Simplicity 6216 starting problems

[CountryMan1116]

Hello everyone. New to the forum, been reading topics for the past year or so. A great site with a ton of great info! But to get to the point, I have a 6216 that I started today. It turned over with choke on then when I went for the second crank over and the "Transmission Neutral" light came on. The switch under the seat has been bypassed already. Checked through the wiring with the wiring diagram in hand, everything looks good. Could the problem be the solenoid or something I'm missing? Any help would be great.

Thank you.

Rick

[fishnwiz]

Hello

Welcome to the club. Always good to get some new blood.

[CountryMan1116]

Thank you. Thanks for the reply. I've been scratching my head on this and figured I'd start asking questions. Its a 4 speed with the speed variation lever or torque converter, going to my farmall tractor thinking. The dead man switch under the seat is bypassed which I think is the shifter position switch under the seat by the battery. I think that's most likely what I'm referring to, it has a plug that slides onto two mushroom pegs/terminals. I looked all around the shift lever and didn't see anything else.

[fishnwiz]

I am trying to remember if there is another switch on the linkage that senses neutral position. I am sure that one of our expert's will be along with the correct answer.

Best of luck with your issue.

[CountryMan1116]

I double checked the wiring diagram and it looks like there is only the gear position switch and pto switch. I'm prolly gonna need all the help I can get haha. Thank you for your help!

[arnoldir]

Hello Rick,

Been a while since I tinkered with my 6216, but here goes.

When in doubt, make sure tractor is physically in neutral, mower deck is disengaged, then locate the solenoid and check for 12v at the small terminal when the key is turned to cranking position.

If 12v is there when switch is turned, check tha the solenoid mount is properly grounded as it needs ground to pass current and energize the coil that pulls the contact closed.

If ground is good, and it fails to click when the key is turned then likely the coil inside the solenoid is faulty.

Use a peice of battery cable to jump around the solenloid and apply battery power directly to the starter post.

If it still does not crank, the starter may either be jammed (the moving drive gear sometimes jams against the ring gear) or the brushes may need service.

If starter is not jammed, and does not spin with direct battery current, then the likely culprit is worn or dirty brushes.

This can be addressed by removing the starter, pulling the long screws that hold it together, and carefully removing the end cap.

I have been able to squeeze a few extra months by cleaning the commutator (end of shaft with small copper segments that the brushes ride on), and using a broken off hack saw blade to cut back the insulating material between the pads so it is just below the surface.

Ofen the copper wears down, and the brushes ride on the insulator preventing current flow.

If the brushes are too short to reach the pads, I believe a replacemtn end cap with new brushes installed can be had for cheap.

Another problem I've seen with these starters is that the busing at the brush end wears out and the starter jams internally instead of cranking.

The new end cap comes with new bushing and fixes thsi issue also.

My 2 cents, value accordingly.

[GrincheyOne]

Welcome to the Club,

I am not that familiar with the 6200 series, I know on the transaxle in my 4200 there is a "Neutral" sensor, and it needs to be closed or conducting to sense being in Neutral. Another trick, I learned was, there is a interlock module that combines the Nanny switches together, and provides the ground connection to the solenoid. Bypassing this, takes all the nannies out of the picture, when all else fails, an old large screwdriver across the large solenoid terminals does the trick.

[CountryMan1116]

Thanks arnoldir and GrincheyOne for the help. I'll give all this a try and see what happens. I'll post later what I find out. Thanks again!

[steve-wis]

I had a 6216 and now have an Allis T816, which is about the same tractor. There is a switch under the seat with two posts sticking up that the wire harness slides over. This is a proxy switch that senses the metal strip under it when the tranny is in neutral. Check that the metal strip is under the switch when the shifter is in neutral, this is adjustable and can be out of alignment. There is also a switch for the pto engagement. These are prone to the blades rusting off that the wires slide over. The switch is inside the frame rail right by the pto lever. It is hard to get to but worth checking. I believe the pto lever must be removed to get at the switch. Finally, there is the interlock module. I am not sure these tractors have one, but if it does it is located near the starter solenoid. It can be replaced for about $30. I don't know how to check one to see if it is good other than replacing it.

Having said all that, my tractor has issues with the lights themselves in the dash. When cranking, one often will flash on and off. The other never comes on. But the tractor starts and runs, except when it is really hot, which is another issue.

Hope the helps some.

Steve

[fishnwiz]

Steve..Flashing lights ...won't start.. Lol....I love your discription on your tractors issues...sounds like alot of the tractors I own!