I have owned a 1998 Ford New Holland 555E for 3.5 years and it has always been a pain in the ass to start. Even with a new & freshly charged battery it would almost never start just turn over very slowly. It would need extra boost from jumper cables or a starter box to actually turn over fast enough to start. I read online that these machines were poor starters and people just dealt with it. I tried replacing the leads multiple times to no avail (the wire didn't look bad in the sheathing) I also swapped an alternator to ensure the battery was charged enough but that also didn't fix it. In the end I ran all new cables from the battery to the starter (and ended up putting a new starter in it) and it starts like a dream. It sat for over 1 month in the cold and fired right up on the chilly morning which we finished the repairs. Here is a video on the repair, I hope it helps someone out
My best guess is that it was the starter all along. Can't tell you how many pieces of equipment I have worked on where the owner said it was hard to start and it turned out to be a "bad" starter. Thing is, the starter was doing its job just fine till individuals were trying to improperly use it. Bad batteries and extended cranking time can really cause them to start to break down internally. I use a DC amp clamp (1000A) to get a feeling for the load being drawn by the starter. I usually can take the starter apart clean it up, turn the commutator, new carbons sometimes, relube the bearings and its ready to go. If the windings show signs of being burnt, I just put a new one on though.
I definitely think the new starter contributed to it turning over better but after just swapping the negative cable to the battery disconnect, it turned over faster then it ever had. I wouldn’t of swapped the starter if my replacement solenoid would of fit.
Funny enough I brought my 555e home this winter specifically for this project (along with a few others). Appreciate the insight as always. Keep breaking stuff so I can watch other fixes I might have to perform! Just kidding!!!!
I went through all of that. New alternator, starter, cable ends. Still had to jump it off in the cold. I had new 2/0 cables made, bypassed the negative cut off switch, and installed a new group 31 battery. Spins like a top.
Nick, Thanks for the post! Do you recall how many feet of wire you used for the changeover? Also, how many connectors, and what size? My battery has 3/8" studs, so I know those ends, but what about the rest? I plan to do this in the future, and would like to have the stuff on hand prior to the job.
we bought 12ft of wire, there is a screenshot of everything we bought (connectors, cables etc) at 1:12 in the vid
Thank you! Not sure how I missed this when I watched the video, but that is exactly what I needed .
My old cables are hanging in the barn. I meant to measure them today but got side tracked. Will try to remember to do it tomorrow.
One tip for those that are going to attempt this…. I took my cables off tonight so I can get lengths and order new ones. To make things A LOT easier, if you remove the whole fuel filter and filter housing, it is much easier to access the cables. Not sure if this matters either, but from the looks of your order, you got 1/0 cable. From everything I’ve looked at, it says 2/0 should be used. I’m not saying that my research is correct, but that’s what I’m going with. I’m also buying marine cable for extra good measure.
I checked the manual / looked up the part number and could not find a gauge for the wire so we measured what was currently on there, with a caliber, and at it was 1/0. So that's what I used to replace it, works great.
Good to hear. I’m hoping my change out will make things a lot better also! Good work!
Can't go wrong using heavier cable. I used 2/0 on mine and it looks to be the same gauge I removed. My old positive cable is a little over 5 ft long. The negatives were 5 ft and 2 ft. I removed my cut off switch and went direct from battery to starter. The short cable from the switch reached the frame to starter so I reused that. I also had a negative cable that went from the cab to a starter mount bolt. Both cab and engine being rubber isolated need grounding.
I couldn’t find one directly from the block to the frame. I just found the others you mentioned. Do you remember where approximately that one was?
It's been a while but seems it had a cable from the battery to the cutoff switch. On the other post of the switch it had a cable to the starter ground post and a braided cable to the frame. I'm not on my PC but looking up the parts might shed some light on it.
Single battery ground shows 2 braided cables connected at the frame. One goes to starter and the other goes to the cutout switch. When I replaced mine I just attached the new longer ground cable at the starter and reused the original braided cable going to the frame. FYI, for those switching from top mount battery to threaded post type, the starter connections for power and ground are 5/16". The battery ends will be 3/8".
TY for that!
This was exactly my set up. The 3 cable ground. I’m keeping the setup as is, just replacing all cables. Don’t forget the starter positive is a 90 degree lug!
Hi fellas. I don t realy think that it is a starter problem. If starter turns engine and it wount start, first thing to check is if the fuel gets sucked back to tank due , ventilation valve got stuck shut, second plugs if it is cold outside, third preasure is bad in cilinder-- piston group. There ofcourse might be other issues like bad filter, or air in the fuel line. / First thing I d do a fuel preasure before the fuel pump. You may install an electric low preasure fuel pump. I think 1psi is enouth. If it wont work , check the tightness of fuel lines. And then check the preasure in cilinder if it is lower than 24 bar. It will never start well.
You may install an electric low preasure fuel pump. --- I meant an additional pump before main one.
Got all of the new cables made and in installed today. It was 45 degrees outside so it wasn’t a really good test, but the machine fired right up. Once it gets colder that will be the true test as this is where I was having all of the problems with it not wanting to start.
Hopefully it doesn't get colder . From what others have experienced, I bet it is fixed!
I said the same thing myself when I was writing that message. I live in Northeast Ohio and we have had an unusually odd amount of warm days this “winter”. I also hope my issue is fixed. It was about 35 degrees when I woke up this morning and it fired right up no issue again. Just need it to get in the teens and stay there for a day or two before I call it a true success!!
20 degrees this afternoon with a feel like 12. Went out, re-engaged the battery disconnect, turned the key (no glow plugs), 3-4 cranks and it started right up! Before I would have to use the jump pack, most likely wouldn’t work by itself, so then I would have to hook up the jumper cables to the truck. Whoo hoo my issue is fixed!!! I shoulda done this 3 years ago!!!
Glad to hear you are back up and working properly!
Just my two cents but after dealing with a hard starting situation and going thru all the usual suspects, if I had another hard starter I’d start by removing all ground connections, grinding all connecting surfaces to clean,bare metal and re-assemble. A weak ground can fool you, don’t let it !