No spark while starter engaged

SW3 · Mar 9, 2015

On my recently restored 550 it will crank over all day long and not fire until I let off the key. As soon as I let off the key from the 'starter engaged' position it immediately starts. I guess this would mean when the starter is engaged there is no power going to the coil. I am guessing maybe something wired wrong on the key switch? During the rebuild it got new wiring harnesses and electronic ignition. Any ideas? Thank You.

old · Mar 9, 2015

Can not say for sure but on many starter systems there is a ballast resister by pass and if the wiring on that goes bad you have that sort of problem

e · Mar 9, 2015

Had this happen to me twice. Both times it turned out to be the starter solenoid

oliver90owner · Mar 10, 2015

You are likely on the right idea, but if the ignition is an electronic unit, there should not be a ballast resistor involved at all. The coil is likely energised by the electronic unit as a pulse, not a continuous drain as it was with the Ketteringham system - where the interruption of the current, by the contact breaker, induced the secondary high voltage and low current spark energy as the primary field collapsed.

KenL · Mar 10, 2015

Just had the same problem on my 880. Turn the key to start and the engine would crank but, would not fire but, as soon as you let the key return to the run position, it would fire right up. I changed the ign switch and haven't had a problem since.

BM · Mar 10, 2015

Any chance you put the ignition wire on the ACC post instead of the IGN post?

souNdguy · Mar 10, 2015

maybee perhaps you were referring to The Kettering system ?

old · Mar 10, 2015

On all the ones I have seen the coil still has voltage coming in the ignition side and the electronics are on the distributor side and takes the place of the points so yes a ballast resister can still be there just like the 70s Dodge cars and trucks used

Ken Macfarlane · Mar 10, 2015

Both times I've encountered this it was a bad key switch. One was on a brand new tractor (under 50 hours) Case JX75 pos.

wisbaker · Mar 10, 2015

Has it ever worked since the rebuild? Many of the older tractors and cars had two feeds to the coil, one through a ballast resistor that was the run circuit, another feed went to the coil on the starter circuit, this feed power with no resistor (hotter spark, in reality the same spark considering the current draw on the system when the starter is in use) to the coil while the starter was engaged. I would trouble shoot by looking for that ignition feed to the coil on the start circuit, or with electronic ignition explore the possibilities of setting it up with one coil feed for run and start.

SW3 · Mar 10, 2015

Thank you for all the help, maybe someone can explain what I have found. I have narrowed it down to the key switch. Before the rebuild the ACC key position did nothing, and now I remember that both the ACC wire and the IGN wire were on the IGN terminal. While troubleshooting today if I had a test light on the ACC terminal it would start immediately. That seems odd to me why a test light would change anything??
So, I moved the ACC wire to the IGN terminal and it now starts IMMEDIATELY. Of course the ACC key position does nothing, is there any harm in wiring it this way? Just wondering if I should leave it or go get a new key switch. Thanks Again.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 10, 2015

I've seen problems like you are having when the hot wire going to the switch goes thru the Amp meter first.

old · Mar 10, 2015

Test light on it made a path for the electricity to go so sounds like the ACC part of the switch has gone bad and some how you had it wired so the ignition got power from the ACC when you where starting it or some such odd thing like that. But no it will not hurt it to run it as you have it now. By the way wiring is hard to explain at best and when you have people who know little or nothing about wiring it is even harder. Me I understand wiring but I was a Navy E.T.

No spark while starter engaged

SW3

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old

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e

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oliver90owner

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KenL

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BM

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souNdguy

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old

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Ken Macfarlane

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SW3

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