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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!!

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Granger

04-20-2005 21:55:12




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I have a 51 M 6volt with a battery that is only 8 months old. Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed that each time I started the tractor up, it lacked more & more cranking power until tonight when it turned over several times & then it was dead & wouldn't start at all. Pressed starter switch again & nothing. Can you please help me locate the problem & what I can do to fix. Any input is greatly appreciated.

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Granger

04-25-2005 23:23:14




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! UPDATE in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
Over the last couple nights, I have checked all wiring & no problems. It seems that I can start the tractor once a day, but if I shut it off & try to start again, it cranks once to twice (slowly ) & is dead after that. There is no problem with the battery, since I have started several times over the last couple of days. Can you please help guide me to the possible problem given the updated circumstance & let me know what I need to do to fix the problem. Granger

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Dead battery

04-21-2005 07:14:26




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
The immediate problem is that your battery is dead. Until you recharge it and get the tractor running again, you won't be able to diagnose a thing. A battery charger is a good tool to have if you plan on owning tractors, so plan on buying one if you don't have one already.

Putting a new battery in is a waste of time and money. It'll just do the same thing again. For the price of a battery, you can buy a decent portable battery charger. Just make sure you connect + to + and - to -, and have the charger set on 6 Volt, or you're going to be wearing the battery in short order :(

The fact that it ran down over a long period of time means the generator isn't charging the battery. I doubt if it's a dead short anywhere, because if it were, the battery would go dead overnight.

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captaink

04-21-2005 06:14:04




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
It sounds to me like your charging system is not working. If I remember correctly at least some (if not all) the 51 M’s had a regulator, not the cutout. The regulator was mounted on the rear gas thank support above the starter button. You problem lies in either the generator or regulator not working correctly.

Charge the battery and get the tractor running. Take a wire and ground the F terminal on the regulator and see if your ammeter shows that the generator is charging. If so, the generator is working and the regulator is at fault. If not, then the generator is not working, (doesn’t prove that the regulator is working though) and needs fixing. It could be as simple as a stuck brush or as bad as the fields or armature being toast.

Although I switched all my tractors to 12 volt, I agree with P Backus that if you were satisfied with the way it was starting before on 6-volt, there is no reason to switch to 12-volt. This just sounds to me like the charging system is not working.

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Ernest

04-21-2005 06:04:35




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
My 52 super M will do about the same thing. It has a new battery charging system works (charges) new starter a few years ago. But so slow to start. Some times just don"t crank. Hit the switch and it will give enough to start. Stray voltage! I"d check the battery cables. My ground (cable) will move while cranking. Make sure your cables are the heavy kind.



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RayA

04-21-2005 05:52:13




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
I had a problem similiar to this on my H. It turned out that the regulator was sticking when I shut off the tractor and was discharging. The gauge on my lightswitch showed a discharge when I shut off the tractor. Took off the regulator cover and found the culprit, filed the contacts with a points file a tiny bit to smooth them up and no problems since. Good luck, RayA



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El Toro

04-21-2005 04:04:49




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
You probably need to charge that battery and see if the engine will start. Once you get it started
put the volt meter leads across the battery terminals and see if that generator is charging.
Should have over 7 volts to 7.5.

That battery could have a weak cell. You should
use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity
of each cell and they should be close. A reading
of 1275 is very good and if one cell reads 1100
and the rest read 1270 - 1275 the battery needs to be replaced.

If there's a drain on the battery and you can not locate the problem you can install a master disconnect switch in the ground cable of the battery this will isolate the battery from ground when you are not using the tractor. Be sure to shutdown the engine and shutoff the ignition switch before shutting off the master switch. Hal

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Gordakota

04-21-2005 03:37:14




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
It's possible you have a small current drain on that battery due to a closed circuit somewhere. Charge up the battery. Reinstall. Hook up the ground cable. Leave the other cable off. Wait until it is very dark, like the inside of a cow. Tap the end of the "other" cable on the post and see if you get a small spark. This will tell you if you have a small discharge of current. If so start disconnecting circuits til you find the offender.

GordoSD

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P Backus

04-20-2005 23:03:41




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 Re: 51 M won't crank/start anymore, HELP!! in reply to Granger, 04-20-2005 21:55:12  
It will be the charging system that we will be looking at. The tractor has a 6 volt generator and an external regulator. The easiest thing to do would be to take the components off and have them tested. Look for "Automobile Electric svc" or "Automobile machine shops" in your yellow pages. Otherwise, do you have a multimeter (volt/ohm meter)? If you can get the bugger running you could check the voltages coming off of the terminals on the generator and the Bat. terminal on the regulator. Do you have any other 6v tractors? You could swap out components that are known to be good on the other machine to try to pinpoint the cause of the trouble on the M.
My personal 2 cents worth are that you DON'T need to switch to 12v. The 6v system will work fine, we just have to locate the trouble.
Of course, you should check all electrical connections to make sure they are clean and making good contact.
Paul

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