Kubota T1880 Won't Drive

[Pat_USA]

I accidentally attached the same picture twice. There’s a newer damaged thread at an angle and deeper in, making it hard to capture in a photo.

 

[hagrid]

That spindle is effed.

 

[Pat_USA]

Well, oil on the starter is not good, but if you loose all other electrical componets like the radio and dashboard lights, also, then it sounds like the problem is unrelated to the starter.

To me, sounds like you have a bad ground, or bad connection on one of your battery cables.

Likely when you unhooked for the ecu reset, you jostled some bad connection just enough to change something but when you tried to start it, that bad connection failed again.

Just my guess. But I'm a Ford guy


You say you think it was the man's fault after he worked on it. What work did he do that leads you to believe this?

I have a 1984 Ford truck. It stays damp with oil, but only drips now and again. It doesn't bother me much, no leak major enough for significant oil loss.

That spindle is effed.

"That spindle is effed." What does it mean? Sorry, English is my 2nd language.

 

[Pat_USA]

Last time, I did mention that I just posted the pictures for now because I had a tooth cleaning appt, other appt, things that I had to take care of, and then a gas leak incident.

Here are the comments on the photos:

#2711 - shows Black wire terminal (is it the negative terminal, correct?) The top arrow
The one in the circle with three arrows: I assume those are ground wires
#2719 - I believe that is one of the ground wires that connect to the starter with the oil cover, close-up
picture (the picture with the"* " is the starter)
#2723 - same as #2719 but took further away
#2724 - Zoom in closer
#2737 - that is one of the ground wires that connect to the starter (Am I correct? - I will investigate
again)
#2738 - Zoom in closer
#2739 - starter
#2740 - that oily thing. Is it a sensor located on the right side of the starter? Is it the problem?

 

[Pat_USA]

Forgot to attached files.

 

[Pat_USA]

Which parts should be cleaned of oil?
Should the computer board and battery be disconnected again, and at what stage during testing?
The one on the right side of the computer board is difficult to remove due to limited space and its position further back, with part of the console blocking it.
Would it be okay just to disconnect the one on the left side instead of both of them?

 

[hagrid]

"That spindle is effed." What does it mean? Sorry, English is my 2nd language.

Scrap.

 

[Russell King]

All external parts of the engine should be dry and free of oil. Over time oil leaks will coat something with oil then dust and dirt get involved and create oily grime. Eventually that becomes a hard crusty grime that is hard to remove. Yours looks to be in the oily stage.

There are a few ways to clean it off, One is to use Gunk engine cleaner, another is to pressure wash it and another is to use a spray “brake cleaner” then wipe it off. I recommend that you use non-chlorinated brake cleaner and rags to get it somewhat clean before you try to work on it much.

Now to the wiring and such.

A starter is a cylindrical device and usually has a smaller cylindrical device mounted to it. They are usually black and mounted with two bolts. They are mounted usually low on the engine, at the flywheel. The POSITIVE battery cable is then attached to the large stud, usually with a smaller red wire that provides power to the vehicle. The battery cable is a large wire and often is red but can be any color really so don’t depend on the color for identification. Then another small wire will be attached to a separate terminal on the solenoid.

A ground cable is usually a large black cable and it usually is connected directly from the battery negative terminal to the vehicle frame or the engine block. Sometimes the conn point is at one of the mounting points of the starter, but that is usually a later modification to improve starting reliability. ALWAYS REMOVE THE NEGATIVE CABLE FROM THE BATTERY BEFORE YOU WORK ON ANYTHING THAT IS ELECTRICAL ON THE VEHICLE. This prevents you from shorting anything to ground and creating more problems to resolve.

The plastic case of the battery itself is usually marked with a plus (+) and a negative (-) sign by the terminal or on top of the case. (I think your battery is a side mount terminal battery.

The scaler device that you have circled looks like an oil pressure sensor that is screwed into the engine block with tapered threads to seal the oil from leaking. There is usually one wire attached to the top of the sensor. If that wire is disconnected then the oil pressure light or gauge will always show low (or no) oil pressure.

So I have really forgotten what vehicle you are working on and what the problem(s) are. It might be a good idea to recap the make, model and year of the vehicle and list what problem you are currently trying to resolve.

 

[Pat_USA]

All external parts of the engine should be dry and free of oil. Over time oil leaks will coat something with oil then dust and dirt get involved and create oily grime. Eventually that becomes a hard crusty grime that is hard to remove. Yours looks to be in the oily stage.

There are a few ways to clean it off, One is to use Gunk engine cleaner, another is to pressure wash it and another is to use a spray “brake cleaner” then wipe it off. I recommend that you use non-chlorinated brake cleaner and rags to get it somewhat clean before you try to work on it much.

Now to the wiring and such.

A starter is a cylindrical device and usually has a smaller cylindrical device mounted to it. They are usually black and mounted with two bolts. They are mounted usually low on the engine, at the flywheel. The POSITIVE battery cable is then attached to the large stud, usually with a smaller red wire that provides power to the vehicle. The battery cable is a large wire and often is red but can be any color really so don’t depend on the color for identification. Then another small wire will be attached to a separate terminal on the solenoid.

