Need help with starter on Deere 2355

I have a 2355 with a cab. Over the last several month, when I go to start the tractor, I can hear the solenoid clicking but the starter won't turn until I try to turn the key about 6-10 times. I have replaced the starter switch, the batteries and now the starter-solinoid itself. Still does the same thing. I'm thinking it may be the neutral safety switch. If that is the case, does anyone know where that switch is and how difficult it is to replace. Thanks

You have a bad connection somewhere. Clean all connections shinny bright, then if that does not fix it, check the ground strap connections, then the cables themselves
Post back with your results.
Brian

Does it have a sarter relay ?

Ditto Mike's question. This is the starter relay Mike referred to

This is the older style relay

This is what I found in the 2355 parts catalog for starter relays

It may be the symptom of a different problem. Those series JDs can develop internal hydraulic leaks which in effect won"t allow the front pump to shut down and try to start under load. There is ,usually, a valve on top ot the front pump [destroker] that allows you to shut the pump off manually. Shut that valve off and then try starting the tractor.

If you can hear or feel the solenoid on top of the starter clunking in, there might be a mechanical binding in the starter, not allowing the plunger to fully retract into the solenoid.

If you have a test light, check for power at the small terminal of the starter solenoid and at the large terminal from the battery when you try to start. If there is power there the problem is most likely the starter.

Don't think it would be the safety switch if you hear the solenoid click.

If there is a click , the solenoid is pulling in the starter motor is not spinning.
You may get lucky by taking it apart and finding dusty stuck brushes or brushes worn short.

I recommend trouble shooting instead of blindly throwing part$ at a problem. A simple voltmeter check would have saved the price of two batterie$ and a $witch. Save your own time and loss of productivity.
There are gear reduction Delco MT38 starters that use the two volt starter pattern and proper gear pitch. Almost twice the cranking power.

I cleaned all the battery terminal connections when I replaced the
batteries and just now I cleaned the ground cable to frame
connection- still acts the same: 2 turns of the key to get it started
the first time, then 6 turns of the key to get the starter to turn the
second time. Its not the starter: I just put a brand new starter in
yesterday. What controls the juice to the starter itself (not the
solenoid as the solenoid is working fine)?

huntertod730
Try this:
Have someone you can trust in the seat, take a good set of booster cables and use them to bypass the cables one at a time, if you have a bad cable it should start turning over when you bypass the bad cable.
Brian

Since you insist on replacing all the parts one at a time without trouble shooting, just replace the tractor and be done with it.

My 2550 with a cab did exactly that as well, until I put a starter relay on it. That fixed the problem. I think the main electrical connection through the firewall doesn't connect as well as it should as it gets old. The relay fixed mine.

(quoted from post at 17:59:30 03/16/14) I cleaned all the battery terminal connections when I replaced the
batteries and just now I cleaned the ground cable to the frame connection?

Click to expand...

If the neg battery connection is to sheet metal instead of to a starter mounting bolt. The current path has extra resistance.
What this tractor needs is somebody with a voltmeter to find out what is happening.
I thought you said you replaced the solenoid but not the starter motor?

(quoted from post at 16:59:30 03/16/14) What controls the juice to the starter itself (not the
solenoid as the solenoid is working fine)?

Click to expand...

RELAY

The starter and solenoid are all one unit, so they were replaced as a
unit. I'm going to check the starter relay. I also noticed that the
speed hour meter doesn't always work . Is this series (55) known
for electrical problems?

I had the same problem on my 2150 last year. What's happening is that old age and crud has created voltage drop in the wire that carries the 'start' signal to the solenoid on the starter, so even if you can hear the starter solenoid engaging it isn't throwing it in hard enough to fully engage and then spin the motor.

There are a couple of safety switches and many connections upstream of the factory relay, and that's where your voltage drop is coming from. When I measured voltage at my start wire at the starter solenoid, I only had around 8V. Like I said, that isn't enough voltage to make anything happen other than a 'click.' Similar symptoms to a nearly-dead battery. Hit the key long enough and eventually the solenoid will randomly get a solid voltage and the tractor will start. Mine would sometimes start on the first turn, and sometimes it would take 30 seconds of hitting the key before it would start.

You want to search on here for installing a Ford-style starter relay, which JD also makes. I located mine under the dash, behind the battery. Later and/or larger JD tractors came with them from the factory. The JD part number is RE170320.

You'll leave your factory relay intact, but splice into the wire coming out of it and heading for the starter. That will become the activator wire for the new relay - put it on a small post on the relay. Then you'll have a new wire, 10 ga or bigger, coming from the battery to one of the large posts on the new relay. Across from that one, you'll put the starter-half of the wire that you cut (remember you used the tractor-end of it for the activator wire). What you're doing is keeping all the factory safety switches intact, but increasing the solenoid's start terminal voltage to full battery voltage. When I did this, my tractor's starting problems immediately came to a screeching halt.

If you don't want to go to this trouble, you've probably got a long, expensive, and wasteful road of parts replacement ahead.

My original searches for a fix on this showed that this is a common problem with JD utility tractors, and it has a common, inexpensive solution. Usually after the owner has already replaced parts such as the starter, etc. Here's a link to the best-written thread that clued me in to this fix:

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=870361&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

The starter and solenoid are all one unit, so they were replaced as a
unit. I'm going to check the starter relay. I also noticed that the
speed hour meter doesn't always work . Is this series (55) known
for electrical problems?

The printed circuit board in the RH side of dash has a history of developing loose connections and burnt connections. I agree the starter relay is where you need to focus your attention.

THANKS FOR THE INFO. I THINK THIS IS THE PROBLEM. ALSO
TALKED TO A JD MECHANIC AND HE VERIFIED THAT THE DEERE
UTILITY TRACTORS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I GOT THE RELY YOU
MENTIONED FROM DEERE TODAY. DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN GET
A WIRING DIAGRAM THAT SHOWS WHERE THE ORIGINAL RELAY IS
LOCATED THAT I NEED SPLICE INTO? I ASSUME I NEED TO BUY A
COUPLE LENTHS OF NEW BATTERY CABLE. WHAT GUAGE do you
think i need? Thanks

Just looked at the box the relay came in and saw the instructions.
Anything wrong with simpley replacing the whole old relay w the
new one as long as I run a new hot battery cable?

(reply to post at 17:05:59 03/18/14)

Click to expand...

What you mentioned should be fine. The only document I know of with a wiring diagram is a JD 2355 tech manual