1996 B 2100's first stall in 24 years

[RAMJ]

There is joy. The 5 amp fuse solved the problem. In the mix, I learned a few things and found other problems to repair, did a lot of cleaning. The darned tractor has been so dependable that there have been few opportunities to delve into its mechanical/electrical specifics. It would have been helpful if my sad little owner's manual had shown me where the fuse box was. Thanks to wgator for that particular reveal and to Torch recommending I persist in tracking down the fuse avenue before investing in the pump.

I did a proper job on the repair to the headlamp circuit, pulling the steering wheel, disconnecting the tach cable to rotate the gauge cluster out of the way, loosening the harness hold downs enough to get some slack to work with. I soldered the new wire sections in and remembered to put the shrink tube covers in line before soldering. I screw that up a lot. I shortened the protective conduit to remove the 2" long chewed out section and taped it all up tight with 3M electrician's tape.

An interesting note: The mice like the black wire jackets, but not the orange. They surgically left the orange wire, tightly positioned between the two black wires, unscathed, as they stripped about 1.5" of insulation off the black wires. They obviously liked the flavor of the protective conduit as well. There were no scraps left. They ingested everything as they chewed.

A new semi annual procedure will be to pop the gauge cluster, blow out the interior and check for rodent damages and nesting activity. They keep building nests on top of my '87 BMW 535is' catalytic converter too. It fills the cabin with smoke and smells like a grass fire. The smoke comes in around the parking brake lever. It's pretty hilarious. Country life.

Thank you, gentlemen.

 

[wgator]

Great to hear good news for a change. I hope she gives you many more years of faithful service.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Good job. You do need to run down the clicking problem. Loose connections can be hard to find.

 

[RAMJ]

Good job. You do need to run down the clicking problem. Loose connections can be hard to find.

Things have taken a turn for the worse. After a day of use with the new fuse, mowing for about two hours, the 5 amp fuse blew on the first startup on the following day. I have checked all connections to the solenoid, traced all leads looking for shorts, checked the integrity of all connections on the key switch module. I replaced the fuse and it blew twice on first try.
Thinking about throwing this to the dealer, unless anyone has a clue as to what the typical cause of the clicking on/off key switch is all about. No joy again.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

Things have taken a turn for the worse. After a day of use with the new fuse, mowing for about two hours, the 5 amp fuse blew on the first startup on the following day. I have checked all connections to the solenoid, traced all leads looking for shorts, checked the integrity of all connections on the key switch module. I replaced the fuse and it blew twice on first try.
Thinking about throwing this to the dealer, unless anyone has a clue as to what the typical cause of the clicking on/off key switch is all about. No joy again.

At least it's not intermittent now! There is just a wire from the 5A fuse to the stop solenoid. The short has to be in the wire or the solenoid. Pull the connector off the solenoid. Then try to start the tractor. If the fuse doesn't blow, replace the solenoid. If it blows, trace the wire back to the fuse until you find the short.

Edit: describe the clicking you've been experiencing. When does it happen and where is it coming from- the stop solenoid, the switch, a relay?

 

[RAMJ]

At least it's not intermittent now! There is just a wire from the 5A fuse to the stop solenoid. The short has to be in the wire or the solenoid. Pull the connector off the solenoid. Then try to start the tractor. If the fuse doesn't blow, replace the solenoid. If it blows, trace the wire back to the fuse until you find the short.

Edit: describe the clicking you've been experiencing. When does it happen and where is it coming from- the stop solenoid, the switch, a relay?

It is a loud mechanical click, not coming from the key switch. I always thought it came from the starter solenoid. Sometimes the tractor starts right up. Other times it takes a couple of clicks. Other times it takes many clicks. It always starts in the end, but now, with the fuse blowing immediately, there is no chance. The tractor has done the clicking thing since new.

The dealer replaced the starter solenoid and key switch long, long ago, chasing after this. It didn't help, but cost us a pretty penny. Hence my hesitance to have them chase after it again.

I inspected the harness and connector to the stop solenoid and they look good. It is a very short run to the fuse box and there is nothing to stress or abrade the harness at any point. I visually inspected all the wires exiting the fuse box using a headlamp, peering down from above with the instrument cluster set to the side. The mice never got down there for a meal.

I'll get out there later with some air pressure to clean things off around the stop solenoid and do the disconnect the solenoid experiment. I'm down to three fuses at this point. Corrosion has never been a problem on the electrical components, because the tractor is always kept in a shed.

I already ordered a new stop solenoid this morning as I have more money than time to throw at this thing, and a wife who needs to tend to her golf course. Maybe I get lucky. The original solenoid is 24 1/2 years old. Replace on principle is my motto. The darn part was more than I expected and has to come 3000 miles via express frt.

It will be rainy today and the tractor shed is dark, not a good day to make progress. The dealer would be in the same pickle, waiting for the same part, their shop schedule packed. The change-out of the solenoid looks easy with a 1/4" ratchet, a short extension for the back nut. They look to be 12 mm. I ordered a new gasket too.

Good luck to me and thanks to you.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

It is a loud mechanical click, not coming from the key switch. I always thought it came from the starter solenoid. Sometimes the tractor starts right up. Other times it takes a couple of clicks. Other times it takes many clicks. It always starts in the end, but now, with the fuse blowing immediately, there is no chance. The tractor has done the clicking thing since new.

The dealer replaced the starter solenoid and key switch long, long ago, chasing after this. It didn't help, but cost us a pretty penny. Hence my hesitance to have them chase after it again.

