2012 L4240hstc-3 cold start concern

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
You ever have that nagging question in the back of your mind? I had the battery checked at Auto Zone but their tester is obsolete. I was hoping the tester checked the waveform of each cell. It doesnt .
I should have taken it somewhere else.
Pulled the battery again and took it to Advanced Auto Parts. They have a tester that checks the cells and does a print out.
It failed! See print out.
Now I am trying to find an Interstate battery.
MT-24 or MTP-24. It a group 26R but a 24 with positive on left will work.
If I cant I will get one from Kubota, their parts department claims Interstate makes theirs.

I finally found a date code explanation for the Delkor battery and its 2011.
 

Attachments

Fordtech86

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3200
Aug 7, 2018
4,705
5,476
113
Pineville,LA
Your print out looks like the print outs from our manufacturer testers (Ford and Mazda) that do all the tests to try not to warranty a battery. On the Ford side our batteries are motorcraft which from what I see are from johnson controls, on the mazda side our batteries come from our local interstate dealer and they have mazda stickers they put on them. Also other manufacturers stickers at the interstate place. Japanese (factory) batteries will have a JIS rating on them, replacement batteries bought here will have a BCI group number. Any group number battery would work as there are very few battery manufacturers
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
Your print out looks like the print outs from our manufacturer testers (Ford and Mazda) that do all the tests to try not to warranty a battery. On the Ford side our batteries are motorcraft which from what I see are from johnson controls, on the mazda side our batteries come from our local interstate dealer and they have mazda stickers they put on them. Also other manufacturers stickers at the interstate place. Japanese (factory) batteries will have a JIS rating on them, replacement batteries bought here will have a BCI group number. Any group number battery would work as there are very few battery manufacturers
Yep, everything is conglomerated now a days!
I was looking at wiper blades for this mule and everyone I picked up said made in Vietnam!
Whatever happened to the silicone rubber blades? I suspect they were too good.
Same with batteries like you mentioned, my favorites have been Interstate and Deka. Deka was family owned and proudly made in USA. Until they get gobbled up!
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
12,901
4,267
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
A while back I looked up the battery I'd need for my L4240 just so I'd have it handy. Here's what I wrote down.

Factory battery: NX 110-5 MF, 600 CCA, 260mm long, 172mm wide, 225 mm high. Converts to a group 24.

I haven't bought one, but I will remove what's in there to compare to see if this data is correct.

Some battery installations require the terminals to be ass backwards for positioning, and on the battery it will have the number with a "R" to indicate the terminals are reversed (location wise). Like group 24R. On tractors the cables are sometimes long enough this is not required.
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
A while back I looked up the battery I'd need for my L4240 just so I'd have it handy. Here's what I wrote down.

Factory battery: NX 110-5 MF, 600 CCA, 260mm long, 172mm wide, 225 mm high. Converts to a group 24.

I haven't bought one, but I will remove what's in there to compare to see if this data is correct.

Some battery installations require the terminals to be ass backwards for positioning, and on the battery it will have the number with a "R" to indicate the terminals are reversed (location wise). Like group 24R. On tractors the cables are sometimes long enough this is not required.
Bought a Interstate Group 34, 800cca at Costco $88 and the terminal location is correct. It is slightly shorter. 3 yr warranty.
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
Still smokes but starts quicker.

200 mph, your last reply didn’t have the correction in it.

Has anyone seen glow plugs that ohm out at
.5, .4, .5, .5 tested at 65 degrees block temp and not heat up correctly?
Thanks!
 

200mph

Well-known member

Equipment
L4740-3 Cab, FEL, Fnt Snow Blower L2185, LP Finish Mower, LP Rotary Mower
Mar 3, 2017
1,228
58
48
PA
.
Same with batteries like you mentioned, my favorites have been Interstate and Deka. Deka was family owned and proudly made in USA. Until they get gobbled up!
So who owns Deka now and where are they made?
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
12,901
4,267
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
From what I can tell Deka batteries are made by East Penn Mfg Co. And East Penn makes batteries for many other names.
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
Anyone?
Still smokes but starts quicker.

