Mf 188 starting issue

Hi all, we have a mf 188. For the past few years we have had problems starting it. Even with a very good, fully charged battery and clean terminals it will only turn over slowly, certainly not fast enough to start. We have to connect another running, modern tractor to it with jump leads, and then it fires up straight away and runs absolutely fine. So I am sure the fuel, air systems are fine, and that the problem is electrical. Is this simply a worn out starter motor? Or is there something else which could be causing the problem? Many thanks!

Possibly you need a stronger battery or your starter needs rebuilt? Does it have two 6 volt battery's or one 12 volt. Seems like most 580 backhoes I had with 188 engines used two 6 volt batteries. A Massey with Perkins I had was low on compression and it took two 12 volts to start it. Dick

Hello Andrew,
You don't mention the hours that the tractor has done. If it is high then loss of compression will not help starting. However from the direction of your posting it seems more likely to be an electrical problem. Has the starter motor ever received any attention. There are a number of starter problems that can occur such as worn brushes, dirty armature, corrosion etc. If the starter is sluggish as it appears to be then there is still the possibility of a bad connection. Attach a jumper lead from the negative battery terminal to the body of the starter and test that. Battery cable connections whilst looking good can sometimes lose their ability to transfer full current and move to a 'dry' connection. Do the same with the positive side. If the starter is still sluggish I would remove it and test it off the tractor with jumper leads and a screwdriver or similar to bridge the positive terminal to the solenoid terminal. IF OK you should get an instant engagement of the solenoid/pinion and a rapid rotation of the starter. Check also that the pinion is sliding freely on the armature shaft.
The Perkins A4.248 engine in the 188 is generally bombproof and should start readily even if if has some loss of compression.

Let us know what you find.

DavidP, South Wales

ivor from mid wales here and 10 years or so ago I had starter problems with our JD 2040 in summer it would start but in cold weather it was very sluggish and if was standing for a week the battery would be flat, so I checked for battery leakage with multimeter and there was a drain but when I bypassed solenoid there was no drain on battery and when I renewed solenoid the problem was solved and the starter was spinning better, I also renewed brushes while I was doing the job

A little different approach than what has been suggested as something else to look at. With the tractor off put a meter on the battery terminals. A fully charged battery should be at 12.7 volts or a little higher. Anything less than that then its not charged or is not holding charge etc. With the engine running you should see around 14 volts with the meter. That will tell you the charging system is working.