1864 wont start

[tcromley]

i have a 1864 with a kohler command 18hp. when i turn the key it doesnt start every time. have too keep turning key until it turns over then will start.someone told me too ground my solenoid. it has two big post one small post. with tractor just sitting there the small and one big postshow as being ground. so i ran a 14gauge wire to ground on frame. when starting it turned over and started right up but melted that wire . what am i missing? thanks for your help

 

[kharvey]

Troy do not ground any of the wires on the solenoid. Only ground the case. You created a short and that is why it melted the wire.

 

[brhodes]

Troy,

I don’t have an 1864 but The starter / solenoid does not look dissimilar to the old GM starters. Do not ground any of the 3 wires.
The first big wire comes from the battery. The second big wire goes to the starter the third little wire comes from the key switch likely after the safety switch(s). Sorry if I’m stating the obvious. But at any rate, any of the connections / switches could be bad, and cause intermittent failure.

But my first thought is a bad solenoid. If I’m right when you turn the key to the start position. You will hear the solenoid click, and the starter not turn. If the starter turns but does not engage the fly wheel the solenoid or Bendix is bad. On several solenoids when you bump the key and it clicks after several bumps of the key, it then moves the solenoid “contact disc” to a new position that will make contact to the starter terminal. And will start.

To test the wires and switches, you will should have 12 volts to the battery terminal (all the time) and to the little wire from the key (with the key in the start position) assuming the safety switches are making contact. If the solenoid is not making good contact, you will not have 12 volts to the starter terminal. Thus no go.

Intermittent wire issues can be a pain but test before you replace. A test light or a volt meter will be your friend in this case.

Hope this helps.

Bill

 

[jdiederichs]

Also consider the ever famous PTO switch malfunction. Many times a new PTO switch solves this issue.