5 position ignition switch on JD 430W

Stroby

Member
The ignition/light switch works fine in the first two positions (off and I) but not at all in the last two positions. The third position turns the headlights on, but on occasion, it also kills the engine. Any suggestions?
 
Heres a wiring diagram which may help. On some of those Deeres (but I dont think 430 unless switch isn't correct???) one terminal on the switch is a grounding kill switch to shut down tractors that had an optional magneto ignition.

John T
420-430-JPEG.jpg
 
Thanks John. I probably won't start trouble shooting for a few days, I live in Ill and it's a bit chilly out now. Once again, thanks for the help.
 
I had an issue on my MT with the switch. It would shut down in several positions. I opened it up(you have to pry up the little tabs) and cleaned the contacts inside. Might be the same problem with yours
 
Seems like a new switch isn't very much. I
had to buy one a few years back. Bought mine
off eBay I think.
 
When you take it apart and clean it use a little dielectric grease on the contacts. That will help it stay clean.
 
Take a look at the diagram below.

a243612.jpg" width="650"


Note the combination switch has 5 terminals.

Take a look at the photo below of the ignition switch on ?BW? our 54 Model 40T.

a243613.jpg" width="650"


There are four terminals to test:
Ignition
Head Lights
Tail Lights
Flood Lights

Take a look at the photo below of the lamps and ignition wiring of the ignition switch.

a243614.jpg" width="650"


This is one method of testing each of these four ignition positions.

Turn the ignition switch to the second position.

Using a test light, check for power at the terminal stud on the distributor.

a243615.jpg" width="650"


If there is power at the stud terminal, then the ignition terminal is good.

Turn the ignition switch to the third position.

Using a test light, check for power at the terminal post on the body assembly of the light.

a243617.jpg" width="650"


If there is power at the post terminal, then the light terminal is good.

Repeat the steps for the fourth and fifth positions.

Note that the head lights will also be ON in positions four and five.

Hope this helps.
 
If this is like the switch on an M, 1951, they can get gummed up inside. I took mine completely apart and cleaned all the internal contacts. It now works great.
It has a few metal tabs which just need to be bent out to get it apart. Just don't bend the tabs any further than necessary so they can be bent back.
You can also take care of any corroded or iffy connections before reconnecting them.
Good luck!
 
Thanks to everyone for the guidance on this project. It turns out that the switch was indeed bad, plus, after removing the instrument panel I also found "three" wires that the mice had ate the insulation off
of. There was a pretty good sized "mouse bed" from the back of the instrument panel most of the way across the top of the fuel tank. Everything works like it should now. Again, many thanks.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top