Has anyone seen glow plugs that ohm out at
.5, .4, .5, .5 tested at 65 degrees block temp and not heat up correctly?
Thanks!

PS
Just snow pushed my one half mile drive and love this beast!
 
Last edited:

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
I performed a voltage drop test and dont like what Im seeing.

Voltage drop tests
Ground test with GP on .29mv negative battery terminal to fel engine bolt.
Positive battery terminal with GP on 1.9V to 1.5V At GP white buss bar connector above fuel pump.
139mv at 50A slow blow connector.
.6V in and out of GP relay.

Seems to high of drop at buss bar connector.
Edit
I am assuming this is normal since the GPs are only rated 11V and line losses?
 
Last edited:

Rglossip

New member

Equipment
L3560 with FEL.
Oct 15, 2019
5
0
0
Kansas
Guys help me out. I do not know how to control the glow plug heat time on an L4240. GP's are controlled by sensors. When the light goes out, I start the engine. I've never experienced a problem with the engine not starting on the first attempt, or this excessive black/blue smoke.

How do you reheat the glow plugs, turn the key to off and start over? Then how do you keep them on for 10-15 seconds?
I have an l3560.I plug it in.I have added an antigel and a cetane boost to my fuel.I keep the fuel tank full.I turn the key over and when the glow
Plug symbol turns off I start it.If its super cold out I bottom the rpms out and incrementally raise them as engine warms.My normal rpm bottom range idle I use is 1000 rpm when engine is warm.Never had any problems .
 

troverman

Well-known member

Equipment
MX6000 HSTC; 2020 Kubota Z421KW-54 zero turn mower
Jun 9, 2015
1,184
263
83
NH
I have an l3560.I plug it in.I have added an antigel and a cetane boost to my fuel.I keep the fuel tank full.I turn the key over and when the glow
Plug symbol turns off I start it.If its super cold out I bottom the rpms out and incrementally raise them as engine warms.My normal rpm bottom range idle I use is 1000 rpm when engine is warm.Never had any problems .
Pretty sure if you start any Kubota common-rail electronic throttle tractor with the RPMs raised, it automatically starts the engine at low RPM, then ramps it up after running a couple of seconds.

dFixit1, any further work or luck on your tractor's starting issue?
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
dFixit1, any further work or luck on your tractor's starting issue?[/QUOTE]

Not really, I used it twice for snow removal and the last time I cycled GP three times and it was much better.

Special thanks to 200mph for his help.

I’m wondering if it’s fuel related. I plan on running it down farther and will fill it new fuel with Stanadyne Performance formula.
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
Just an update, Ive been using for a lot of snow removal. It still smokes on a cold start, but I reduce it by cycling glow plugs 3X with 10 second delay between each cycle. 200 mph suggested the 10 seconds delay to keep from swelling the insulator on the GP so removal from head wouldnt be an issue.
I think this spring I will perform a compression test and replace the GP.
If compression is good and it continues I will chock it up as nature of the beast.
Regards
 

dfixit1

Member

Equipment
L4240HSTC-3
May 17, 2019
143
16
18
United States
Yesterday I installed the new Kubota updated part number glow plugs for my engine serial number and today on a cold start with one cycle of GP it still smoked. I was surmising that number 3 was intermittent because it acted up on the voltage bench test.

I picked up a used snowblower and talked to the guys mobile tractor mechanic. He said he installs and removes 60 snowblowers annually. Turns out his brother owns the Kubota dealership and he worked there for years before going on his own for the last 17 years. I asked him about the white smoke issue and he said he has seen them both ways. He said if it clears up in a minute or two dont worry about it.

Why two exact tractors, one smokes and the other doesnt seems odd but Im not an engineer and I didnt design the Tier 4i emissions...

I guess thats why when you watch Messicks cold start video (will it start) some smoke and some dont.
 
Last edited: