Super A - battery terminal really hot

Anonymous-0 · Feb 9, 2009

Hi all, Yesterday, I started my '53 Super A and was letting it warm up. After about 3 minutes, it cut out. I tried to restart, but it just turned over and would not fire up. I noticed that the Battery terminals were really, really hot to the touch. Maybe from cranking - about 5 times for 20 seconds each. Tractors been fine up to this point - I only start and run about once a month or so. in is a 6v positive ground. Could there be a short? The battery is from Napa and is only about 6 mos old. Any ideas where to start looking? Thanks for the help!
Kurt

Bigdog · Feb 9, 2009

Heat indicates a poor connection. Remove the cables and clean the contact surfaces and battery posts.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 9, 2009

Thanks Bigdog!!

Anonymous-0 · Feb 9, 2009

if its not a bad connection on the posts, look at the first 6 inches of the cable and make sure it is copper color and NOT green, which will make for lousy conductor of juice, happened to me.

Hugh MacKay · Feb 9, 2009

Kurt: Check out the starter switch on top of starter. I had a new one of those from CaseIH, stuck, not enough to crank the starter but it made mincemeat of the battery in a hurry.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 10, 2009

thanks Hugh, that's may be it. when I pull the starter lever, it is really hard to pull, and barely wants to crank over, but in the past, it has always fired up within one crank, so never a problem. I bet the moisture in the air has messed with the switch and it is now sticking. the amount of heat on the terminals seems like what you see in a short, or as Bigdog pointed out, a bad connection. I'm going to put the charger on the battery, and clean up all the connections including taking the switch apart and cleaning or getting a new one. The one on it looks like it has been there for a number of years. I have only had the tractor about 2 years. Thanks again.
kurt

Hugh MacKay · Feb 10, 2009

Kurt: If this situation is not wearing your battery down, then I suggest as Bigdog did, BAD CONNECTION. Bear in mind the bad connection could be within that starter switch. You can get the same results with too small battery cables, and there is very little difference between too small cable and too small connection. That too small connection could be at either end of either battery cable or within the starter switch.

What happens with these switches over time, terminals wear down from arcing every start. You can clean terminals, however that will usually be short lived as there is no adjustment to move terminals closer to each other. When you remove that switch, be careful not to loose the two guitar pick type insulators. I find cleaning the terminals give you two weeks to 6 months to buy a new switch. It might not help at all.

Super A - battery terminal really hot

Anonymous-0

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Bigdog

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Anonymous-0

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Hugh MacKay

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