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Dead H

C

Cory B

New User
My H was running fine, I shut it off, and a few moments later jumped on to move it only to find it completely powerless. Nothing happens when the starter switch is depressed. I checked all connections as best I could but did not notice anything unusual. This has never happened to me in the 8 years I have had it. The battery is new last fall. It is a 6-volt positive grounded system with a regulator mounted under the gas tank. Can anyone suggest how to begin troublshooting the problem or direct me to a link where a similar situation has already been discussed?

Thank You.

Cory
 
Cory, if you have nothing at all check to make sure your starter hasnt hung up. If you press the starter button and nothing happens, feel of your starter it may be hot. This happened to my h one time. Brad
 
Jack up one rear wheel, put it in gear and try to turn the wheel. If you can't see the fan turn, loosen the starter and wiggle it a little. The drive gear got locked to the ring gear. Common intermittent problem if the starter gear and/or ring gear are worn. Your engine simply stopped on the "bad" place.
 
Thanks, would you still recommend this even though I towed it in from the field in neutral. We turned the engine a bit by towing it in gear. It still did nothing.
Cory
 
Thanks, I only heard a very faint click from the starter when I depressed the switch. I didn't feel the starter for temperature.
 
Seems like you lost contact somewher. Take off the battery cables and clean both ends. Remember brite and tight.
 
THanks. What would happen if there was a short somewhere. Would the regulator be the first thing to fail?
 
When you say powerless do you mean no voltage or no mechanical movement of the starter.
Anyway I would start with a volt meter. DC+ lead to tractor frame and start with the DC- lead from the battery and go farward thru the kill switch and on to the coil and to the points. Points need to be open and you should have 6+ all the way.
Next with the DC- lead put it on the starter where the lead from the starter buttom ties to the starter. If you don't have 6+ volts there then the starter buttom or the battery + lead is loose from the frame or a bad battery connection.
If it's mechanical then do what the other guy said your starter is locked up to the flywheel and you have to break it loose by rocking the tractor. The bendex may be locked in to the rain gear.
 
Check it out. If you towed it in gear it might not have broken loose -- if it is locked you are lucky it didn't do more damage. Otherwise, do what the others say.
 
If the starter is not stuck, which is easy to determine by grabing the fan to see if engine is free, it sounds like you may have melted the solder out of field stud where battery cable hooks to starter if you have checked all you external connections.
 
Check the voltage on your battery using a volt meter should be at 6 volts. It may be a dead battery if your generator isn't charging it. Check your battery cells with a hydrometer and see what your readings are. Should be around 1.260 and if one cell is 1.100 you have a dead cell and you need to replace the battery. As been mentioned clean all your battery connections.
You should have 00 battery cables on a 6 volt system. If you can get it started check the charging voltage across the battery terminals. Should be 7.2 volts with the engine at 1/2 throttle or better. Hal
 
If you heard a faint noise from the starter when you pushed the starter button then loosen the starter and wiggle it till you hear it pop like then bolt it back up and have fun. It should take a 3/4 wrench if it has the 2 bolt starter.
 
If the engine turned while pulling then the started is not locked up. A locked starter will sled a wheel rather than release when pulled forward. To get a starter unlocked you put the tractor in fifth and rock it toward the rear. It's a little faster than unbolting the starter if the tractor has no implement and is where it can be rocked.

First step is to charge the battery and see if that fixes the problem (temporarily at least)
 
If the engine turned while pulling then the started is not locked up. A locked starter will slid a wheel rather than release when pulled forward. To get a starter unlocked you put the tractor in fifth and rock it toward the rear. It's a little faster than unbolting the starter if the tractor has no implement and is where it can be rocked.

First step is to charge the battery and see if that fixes the problem (temporarily at least)
 
Cory, this happens occasionally on many H's and some M's. Your starter is locked up against the ring gear. As you loosen the two bolts holding the starter just listen for a "click" sound and that is your starter coming loose again. Then just tighten the two bolts and try the starter.
Rocking it HARD in 5th will also work.
Always carry a wrench on that tractor that fits those starter bolts.
Been there, had that happen.
LA in WI
 
The tractor rolled forward in 5th just fine, I did not try it in reverse. The tires slid in a lower gear (2 feet).
 
Thanks to everyone for the responses. My tractor is 200+ miles away at the farm and I won't be able to test your suggestions for a few weeks. Any other thoughts, please forward them on.

Cory
 
Cory,
While you're cleaning the battery terminals, unhook the ground wire first, then disconnect the lines going to the starter button to clean those ends too. I've had bad connections here preventing power from going to the starter. Sometimes it will spark which makes it easy to identify, but not good being close to the gas tank. Bad connections can cause many problems. I had to get a new push button switch for my H.
Larry
 
Could be that the contacts in the starter button are dirty. If the other suggestions don't work jumper from one terminal to the other on the starter button.
 
It turns out it was a locked starter. I loosened the bolts and wiggled it until I heard something happen. Bolted it back up and it started right up.

Thanks for everyones help.
 
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