I inspected the harness and connector to the stop solenoid and they look good. It is a very short run to the fuse box and there is nothing to stress or abrade the harness at any point. I visually inspected all the wires exiting the fuse box using a headlamp, peering down from above with the instrument cluster set to the side. The mice never got down there for a meal.

I'll get out there later with some air pressure to clean things off around the stop solenoid and do the disconnect the solenoid experiment. I'm down to three fuses at this point. Corrosion has never been a problem on the electrical components, because the tractor is always kept in a shed.

I already ordered a new stop solenoid this morning as I have more money than time to throw at this thing, and a wife who needs to tend to her golf course. Maybe I get lucky. The original solenoid is 24 1/2 years old. Replace on principle is my motto. The darn part was more than I expected and has to come 3000 miles via express frt.

It will be rainy today and the tractor shed is dark, not a good day to make progress. The dealer would be in the same pickle, waiting for the same part, their shop schedule packed. The change-out of the solenoid looks easy with a 1/4" ratchet, a short extension for the back nut. They look to be 12 mm. I ordered a new gasket too.

Good luck to me and thanks to you.

Does it click when you turn it on, to the preheat position or to the start position? I don't see any 'clickers' except the shutoff solenoid, the starter solenoid or the hazard flasher (you could unplug this). Maybe the shutoff solenoid has been intermittent for some time.

 

[RAMJ]

No click at preheat, just at start. The preheater works fine and is necessary for optimal cold starts, even in warm weather. If I had someone to work with, I could better determine where the click is coming from. Seems easy to listen from opposite sides of the tractor to the starter solenoid or the stop solenoid on the opposite side.
The hazard flasher is a totally different click. I believe it is located in the upper LH side of the dash housing, just behind the instrument cluster.
This tractor is a great starter. I never need the block heater, even at 10 below zero. I plug it in for 20 below, just to be kind, but it will start at 20 below every time with or without it. I try to just let the tractor sit when it is that cold, to be kind to myself.

 

[Todd C]

I fought that click for years on my little Ford diesel garden tractor. Cleaned all connections, changed key switch, changed battery, even changed the starter. All over the span of couple of years. Each time it would work for awhile and I would think YEA! but no joy. If you "jumped" the starter solenoid, it would ALWAYS crank vigorously. Finally I took the "nuclear option" and added another solenoid between the key switch and the starter. Mount the new solenoid near the starter somewhere and you don't even have to cut any wires, just add (2) more short ones. Never fails now. Attached is a (terrible) drawing if you want to go that route. I am glad I did. BTW, the solenoid I used is just a generic one from TSC or somewhere.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I fought that click for years on my little Ford diesel garden tractor. Cleaned all connections, changed key switch, changed battery, even changed the starter. All over the span of couple of years. Each time it would work for awhile and I would think YEA! but no joy. If you "jumped" the starter solenoid, it would ALWAYS crank vigorously. Finally I took the "nuclear option" and added another solenoid between the key switch and the starter. Mount the new solenoid near the starter somewhere and you don't even have to cut any wires, just add (2) more short ones. Never fails now. Attached is a (terrible) drawing if you want to go that route. I am glad I did. BTW, the solenoid I used is just a generic one from TSC or somewhere.

I just remembered. We had this problem on the Ford/New Holland 3930. I thought I had it down to the starter. Had the starter overhauled - the guy said there was something wrong in the starter. Problem was better, then got worse until it failed altogether. Turned out to be the neutral safety switch. You've reminded me - I have the replacement switch but still have the old one jumpered. Something else to do!
OP might find his problem by jumping one switch at a time until the problem goes away and then replace that switch. Be careful and don't forget you have a safety bypassed.

 

[RAMJ]

The stop solenoid finally came in, express frt from CA. I pulled the old one with great difficulty. It would be easier if I could have prized the air cleaner with manifold off the engine, but it was not obliging. I disconnected the throttle arm, which was a help.

Upon pulling the old solenoid, I noticed two things: 1. the harness connector allows a heck of a lot of debris into the contacts (to be taped); 2. the back end of the solenoid, adjacent to the exiting wiring harness, was swelled, the seal broken and the internal works were open to the elements through a .060" x 1/2" gap.

These two things gave me great confidence that I was on the right track.

Installing the new solenoid was a little easier. I used a 1/4 ratchet, a 1/4 short extension and a long 10 mm socket in various combinations and with much cursing. I noticed that a silicone gasket sealant had been used with the original solenoid. In addition to the the thin blue gasket I ordered to replace the old (same color), I applied Permatex black silicone sealant to both faces of the gasket. It made things harder and messier, but the job is done.

Put a new 5 amp fuse in, hopped right up in the seat, turned the key and the tractor fired right up. I spent half the time of the repair dragging out the compressed air, extension cord with light and all the tools necessary, then, putting them all away again. No knuckle skins.

No clicking, so far.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Silicone is bad ju ju. Use Kubota 3 bond instead and di-electric grease in the connecroe.

 

[RAMJ]

Silicone is bad ju ju. Use Kubota 3 bond instead and di-electric grease in the connecroe.

I always use dielectric grease, swear by it. It makes electric couplings come back apart a lot easier ten years from now, corrosion free. Ha, I should live so long. Leave things better and all.
I took the tractor out last night and gave it the real test, mowing six of nine holes on our private nine hole pitching wedge course. No leaks around the solenoid. Started and stopped like a champ. My sweetheart can mow the rest. It's her course. She designed it and laid it all out on the land. She was getting blue watching the grass grow for two weeks, unchecked.