Starter Relay

[Beaux]

My L4310F is not starting, when I turn key, Starter Relay will Click, I’m greener than a green horn, but my hypothesis is the Starter Relay is Bad, All Help is Appreciated

 

[Spam Bot]

Try jumping the tractor off of your car or truck. Many times the battery will have enough energy left in it to cause the solenoid to click, but not enough to turn over the engine. Use a good pair of jumper cables, not some wimpy, cheap, thin copper wire, for best results. If you don't have a good pair of jumper cables, use a quality battery charger to charge the battery for a few hours to see if it will then start. If you have neither, remove the battery (note which side the positive terminal is on before removal) and take it to your local auto parts store to have it tested. Most Kubota batteries will last about 7-10 years and then need to be replaced. Also, check the battery connections to ensure they are clean and tight. Check that all grounding cable connections are clean and tight. Many electrical problems can be traced back to poor connections.
While trying to start the engine, have the headlights on, and have a second person observe if the headlights dim when engaging the starter. If they do, then it is a battery that has lost its full charge. If they don't dim, start checking the connections from the battery terminals to the tractor's frame. Starter solenoids do go bad; however, more often, the battery itself or the connections from the battery to the engine are the culprits.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Low Battery voltage
Low Battery amperage
Bad cables or Cable connections (especially the ground connection).
Bad safety switches or wiring connections to or from said switches.

These are all things that it could be besides a bad relay.

 

[Beaux]

Try jumping the tractor off of your car or truck. Many times the battery will have enough energy left in it to cause the solenoid to click, but not enough to turn over the engine. Use a good pair of jumper cables, not some wimpy, cheap, thin copper wire, for best results. If you don't have a good pair of jumper cables, use a quality battery charger to charge the battery for a few hours to see if it will then start. If you have neither, remove the battery (note which side the positive terminal is on before removal) and take it to your local auto parts store to have it tested. Most Kubota batteries will last about 7-10 years and then need to be replaced. Also, check the battery connections to ensure they are clean and tight. Check that all grounding cable connections are clean and tight. Many electrical problems can be traced back to poor connections.
While trying to start the engine, have the headlights on, and have a second person observe if the headlights dim when engaging the starter. If they do, then it is a battery that has lost its full charge. If they don't dim, start checking the connections from the battery terminals to the tractor's frame. Starter solenoids do go bad; however, more often, the battery itself or the connections from the battery to the engine are the culprits.

Will try all you suggested, Thank for the Help

Low Battery voltage
Low Battery amperage
Bad cables or Cable connections (especially the ground connection).
Bad safety switches or wiring connections to or from said switches.

These are all things that it could be besides a bad relay.

Thanks for the Help…

 

[johnjk]

On my B1700 I got burned by a voltage drop across the safety switches. They all worked and ohm’d out properly but I was dropping around 4 volts across 3 switches which prevented the starter solenoid from engaging. Check you have 12V in to that solenoid. Installed a relay and no starting issues since.

 

[Beaux]

My L4310F is not starting, when I turn key, Starter Relay will Click, I’m greener than a green horn, but my hypothesis is the Starter Relay is Bad, All Help is Appreciated

Found the Issue of Tractor not starting a wire disconnected at starter solenoid, reconnected and tractor started right up… Thanks for all the help, got my green horn brain Thinking and bingo I found the issue… Thanks Again for the Help..

 

[GeoHorn]

Couple years ago my Kubota starter relay died. Kubota wanted first-born male grandchild plus shipping for that relay.

Used a common automotive “cube” relay (they’re all rated 40A)…. at the ”jungle” …. 4 of ‘em …with leads….for $13. Installed one. That was years ago. Still works great. Still have 3 spares if it ever quits.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072QXDZRD?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5&th=1

(Here’s the story of how I discovered/installed it: https://www.orangetractortalks.com/...no-starter-rotation-thread.51331/#post-463302

 

[lmichael]

On my B1700 I got burned by a voltage drop across the safety switches. They all worked and ohm’d out properly but I was dropping around 4 volts across 3 switches which prevented the starter solenoid from engaging. Check you have 12V in to that solenoid. Installed a relay and no starting issues since.

This was the issue with my G2160. Relay solved all the issues

 

[pigdoc]

My L2500 has an ancient old battery in it. Won't hold a charge, so I can't tell (without doing some diagnostics) if the charging system is working. I recently had it on the battery charger overnight, and it never went above 75%. If I'm careful about turning the key back to the off position as soon as the engine starts, I can usually start it again, unassisted, a few days later. I keep my truck parked next to the tractor so it's handy for a jump when I need it.

Just need to go get a new battery.

But, the starter switch on the High/Low lever is a bit finicky. I can tell if that switch is closed when I twist the key and hear the solenoid on the starter click. If it clicks but doesn't start, I'm going for the jumper cables. If the solenoid doesn't click, I'm fiddling with the safety switch. A couple of times, the solenoid has been hung up so it won't click even if the safety switch is closed. A light tap with a hammer has knocked it loose...This happens after the tractor sits unused for several months.

-Paul

 

[GeoHorn]

When batteries get “weak” …. it ‘s tempting for owners to drag-out the replacment-purchase…hoping to get maximum value out of the old battery before spending money on a new one.

This can be False-Economy.

Continuing to use the old, weak battery can lead to damage of other components, for example, starter relays.

Why? Consider this: A welder uses LOW voltage…HIGH Amperage…to melt/weld steel together.
When WORK is required (starter-opertion) …then WATTage is what produces the Capacity to perform that work.

When VOLTS go Down… AMPs must Increase…to result in the equivalent WATTage to perform the Work.
Hitting the starter places a Huge WORK-demand (Wattage) requirement on that old/weak battery….and that increased Amp-demand can WELD the relay-contacts together. In fact, sometimes owners have found their starter will not DIS-engage …until the battery is completely depleted. Too late to save that relay.

Look: You are clearly going to have to go buy a New Battery Soon. So why delay that..?? Go! DO IT.

 

[pigdoc]

Makes perfect sense geohorn.

P = E * I

You know, on cheap battery chargers, there's a meter that shows % charged. If a 12V battery never gets above 75% on that meter, does that imply that battery voltage (potential) is ~9-10 Volts? I tried to charge the smaller 12V. battery in the G1800 last Sunday, and that meter only got up to 60%. Yeesh. G1800 started just fine, but I get it. Stop NOW! Both batteries are ancient....

Thanks for the sound advice.
- Paul