John Deere 350B not turning over

[D.Bird]

Tractor started when i parked it last winter.Will not turn over now,Batteries sat all winter in cold shed and would not take a charge, so I bought 2 big new ones. Starter will still not turn over. While cranking i get 6 Volts at the Solenoid, thought bad starter, took starter off, works like a bugger on the tracks runnig off boster cables. WTF.

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Sounds like too much loss in the cabling. Check volts across batts when trying to crank. Bet you have several more volts at batt terminals than the 6v you see at the starter. That needs to be at least 9v.

The reason you check at the batt terminals is because new batts can be not-all-that-good sometimes.

Also, you can check the cables for heating up. If just one end, then there is the connection issue. If the whole cable heats, then the load (starter) is pulling too much current.

I just went thru that on my 420c. Good 6v batt. Starer would not turn over. Cables got warm. Replaced batt and cables, still warm cables. Starter ran fine with no load. Rebuilt starter with new armature and brush plate and brushes. Still No Go. Issue is a bad field coil. So, I replaced the entire starter.

Stan

[D.Bird]

Would a new starter be a dealer item, or where would I find one? Had a hard time getting a socket on the top nut, is there a trick for that?

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

I usually take them to a rebuild shop. In the case of my last trip, they did the usual rebuild but missed the unusual fault. So, I had to get another unit, as I couldn't readily source a new field coil. So, I paid for both a rebuild and a new one.

Of course, I have lots of useful new parts out of the rebuilt one, so next time I will rebuild it myself using those parts. That money isn't wasted, just waitng on the shelves-o-spare-parts. Plus, I now have a spare nosecone, which on the old 6v units is Unobtanium.

In your case, I am unsure of the cost of a new one vs rebuilding. Usually, though, a rebuild shop is cheaper than a replacement. Also, having them do the rebuild costs about the same as buying the bits to perform the rebuild yourself.

Unless, of course, it happens to have a field coil shorted in the middle. They read correct with an ohmmeter, just don't form a strong magnetic field and so work well on the bench and not on the engine. But, no rebuild shop has the equipment to find that one, nor the knowledge of how to use it to find a short between windings in the middle of the coil itself. So, in my case, not their fault.

But, in your case it worked fine then doesn't after sitting. I still suspect a cable given that. Mine quit working while cranking and wasn't the battery or the cables.

That made me think armature and/or brushes. So, I took it to the shop where it was both a well worn commutator and worn out brushes and a cracked brush plate. So, new for all that, plus bendix plus bushings. All new except for that pesky field coil.

Stan

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

On the bolts, I think this is the time for playing Flip the Open End Wrench. Slow, but you can get it right in there.

Stan

[jsal]

I replaced the stater on my 350 from D&B electric find them online reasonable price !

JIM

[CuttingEdge]

I just had my starter rebuilt on my 350D and it cost $93. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

I had trouble with that top nut as well and ended up grinding down a cheap 5/8 wrench with a grinder to get it to fit.