Hello! My G5200H is being stubborn. I just bought it used and replaced the battery and ignition switch. It started up after sitting in the seller's garage for over two years, it does run great! With no other changes/replacements to the electrical system and not much use while cleaning it up, I no longer get a bright indicator light when I turn the switch to On (it does glow dimly though) and no clicking of the fuel pump. The fuse is good. Does anyone know if there are components that are prone to shorting or causing an incomplete circuit when selecting the On position of the ignition? I haven't started cherry-picking any of the components yet or any isolation of components that are energized when the switch is placed On. Any recommendations or suggestions are welcome!
Electrical Problem
- Thread starter Tiberius
- Start date
'dim'...... indicates low current flow, suggest bad( corroded) battery cable(s).
FWIW... you replace the battery but those cables took the beating of supplying energy from battery to the machine.
FWIW... you replace the battery but those cables took the beating of supplying energy from battery to the machine.
Thanks Jay. I just took a voltmeter and checked from the positive lead at the starter to the negative terminal of the battery and got a solid 12.6 volts. Did the same thing from the positive lead at the starter but checked it to the chassis ground and received the same voltage reading. I left the ignition switch off on both of those checks. That should rule out the battery cables.
JimDeL
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX2380; R4 tires; 54" MMM; FEL w Pirahna bar; Ballast Box; BXpanded skid plate.
That's "No Load" voltage. You could still have a battery or cable problem when you put it under the starting amperage load.
Now try it with a test light. Voltmeters are great. But they only measure voltage. A poor connection can have good voltage, but not allow much current to pass.
Think of it like this. If you run an 18 gauge wire from the battery terminal, you can measure good voltage. But what happens if you try to run your starter over that 18 gauge wire? Not going to happen. It's going to melt pretty quickly.
Okay, let's make it out of some Unobtanium. Let's use some special wire and insulation that doesn't exist). This 18 gauge wire never gets hot! It never melts!
Would it work for starting your tractor? Nope. There's no way to get enough current through it. It's fine for a light bulb. It's not going to start a diesel engine. It's not even going to start your little 4 cylinder Honda Civic.
It has too much resistance.
A poor connection is like that. Corrosion will act like a resistor and will prevent, or reduce, the amount of current that can flow through a cable or a connector.
But it will sure make a voltmeter happy!
So you need to do a load test. Measure that voltage, and then have someone try to start the tractor. I'm betting you'll see that voltage drop pretty low.
Give it a try.
Think of it like this. If you run an 18 gauge wire from the battery terminal, you can measure good voltage. But what happens if you try to run your starter over that 18 gauge wire? Not going to happen. It's going to melt pretty quickly.
Okay, let's make it out of some Unobtanium. Let's use some special wire and insulation that doesn't exist). This 18 gauge wire never gets hot! It never melts!
Would it work for starting your tractor? Nope. There's no way to get enough current through it. It's fine for a light bulb. It's not going to start a diesel engine. It's not even going to start your little 4 cylinder Honda Civic.
It has too much resistance.
A poor connection is like that. Corrosion will act like a resistor and will prevent, or reduce, the amount of current that can flow through a cable or a connector.
But it will sure make a voltmeter happy!
So you need to do a load test. Measure that voltage, and then have someone try to start the tractor. I'm betting you'll see that voltage drop pretty low.
Give it a try.
Last edited:
Love the Marvel reference (unobtanium)! At least I think that was from Marvel! You and @JimDeL are all over this! I didn't even have to turn the key to the start position to see the effect of the load, especially since turning the key to On only dimly lit the indicator in the first place. I turned the key to On and checked the same points as before, positive to starter and negative to chassis ground with the voltmeter and it was only reading 4 volts. I ordered two replacement cables. Thank you everyone, always appreciated!!!
If you get bored while waiting for the replacement cables, remove the existing cables, clean all the mating metal parts and try the test again. The cables may be OK. I've had bad cables (corroded under the insulation and not readily noticeable) and bad connections where good cables connect to batteries or grounds due to corrosion, or simply not tight.
What Chim mentions here is very important and often overlooked. Use emery paper to scrub the tractor frame where the ground wire connects, bright and shines. You're dealing with a 40 year old machine that in all likely hood hasn't been providing a good ground for a while.
One more suggestion. When making connections it's good to use some sort of anti-oxidation paste - Penetrox, No-Alox, Ox-Gard etc.
Penetrox, No-Alox, Ox-Gard etc are all intended for use on aluminum connectors in AC power systems. They are okay, I guess, but really what we should be using on vehicles is plain old silicone dielectric grease.
And for those of you misinformed people who are freaking out at the idea of using dielectric grease, see here.
Sawdust&Shavings
Active member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX1870,LA203A,BX6315,BX2767,RCK48-18BX,GCK60-23BX
I use this...there are other products out there, but I can get this at my local big box hardware store, I’ve used several CRC products over many decades and it’ll last me at least ten years at my current consumption rate.
