Hey guys.... My Bobcat s650 recently wouldnt start. I thought the battery was dead so I put the charger on it and tried to start it. When I turn the key on the display with the gauges flickers and when I try to start it , it cranks so slow or just clicks like a dead battery... only thing is the battery has 12.8 volts. Even with the charger on it... doesnt make much difference. I even changed batterys and no difference.
Just put a new battery in it. Happened to my S650 also. New battery cured problem. 1000 cca would do you well also.
I did change the battery.... no difference... Im wondering if there might be a short or something... the fuse box on the floor did get submerged in water in the spring for a brief period.... I know its sealed pretty good.. but....
Check your cables for internal corrosion. I have had several tractors that have done the same thing. The cables looked fine, but when I put an ohmmeter on them, the resistance was very high. If you know your battery is good and think your starter is good as well, start with cables and ground points.
If the cables and ground check out OK, then perhaps it is a weak starter. I had an F150 once that was a poor starting truck ... I would have to crank and crank before it would start. The starter on the truck finally failed and I replaced it with a rebuilt starter. That truck started up immediately with the new starter ... and I wished that I had replaced it years before. You may have a similar situation. Just for fun, even though it is summer in Alberta, engage your glow plugs before trying to start and see if it makes a difference. Your slow speed starter might not be generating enough compression (and thus heat) to ignite the diesel. Preheating your glow plugs might make a difference.
I'm guessing battery cables. One way to check, run jumpers from battery to starter.
Well I tested my battery again today and its still up at 12.2 volts....I tred running the jumper cables to the battery and still just barely cranks over...I tested the volts at the starter and I am still getting 12.2 volts at it. I should also mention Im not getting any gauges working on my cluster.. no lights.. nothing... They were fluttering about going crazy before.. but nothing now. Should I still change the battery cables.. or would it be else where??
Still could be a ground issue?
That is a classic symptom of a bad ground .
I’m betting on a bad cable or bad connection. I would clean all connections on cables, starter, ground jumpers etc. pay special attention to the negative cable to frame. Might even use some anti-corrosion spray on them after cleaning. My question is why is the battery only at 12.2 volts? A fully charged battery should read 12.6 or more. Are you sure it it charging? What is the voltage on the battery when it is running? Should be 13.5 to as much as 14.6.
At 12.2 volts, your battery is only at a 55% state of charge. A fully charged battery should have 12.73 volts.
What is the voltage as you crank? Reading voltage at starter is pointless. You could have a single strand of your cable connected and it would read 12.2v, but provide minimal amps
I cleaned all the grounds up with a wire brush on my drill... did the frame... batteries again.... starter cables... All with the same result. The Battery is at 12 .2 volts because it hasnt been running since april. I tried a new battery on it with the same results.. only it was the wrong size to fit in the holder... to big. I will check out the volts when cranking next.
Are there any grounds that I am Missing?
Do you have jumper cables? Connect one end on the battery, And the other end negative, clamp on starter body, and put positive on positive lug on starter. Then try starting.
I did that already... nothing..
And you tried jumping to a known good battery? What's the condition of the starter?
It was good last time I used it... Would a bad starter give me electrical issues in the cab gauges?
Not likely.
Check out this starter diagnostic video which had excellent trouble shooting tips. If the battery and cable check out, a slow starter usually points to worn starter that needs replacing. A diesel needs a good cranking speed to compress the fuel and initiate ignition. To help this ignition process, you can also activate your glow plugs prior to starting, even at warmer temperatures.
This is a long shot but I had a starter that got wet inside and corroded the brush springs that then broke. No or little pressure n the brushes and it would crank poorly if at at all. Put new springs in, cleaned the commutator and good to go.
Did you ever find out your issue? I am having the same problem with my S770