If we're not, leave a message and we'll get back to you. :D