Dead spot

550Doug · Sep 1, 2020

I tried starting my Cockshutt 540 yesterday and only the solenoid would click, no starter sound. I changed batteries and same result. All connections are clean and re-cleaned; same thing. So I pulled the starter and hooked up battery cables to it and onto a good battery. First touch to good battery produced the same result, no sound, no movement. I then tried a second touch onto the good battery + post, same result. Third touch and the starter whirred as it should!! I re-installed the started and is now working as it should.
So what does that tell me about that starter? It seems to have a dead spot, but how does such a spot develop?

Mike M · Sep 1, 2020

It may just have bad contacts in the solenoid ?

David G · Sep 1, 2020

I would suspect solenoid first.

Dean · Sep 1, 2020

So-called dead spots can develope as the brushes and commutator wear.

Sometimes new brushes will solve the problem for awhile. Other times the commutator and mica need be cut.

Dean

Steve@Advance · Sep 1, 2020

Is that a Delco with the solenoid on top, a plunger to pull in the drive?

If so, was the solenoid hard clunking, pulling in the drive, but no starter movement?

If so, bad contacts in the solenoid.

If the solenoid was not pulling in, bad brushes, or voltage drop from the starter switch. If jumping from the battery post to the R terminal makes it crank, there is voltage drop.

Really need to catch it in the act with a volt meter/test light to know for sure.

old · Sep 1, 2020

If and when it does that again jump across the 2 big posts on the solenoid and it if spin up good chance the solenoid is bad. If that does not help good chance the brushes are going bad on the starter and you sort of banging it around made the brushes move

coshoo · Sep 1, 2020

What Old described is generally accomplished by shorting across with an insulated-handled screwdriver, hence the slang name "screwdriver start". It will instantly troubleshoot the battery cables (if you get starter to go, they're good), plus, as a bonus, it starts the tractor. Sometimes we tend to overthink these things.

550Doug · Sep 1, 2020

(quoted from post at 11:58:29 09/01/20) What Old described is generally accomplished by shorting across with an insulated-handled screwdriver, hence the slang name "screwdriver start". It will instantly troubleshoot the battery cables (if you get starter to go, they're good), plus, as a bonus, it starts the tractor. Sometimes we tend to overthink these things.

Yes, I forgot to mention, but I did try the "screwdriver start" before I removed the starter but I just got a flurry of sparks and no movement.
The solenoid was not hard clunking, just clicking. I did put the voltmeter on the solenoid wire from the starter switch and during the attempted start the reading was 7.5 volts.

Steve@Advance · Sep 1, 2020

7.5 volts is too low to pull in the solenoid.

How is the voltage across the battery when you try to start it?

Could be a low/bad battery, bad cable connection, voltage drop across the starter switch, wiring from the switch to the solenoid.

J. Schwiebert · Sep 1, 2020

!958 & 59 540 tractors are 6 volt.

Dead spot

550Doug

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Mike M

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David G

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Dean

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Steve@Advance

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old

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coshoo

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550Doug

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Steve@Advance

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J. Schwiebert

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