Jump to content

Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

Starter generator problem


NandoG

Recommended Posts

Hi all, I have a 3414s the was repower with a Briggs 16hp, lately it being having problems starting, the starter generator thus not have enough power to turn the engine over, I put a meter on the battery and was 12v. The wire that goes from the solenoid to the starter generator gets real hot that the plastic coating has melted, this is a replacement starter generator that I bought from EBay about 1 year ago, any info it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clean all connections. Maybe replace the starter wire. Also the battery should test between 12.5 and 13.5 a battery that tests 12 volts is considered discharged.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Load test the battery, it might not hold a charge under starting conditions. Does the S/G turn over without the belt on it?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ken, S/G does turn very good without the belt. Maynard, I replace the wire and I am charching the battery I will try it tomorrow. Thanks for the help guys. Fernando
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jump start it of a good charged automobile battery. If it starts then, the problem is with the tractor battery. I had one that I thought the S-G was bad on. Turned out that it was really the battery. It just wouldn't charge to high enough voltage to work properly. Put a new 51R in it and it will probably work fine.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Fernando- I really don't think a low (discharged or failing) battery will cause your cable to fry. That's excess current going to the starter and that usually implies a good solid battery. I don't know how accurate your voltmeter is, you could sort of verify it by checking the voltage on a known good car battery. As stated a battery should read something like 12.5-13.5, 14.5 with the charger on. But if the battery was weak it wouldn't be frying a good cable. So we're probably left with Why Does the Starter Draw So Much Juice? a) bad starter, shorted windings etc. If so it will draw a lot of juice without the belt on and run poorly. Run it for 30 seconds with no belt on. The starter should get no more than warm, and the cable shouldn't heat up at all. b) engine is hard to turn over. This could be a failing engine OR as simple as a PTO engaged and dragging. (I've seen that be the cause here in another case). If the starter turns over nice with no belt find a way to turn the engine over by hand, perhaps just by using the belt by hand, with the spark plug out will be easier. With plug out and PTO and transmission disengaged (no load on engine) you should easily be able to turn it over by hand. I suspect you won't be able to. Cheap cause would be if the PTO is engaged or you have a belt hung up and dragging. Good luck with this. -Don
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hot cables are caused by high current drain. The cause of this is high resistance usually caused by corroded cables and connections and sometimes by a shorted component. Fernando also stated that the battery only tested 12 volts which indicates a discharged battery. I have also seen a battery testing 12.5 volts but could not hold a load which is also a bad battery. With the symptoms he mentioned start with the basics. Clean all the battery and cable connections, test resistance in cables and wiring, A high resistance cable can give you the symptom of a bad battery, bad solenoid or starter. If those check out ok have the battery load tested. Charge the battery with a charger if you have one then take it to a quality parts store (Not a box store) and they will test it for you to see if it is bad before they sell you a new one. 98% of the time the first or second step will solve the problem. If the battery tests good the go about testing the S/G and or replacing it. I have seen a lot of batteries, solenoids, voltage regulators and starters replaced just because no testing and dirty connections and bad cables.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're right as usual, Maynard. I was thinking the cable was overheated the entire length and didn't ask if the plastic melted at only one end which would be a dead giveaway for a loose connection. -Don
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maynard you were right, by changing the wire from the solenoid to the S/G and charging the battery it turn the engine better and started it. I kepped the meter on when I started the engine and it went down to about 12 volts but when it started the engine it went back up to 13 volts. Thanks again for the help. Fernando
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...