D17, has the starter gone bad?

Paulinkansas · Oct 5, 2009

This tractor has been sitting for a few months without being started, it has only had limited use since I bought it 2 years ago. The battery is good and fully charged, and I put fresh gas in the tank before trying to start it.

It would turn over rather weakly, but wouldn't fire or it would hesitate to fire. The starter made a few clicking sounds and then it wouldn't do anything when I tried to start it. I put a voltmeter on the positive lead on the starter and it showed 12.4 volts when trying to start. It wouldn't make any sort of noise or motion when showing 12.4 volts.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 5, 2009

I would clean the battery posts good frist
Raised in Kansas L A

old · Oct 5, 2009

Could be the starter but I would first pull the battery cables and clean both ends of them and clean the area on the tractor they bolt to and the post on the battery. Then if that does not help I would pull the starter and take it to a parts store and have it checked most do that for free. If it test good then you may have a bad battery cable and that you can not see with your eyes and they do in fact go bad and get to a point that the resistance in them is very very high

Texas Denny · Oct 5, 2009

Old"s advise is right on. Doubt is either the starter or the battery. Connections most likely.

John T · Oct 5, 2009

I agree with those below the very FIRST thing Id do is remove, clean n wire brush, then reattach each n every battery n starter n ground cable. Also on some cheap cables they can go bad underneath the terminal crimp where you cant see.

In cases where the voltage dont drop much when trying to start, it could be a cable or connection or starter switch or starter solenoid problem, although sure still a bad starter like worn brushes. In cases where the voltage drops drastically then I suspect the starter more like bad bushings or dragging or shorted armature.

Is there a way to safely by pass jump around a starter switch or solenoid with heavy jumper cables to see if thats the problem??? if so i.e. you can get good access to starter post without accidental shorting, give that a try.

Sure starters go bad, but more often its a cable or switch or solenoid or battery problem

John T
John T

Flewster · Oct 6, 2009

Had sam problem with my D17 a while back. Found the selinoid connections bad. replaced selinoid and redid all connections and now she fires like a champ!!!

Anonymous-0 · Oct 6, 2009

Had a starter on my WD that acted like that on and off for a long time. Turned out to be a broken starter shaft, was broken in the bendix and a pin acted like a key so it would drive ok some of the time, but the torque would make the shaft want to get longer which caused it to bind. I went through the cable thing, new battery, switch, the whole bit, but until it didn't work at all one day and I took the starter apart a couple of times I didn't find this. I understand from the shop that got me a new armature that it is fairly common.

D17, has the starter gone bad?

Paulinkansas

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Anonymous-0

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old

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Texas Denny

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John T

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Flewster

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Anonymous-0

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