A ground cable is usually a large black cable and it usually is connected directly from the battery negative terminal to the vehicle frame or the engine block. Sometimes the conn point is at one of the mounting points of the starter, but that is usually a later modification to improve starting reliability. ALWAYS REMOVE THE NEGATIVE CABLE FROM THE BATTERY BEFORE YOU WORK ON ANYTHING THAT IS ELECTRICAL ON THE VEHICLE. This prevents you from shorting anything to ground and creating more problems to resolve.

The plastic case of the battery itself is usually marked with a plus (+) and a negative (-) sign by the terminal or on top of the case. (I think your battery is a side mount terminal battery.

The scaler device that you have circled looks like an oil pressure sensor that is screwed into the engine block with tapered threads to seal the oil from leaking. There is usually one wire attached to the top of the sensor. If that wire is disconnected then the oil pressure light or gauge will always show low (or no) oil pressure.

So I have really forgotten what vehicle you are working on and what the problem(s) are. It might be a good idea to recap the make, model and year of the vehicle and list what problem you are currently trying to resolve.

I forgot to mention, it’s a 1994 Chevy K1500 V8 5.7 that just hit 150K miles. I bought it about nine years ago, and there were times I didn’t drive it because of issues with the truck and during Covid. I purchased it with a low 100K miles; it might be around 115K, though I don’t remember the exact mileage. I plan to start using it more often for business, so I need it to be reliable.
Could the problem be a "bad oil pressure sensor' or "oil sending unit"? I’m not sure if those are the same thing, where it is, or how to check it.
I’ll try to clean up the oil under the truck when I have time. How many cans do you think I’ll need to clean up all that oil?

 

[Russell King]

If you are trying to fix an oil leak the yes it could be the oil pressure sending unit. The two names you state are the same part (as far as my experience knows).

I would buy two cans of the spray. But it evaporates quickly so you need to spray then wipe an area, not spray, wait and wipe. Start out with a small area to test how it works. Read the warnings and follow them. These chemicals are NOT healthy things, but aren’t too dangerous if you know what you’re doing. Use in well ventilated areas and let the air exchange work, don’t just keep spraying and creating a fog of mist. Use safety glasses since the spray is pretty high pressure and can get into your eyes.

 

[Pat_USA]

If you are trying to fix an oil leak the yes it could be the oil pressure sending unit. The two names you state are the same part (as far as my experience knows).

I would buy two cans of the spray. But it evaporates quickly so you need to spray then wipe an area, not spray, wait and wipe. Start out with a small area to test how it works. Read the warnings and follow them. These chemicals are NOT healthy things, but aren’t too dangerous if you know what you’re doing. Use in well ventilated areas and let the air exchange work, don’t just keep spraying and creating a fog of mist. Use safety glasses since the spray is pretty high pressure and can get into your eyes.

Surprised, I went out to take some photos under the hood. Then I put the key into the ignition, it made noise, and then started.
I should get roadside assistance before driving this truck again, as I don’t want to get stranded somewhere.
I have AutoZone cleaner labeled “Non-Flammable,” and Krakleen, which also says “Non-Flammable” but is more expensive. I also have a few dozen yellow cans of "Spray Cleaner"; I need to check how many are left in case thieves stole some.
Yesterday, I realized all my plumbing tools were missing when I needed them—several large copper cutters, small cutters, big rolls of solder including brand-new ones, brushes for cleaning copper, a few flux containers, a new expensive big red SuperWrench (14 inches or bigger, $40-50), a few more large cheaper red plumbing wrenches, and many other items. These are just a small fraction of what has been stolen over the years.

 

[Pat_USA]

Not in particular order: Russell King, Caden, PoTreeBoy, PaulAllWood, Bee-Positive, hagrid, Hugo Habicht, Whittier, or anyone else that I forgot to mention.

If you have an old truck, or even if you don't have an old truck but want to know my trick on "how to set the engine on TDC, " I can get it done in 30 mins or less. I did a better job than 4 or more mechanics that I hired; it all needs to be redone. Some even didn't know how to do it; I blew 1 of my newer & 1 new mufflers.

I still don't understand 5 or 10 before TDC, or how to use a digital timing light. But what I did was close enough for my engine to start & run quieter & smoother than the last guy who didn't want me to watch him working.

Thank you so much for your knowledge, sharing, and guiding me during this process. Even after all that, I still don't understand a lot of it, but I'm learning.

Thank you; I appreciate it very much.

 

[Caden]

Thank you so much for your knowledge, sharing, and guiding me during this process.

Glad that we have been of help. Sometimes I don't know if I am helping, or adding to the confusion

I get my brake cleaner at Tractor Supply, can probably get 2 cans for under $10. I have found them to be the cheapest.

Once you get things cleaned up, get a good flashlight and take a look around with the engine running. A leak should be apparent if the engine is clean, but make sure you set the parking brake and chock the wheels good before you move around/under the truck with it running.

As for the intermittent start, I would be very hesitant to drive it anywhere. Seems highly unreliable. I was looking back at the images. Your battery connections are kinda strange to me. They look good from the picture but there could easily be corrosion hiding inside that rubber, or I'm wondering if that spacer looking thing between the cable and the battery could have some corrosion inside/ behind ? Might be worth taking apart for a look see.

 

[Russell King]

Any of those cleaners would probably work. Read the can for what it was intended for and then see how it works on a small area. Just be careful to not get it on the external finish paint of the vehicle. They can make the finish look bad/dull.