Smoking battery

If all your cable ends and cables and grounds and battery all check out per my post below and you still have problems, heres some other thigns to check.

1) Inspect the starter pedal and rod linkage to make sure its allowing the start switch to be depressed fully down. If its not fully depressign the switch, there can be a bad connection causing heat and carbon to build up.

2) Remove the start switch (disconnect battery first) and see if theres carbon and/or the copper post coming out of the starters side is burned or pitted or carboned. If the post or switch contact is burned or carboned or pitted, it can not work properly and even smoke.

3) Be sure the starters drive gear is not stuck engaged and/or bound up. You could loosen the starter mountign bolts and insure the gear is not stuck. I doubt the engine is stuck, but if so (or the starter drive is stuck), it can cause the starter to overheat and also the excess current draw in the cables might cause heat and smoke at connection points. Does the flywheel turn over okay manually????? ??

4) In my original post I first asked how well the engine cranks over, and if the answer is fine, its probably more of a cable or connection problem. If not well, check the switch and starter post and drive per the above.

Hopefully, this is enough info to find your problem, but if not e mail or poast back or call. PS Does the starter get real hot when you try and start her????? ?? Does it have that classic burned electrical smell???? You could have a brush or other starter problem, but we will save that for a later post if needed. Let us know.

Good Luck n God Bless

John T

You had any similar problems??? What was the cause of your smoke??? Let us know what you found in any similar circumstances and hopefully we can get Jim up n running.

Take care n thanks for the input, e mail or call or post back.

God Bless

John T PS yours a gas or diesel 720??? Ive owend both and wish to heck I still had all the oens I sold years ago.

~A locked up engine [very possible after sitting a month] could cause the smoking & battery post/cable heating.

~While poor connections & bad cables can & do cause that type of battery/terminal smoke it usually also slowly cranks the engine or at least makes the starter rattle. With your starter doing NOTHING & the only place the starter circuit can complete being at the starter switch it sure sounds to me like a locked up engine [or starter]..

~If the engine spins freely then suspect a rotten battery cable between the starter & battery OR, a locked up or shorted starter... If the battery cable gets real hot while trying to crank, suspect a starter or engine lock up [hopefully the starter drive is just jammed in the flywheel teeth [try turning the engine backwards to free it].....

~Let us know what you find?.....

JDClooney@aol.com

When cranking her over, HOW WELL DOES SHE CRANK OVER THE ENGINE????? ? Is it fairly fast or real slow and draggy????? ?? Is there smoke anyplace besides under the seat??? Where at??? (cable ends, grounds??) If shes sat a while and the battery has any problems or has been discharged (maybe a slight short somewhere) it can be ran down and thats a cause of heat and smoke etc. Give her a good charge, check and tighten the battery cable ends and grounds, and see what happens. Heres a more detailed troubleshooting procedure:

1) A leadign cause of the smoke you described is loose or carboned up battery to cable connections or bad cable ends (like on the lighter cheaper stamped on end type) which can appear fine on the outside but have carbon build up underneath. Try cranking with the seat top removed and see just where the smoke is coming from ???? If at a battery terminal post, remove, clean and wire brush the battery post and cable end inside circumference, and replace and re tighten and see if she smokes after that and where????

2) That cable that goes under the seat you described snakes its way down to the starter. Its possible for them to develop bad insulation (breaks, rots, rubbing somewhere against tractor). However, if thats the case, they could short out and cause big time smoke ANYTIME, not just during cranking. An ohm meter or continuity test on that cable (removed from battery and starter) should show an open circuit high resistance (near infinity depending on type and quality of meter and other thigns) between it and frame steel. If theres any continuity or low resistance, its shorted somewhere or could have gotten against the starter rod or flywheel and rubbed off the insulation.

3) The batetry cables should be at least 0 Gauge and the heavy duty types, not lighter gauge stamped on terminal types that can smoke under the stamped end between it and the cable if carbon builds up there.

4) Any weak connections at any other places, like the cable to starter or ground cable to frame attachment or if the ground point itslef, like if to a seat or battery box is corroded or not well bonded to the tractors main frame, can cause heat build up. You may as well remove, clean and wire brush and re attach ALL OTHER cable and starter and ground connections and/or atatch the ground cable somewhere direct to the frame, independent of the seat or battery box.

5) A weak battery or a bad draggy starter can cause excess current draw and heat and smoke at a weak point in the system. Is the battery in good shape, fully charged, electrolyte level above all plates, and no gray or milky color in any cells??? You might try a good charge and/or try a known good substitute battery and see how it does and a battery shop could load test the battery to determine its condition.

First try and determine whats smoking and concentrate your efforts there. The seat or battery box may not be well gorunded in which case re atatch the grund cable DIRECT to the frame. If any cable ends are smoking, remove, clean and wire brush and re atach. Check the battery charge and condition and other cable atatchments (grounds and starter) and see how well she cranks and if any smoke and where. Its hopefully just a low battery or bad or loose or carboned up cable end problem.

You can e mail me at jmn50@msn.com or call me at (812) 824-4608 or post abck any info or questiosn and I will try and get you going SMOKE FREE.

Good Luck and God Bless

John T Nordhoff