Ford 9N norun

TPants

Member
Hi All,
Was using our 9N the other day. Stopped to do something and could not get it to start again. When I push in the starter button I don't hear a thing. Battery is charged. Have power going to solenoid. I have jumped across the solenoid with a screwdriver to see if the starter would start. Nothing, no sound just a light show with the arching.
Cables are new and cleaned the connections. Solenoid is under a year old. 6V, not converted.
Is it the starter? What should I check next?
Thanks
 
Are you sure it has a solenoid and not a
mechanical starting switch? It did not come
from the factory with a solenoid.

Have you tried jumping it with another
battery directly to the starter? See tip #
43
75 Tips
 
A 9N typically would not have a solenoid.
It would have a mechanical switch under the battery tray.
If that is what you are referring to and jumping the switch doesn't
do anything but spark, I would check to make sure the starter drive
gear is not stuck in the ring gear. Sometimes it can be freed by putting
the tractor in high gear and rocking the rear tire hard enough to
spin the engine fan. Other times it requires removing the starter.
If you have to remove the starter, most parts stores will test them
for free. Other than the trip to town of course. Be careful if you have
to take it all the way out as the starter will come apart in sections.
 
Starter clicking and no starting could be a dead battery and/or bad wiring. ALL 9Ns and 2Ns used a 1-wire starter with NO solenoid. If you are stating that your starter does have a solenoid, and not referring the starting button, it confirms that it is most likely a wiring issue. The 8N Model introduce a starter solenoid and it was mounted on top of the starter housing with 3-connections. What was the ammeter showing when it was running? Also, just having a 6-volt battery does not mean that it is wired correctly. Bad/incorrect wiring is a major cause of non-starting tractors, whether 6-volt or 12-volt. If the wiring is wrong and the charging system not functioning properly, you most likely were just running off the battery power alone with no generator re-charging it. "What should I check next?" -you asked. First up is to get the battery tested by a starter shop or auto parts store. The battery must sustain a full charge, under load, to be effective. That means the specific gravity has to be right. A cheap tester can be bought and used, but your starter shop has the special bench testing equipment to do the job more efficiently. While they do that, get out your Operator's Manual and I&T F-04 manual and MPC then start going thru the wiring exactly shown but avoid making judgments based on wire colors. Colors don't conduct electrons, so use a multi-meter to perform continuity tests. If you have lights, you can disconnect them for now just to take them out of the equation as a possible source of shorting out. They can be reconnected later once you troubleshoot and resolve the root cause problem. The electrical systems were 6-volt/positive ground. Do you have the correct generator using the correct round-can cutout circuit? If so, is it wired correctly? I'd leave the starter alone for now. Your local starter shop can also bench test your starter and generator providing they know all about these old Ford systems.

ORIGINAL, CORRECT 9N/2N STARTER -1-WIRE, NO SOLENOID:
TdPrmlil.jpg

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(mi)
 
Some folks have added solenoids to 2 & 9N's, which means the wiring is different than it is for a mechanical starting switch. 2 and 9N?s did not come from the factory with solenoids. They all had mechanical starter switches. When you press the starter switch, it pushes a piece of linkage into the switch which manually closes the contacts and completes the circuit. Unlike a solenoid which electrically closes the contacts and completes the circuit.
75 Tips
 
Check all your connections and make sure your battery was charging when you were running it. I’d also try putting power directly to the starter by hooking jumpers to another battery. put positive on starter post and ground it to the frame. You may have to brush some paint off to get a good ground
 
Thanks Bruce, Royce and Tim Ploughman Daley for your super quick replies.
Yes, I am using the wrong term, I should have said starter switch, not solenoid. It is the starter switch that I jumped across with a screw driver.
I will try to jump it with a 12 volt battery as you suggest, Bruce, in tip 43. Since I am pretty new to this, which cable goes to the starter and which to the frame of the tractor?
Also, Royse, will give it a shot at rocking the tractor while in high gear to see if the drive gear is stuck in the ring gear. If it doesn't I will try taking the starter off and having it tested.
I will also review the wiring to make sure it is done correctly, Tim.
Will let you know what I find. Again, thanks for the quick replies.
 
It doesn't matter which cable from the jumper battery goes to the frame or the starter; the starter will spin correctly regardless of polarity. But, what does matter is that you make the FIRST connection of the jumper cable to the starter stud. Then, connect the other cable to the frame of the tractor. If you get a few sparks at the frame. no big deal. But, those few sparks at the starter stud can melt the threads on the copper stud.

If jumping it directly to the starter does not work, then jack it up and turn a rear tire w/ the tractor in gear in case the Bendix is stuck.

See tip # 36 if you need to pull the starter.

A Bendix will often hang up due to low voltage.
75 Tips
 
Thanks for the support, the tractor is currently running! Makes me very happy every time.
So I tried jumping from a 12 volt and didn't get a sound, one small spark but no sound. Then I put the tractor in 3rd and pulled it about 8 feet. The fan didn't move and neither did the tires, they just skidded across the mud. But I got on the tractor and it started. Does this tell us what the problem was? A stuck drive gear in a ring gear?
By the way, the amps were at about 16 just now, if that tells us anything.
 
Glad to hear it's running.

Yes, the Bendix could have been stuck. If so, then that was likely caused
by:

1. A weak battery (charge it & check it per tip # 49. Or get it load
tested.)*

2. Dirty grounds/connections (remove the cables & clean the connections)

3. Bad cables or incorrect sized cables (replace them - see tip # 41)**

4. Bad ground between the starter & the block. (pull the starter away from the block & clean the mating area - see tip # 36)

Or maybe you just have a defective Bendix.



* No matter what else you do, the battery must be fully charged. A float charger is helpful; not a trickle charger, but a float charger. (I use Battery Tenders on all my tractors) No, it doesn?t need to be 12v. Plenty of N?s start just fine on 6v in below 0* temps.

** You can't see corrosion under the insulation.
75 Tips
 
Thanks, Bruce. Just set up my new Battery Tender trickle charger this afternoon. I may try to clean my bendix if I continue to have problems.
Anyway, thanks for all the help, appreciate it.
 

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