B2920 electrical problem

[Jiminoregon]

was mowing along on my B2920 and it just quit, like I turned off the key. tried to start it and just click, click, click. Jumped it with my pickup and it started right up and finished my mowing. went back to the barn and disengaged PTO lever and quit again. this time no click and won't turn over with jump start. removed starter and put in bench vise. energized with spare battery and soloioid kicks in and starter spins perfectly. put back on tractor, hooked jumper DIRECT to starter terminal and it engages fly wheel but barely turns the motor over. WOULD A STARTER WORK ON THE BENCH BUT NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO TURN THE ENGINE OVER??
ALSO, with all the starter problems, my battery also sent DEAD. charged it up with charger and registers 12 volts but when I hook it up to a test light bulb, it lights it up for a second and then nothing.
what's going on with my tractor with less than 300 hours on it??
Jim

 

[gpreuss]

I don't want to think you have two bad batteries, but that is what it sounds like. Pull a battery from one of your cars, and hook it right to the starter connections. Should be a go.
You could have a bad connection somewhere (ignition switch) causing the starter solenoid to drop out.
I wouldn't suspect the starter just yet.

 

[G-Man]

Oh yes you can put the starter on the bench and work fine or appear to. I had a TroyBuilt 42" riding mower and even with a brand new battery the starter was almost unable to spin the engine. Installed a new starter and bingo it spins the engine over very fast, like new.

Have the starter checked out by a starter/alternator shop. Could be bearing or brushes causing the problem.

 

[birddogger]

When you bench test a starter it just says it spins. Really it should try to jump out of your hand when energized, these are some high torque motors.

If you can get it jump started, put the meter on the battery and rev the motor; it should be reading 13.6+ V. A charged battery should be near 13 V.

This is diesel and once running should go on running, what must be happening is the voltage in the system gets so low the stop-solenoid de-energizes and shuts 'er down.
The stop solenoids go bad sometimes, but since you mention other symptoms; clicking, no turning over, it points more to the battery.

So, make sure the 4 ends of the 2 battery cables are bright and tight, the posts on the battery are bright. Check the charging voltage is 13.6+. If all those conditions are met it is a flaky battery. It is sort of young but a battery that never get charged correctly dies young.

Auto parts places (Auto-Zone, Advance Auto) will do a cold-cranking test for you for free. If you carry the battery in, (since you can't really drive the tractor to them).

 

[Jiminoregon]

Birddoggger:
Thanks for your reply.
You may have hit on why it quit when I was mowing (stop solenoid de-eneregized because of low voltage).
I am not familiar with what a "stop solenoid" is and how it works. Can you explain a little bit about it?
Can I test it to check if it is defective? How?

 

[birddogger]

Easy enough, sometimes they are called a fuel shut off solenoid.
Turn off the key on a gasoline engine and it turns off the spark and the engine stops.
Turn off the key on a diesel engine and it keeps going because the fuel is self-igniting; unless there's a manual fuel shut-off, or this solenoid that relaxes and stops fuel to the injector pump.

 

[manofaus]

chucka multimeter on your battery on startup.
If it drops below 8v when cranking your battery is poo. If it stays over 11 but won't crank its your starter..
make sure your terminals are 100%