Having some difficulty locating the main breaker/fuses. There is an accessory fusebox below the instrument cluster on the right side, in the cab. But these fuses are all 10-20 amps, and according to the manual are for accessories. The starter died and I replaced it. It started first time turning over, no problem. I operated the unit for a little while then parked it. Thought I should restart it at least once in order to confirm the starter was operating ok. Second time starting I heard something near the end of the cycle. Not sure what it was, I turned the engine off, and attempted a 3rd start. At this point no lights to the dash when I turned the ignition switch. So no power, and nothing turns over (it is in neutral). Tested battery and power at starter, 12.9vdc. Took the starter off and bench tested it, works. Noticed the hot wire that is loomed with the wire that goes to the starter solenoid was damaged (the heat shrink around the connector was melted, some wires were damaged, but there was still lots of wiring going into the round terminal). At this point attempting to trace wires back to panel and find the main breaker. According to the manual the main fuse box should be located on the right side of the engine. But there is no fuse box in this area. A friend of mine indicated he had worked on one years ago and it was a breaker box hidden behind a small panel. I'm waiting for daylight to continue my search. Question: Does anyone know where the elusive main breaker/fuse box is located? And once I check the fuse box, is it possible the ignition switch could be the culprit? I was going to take the switch apart too and test that with the multimeter. Wayne
Check to see if you still have 12.9 to ground at the starter while holding the switch in start position. The first thing I would check is the battery ground to frame connection. Not all ks had the fuse setup at the engine, there was a SN break. Had one onetime that all would go dead when trying to start it and when you stepped on the step to get into the cab everything would come back till u tried to start it, bad battery ground connection.
Sounds like you have a "live" wire grounding out somewhere to me. Usually, wires going to the starter come from ignition,,battery,,and alternator. Check all the wires going to the starter for open breaks, check your ignition switch also and check your alt wiring. If there is no main fuse (I'm not familiar with your machine) there could be an "inline" fusible link. You'll see a large bulge indicating it has blown.
I forgot to mention I had my son turn the ignition switch while i checked the voltage at the starter, stayed at 12.9. But I'll give the battery a once over this morning. I spent a little time with my service manual last night and found two sets of wiring schematics, one for a fuse block at engine, and without. For the life of me I couldn't find a circuit breaker on the wiring diagram. I'll be tracing the wires back and looking for that inline link. Could it also be the starter? Even though it turns over on the bench is it possible the starter is only responding to my powerful battery charger? Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated.
i saw two relays in the bay where the hyd n fuel fill tubes are opposite the hyd sight glass on my 580 k i had lights n signals one day then they are all out fuse block fuses have power ...????? somebody told me the block lost its ground ?? more crap to repair..
well, I was a bit cautious today. I re-checked the starter by re-installing it and putting some juice to it. Still showed 12.9 at the starter, but no lights at the dash, even with the ignition switch engaging the starter. I disconnected everything again and checked the battery posts again. They were tight and hadn't been touched since last spring. Took them off and cleaned them. There was no acid reaction and I scrubbed them a bit. Reconnected and re-tightened. I turned the key and would you know it, light on the dash. I tightened up the starter mount bolts and she started like a charm. For ****s and giggles I followed the wires until they began to enter the cab. no fuse or breaker. So happy ending, but still a bit confused as to why they do not have fuses for these circuits. Thanks everyone for your comments. Wayne
Did you remove the chassis end of the battery ground cable, that s where most of these problems occour, the area behind the lug on the ground strap is ofttimes blackened from heat from a poor connection, I am not surprised that working in that area got it going as I suggested but I would remove, brighten both the tractor chassis and ground strap mating surfaces with a new a new bolt and do not install lockwashers as if they heat they loose their tension resulting in a loose terminal, glad you are up and running. The only thing not making sense to me is the 12.9 volts still being present unless you were using the battery minus as your meter ground point. A poor battery cable connection should show 0 volts to chassis when the electrical load is applied as the ground path is broken.
He came in from running the dozer today- Case 550G- about 20 yrs old. He was soooo sad. While re-doing the 'whoops' on the motocross track, he lost all power- dash/gauge lites, no starter, no power anywhere.. I decided to help by searching, & first thing I asked was 'what exactly were you doing when it failed? Well, he looked at me like I was a nutcase ( hey, I fix food, not machines...lol ) But it seemed important to know all the details so I could come here and search.. LOW AND BEHOLD - I found my answer right here in this thread.. SO, THANKS WAYNE- YOUR PROBLEM OF THE DAY HELPED ME SOLVE HIS PROBLEM OF THE DAY! I got an even funnier look from him when I crawled up in the cab and started looking under the gauge cluster for fuse/circuit boxes.. NONE.. so, we'll narrow it the rest of the way down at daylight.. night night folks!
always good to hear that about collateral fixes! @melben, I can't understand that either (re: 12.9vdc even with switch engaged). I used the ground strap from the chassis to the starter. I like to check the battery fluid every year and put a little extra current through them if I have to top up (not for too long, and only after the battery has been charged prior to top up). This one was done last fall. I've only had another bad ground come about within 1 year of servicing, and I guess I needed a reminder to start at the battery posts regardless when the last servicing was done.
Oh well.all's well that ends well they say. I find my self guilt of over diagnosing at times. I spent 50 + years working on Case stuff for the same dealer and have run into the grounding problem enough that a red flag goes up when I read those symptoms. Keep us posted should you have any more problems. Mel.
haha all part of the KISS principle, i reckon...