I went out this morning and my NH575E would not start at 55*. It would turn over consistent but it was slow. I did some testing and found the battery was normal at 12.63 volts. I connected my volt meter to the positive terminal on the alternator and ground to the engine block to see what was going on and had the same reading I had at the battery. It dropped to around 12.35 while warming up the glow plugs then dropped to 5.8 when I engaged the starter. Checking my truck battery it too was at 12.63 volts but the gas engine in the truck started fine. I connected the truck battery to the tractor battery with some 2/0 cables and the truck engine off and the tractor started right up. Voltage didn't have time to measure a drop before it started. When I got the tractor I purchased new solder on battery terminals and installed those. The battery tested good but I continued to have starting problems so I replaced it. I later discovered both of the installed ground cables were going to the frame so i moved one to the engine block. That solved my problems through the summer. I also glued a 10W solar panel on the hood and connected that to keep the battery maintained during times of sitting. These tractors came with either one or dual batteries. The difference in the parts manual specs said the dual batteries had 810 CCA while the single battery has a 960 CCA rating. The dual battery model show the batteries connected in parallel so it seems to remain a 12V system either way. Oddly there is a post in the fuse panel labeled as 30v though. The battery I installed says it is 810 CCA but has a 1000 amp rating at 32*. I haven't checked the current draw on the starter but seeing as how the tractor starts so quickly with a second battery connected I think it should be okay. Now to figure out how to manufacture a stacked battery tray. Not going to pay $240 for one of those. It won't be a cheap modification no matter what I do.
Don't assume the batt is still good. I bought a NAPA batt for my pickup and 11 months later it failed a NAPA load test. Mike
This one is only 7 months old and recovered to 12.63 volts as soon as I let go of the starter switch. I think I will look for a larger battery first. I don't really want two batteries stacked.
Be aware that "stacked" batteries can self discharge if not equal. One tries to charge the other, then the process is reversed until both are discharged. Bottom line... replace batteries in pairs.
Have the battery tested , if its falling on its face like that its probably bad.
Check the amperage draw while starting, you could have a bad starter
I had one tractor that would struggle to start when it was cold. The starter was slowly going bad and didn't realize. I was getting real close to finding a spot for second battery before i checked the amp draw on the starter.
Just swap batteries and see what starts next week One 750 CCA fleet battery will outlast two average high CCA batteries, and start fine way colder than you'll get anywhere in FL.
Lower cranking amp batteries are heavier duty than higher cranking amp batteries of the same class. Thicker plates and further apart which equals longer life and less prone to vibration or other damage.
This is a real battery took it out of my dump truck because it's partner died 2 years ago and it been running a hydraulic lift at my mill ever since with no sign of dying yet. I have stuck a battery minder on it a couple times in the last year don't know if that has had any influence or not.
Went out this morning and placed my inductive starter current meter on the negative cable going to the block. Had the wife engage the starter and it pegged the 600A meter. I'm still not convinced it is a starter issue. It spins too freely after it's warmed up and it fired right off with a jumper yesterday. If the battery is not up to the task of starting it will cause a high current draw. I would have liked to connect the jumper cables and tested again but the wife was in a hurry to leave. Going to pull and clean the terminals later to see if there is any oxidation under them. Terminals are covered with dirt because I coat with petroleum jelly when I clean them. Will retest tomorrow.
Interesting??? Maybe double check that all the valves are centered. oil levels are good. engine turns free by hand... It shoudn't take much of a battery to start at 55.
I know all the valves are centered. I will check the oil when I go back out later and see if I can get a socket on the CS pully. I ran it for several hours and restarted several times with no problems yesterday after I jumped it in the morning. The fact that it spun right over and started with a jump indicates a battery problem of some sort. I may have one of those K.I.S.S. moments when I clean the terminals later.
Depends, did you have measure the BATTERY voltage, or the CLAMP voltage when you got the 5V? When it cranks slow and doesn't start, you have the perfect opportunity to check the voltage drop throughout the system. One end of the cable to the other end, starter terminal to starter body, etc. Also, if you knew what the battery voltage was when you got the 600amp reading, that would help, but 600 amps and cranking slow seems bad for the starter. If you can reach the belt, you should be able to turn the engine a fraction of a turn back and forth pretty easily by hand. It will get tight as a cylinder compresses, but release again after several seconds of letting the pressure leak out.
you can buy a load tester cheap for batteries, and you will know in 30 seconds if the battery is good or bad , age means nothing with todays junk batteries, and they last less time being bounced around in heavy equipment..
After the temperature warmed a little I started the machine and raised the loader bucket out of the way. I cleaned all the battery terminals but they had no corrosion. In fact underneath the dirt they were all bright and shiny. I checked the electrolyte level and it was visible in all cells but not up to the bottom of the slots where it should be. I used a battery hydrometer to fill the cells with distilled water. Each took about two fills of the hydrometer. Retested the starter draw and it still pegged the meter. Moving on to the starter I found it was being held on with one bolt and I could move it slightly by hand. I replaced the two missing bolts. The top bolt that was missing was also supposed to attach two different ground wires that I installed with it. I tested the starter draw again and it was better but still near the 600 amp mark. I am not sure how accurate or inaccurate the meter is. It is one of those inductive things that you just hold on the cable. I parked it with the bucket support in place and I will start it again in the morning. If it still doesn't start I guess I need a starter. At the end of the day instead of having a weak battery I may have an exceptional one.
I had three of these workaholic batteries in my old snowplow truck hooked in parallel. They are at least 7 years old as they were in the truck when I bought it. After setting two years without charging them I hit the key and it had enough power to spin over. I charged them 2 months ago and one is dead, but the other two are still at 12.3 volts. I put them in my log skidder and so far they are still doing the job. The later Interstate batteries I have bought locally here have been crap.
I have one of those inductive amp meters. It has always pegged out when running the starter. If it doesn't I start checking ground connections.
What amperage scale is the one you have? I have a set, one for charging, and one for starter. The charging meter only goes to 50 amps. I have used both for 20+ years and have relied on them to be fairly accurate but I have never tested them against a high dollar shunt. When I tested the starter draw this afternoon I unplugged the fuel shut off solenoid to prevent the engine from starting. The engine sounded like it was spinning over fine. I have not had any problems starting the tractor except these last two cool mornings. Sure glad I found the starter was missing bolts though.
I only have the 600 amp one. I hardly ever use it.
Is 600A+ max/inrush current or after the starter is spun up? Over 600A constant current would be high for a four cylinder diesel. Even 400A would be questionable.
You are correct. The manual says between 250 to 300 amps. It spun fairly normal and started up this morning at 55*. I assume the missing starter bolts were contributing to my problem. I also believe the starter has issues since I have used this inductive meter for years and trusted it. DB Electric shows one that should fit for not too much money.
If the starter was held on by one loose bolt, I can't imagine it had a great ground. I'd ignore the amp meter (unless you can test your meter on another diesel) and see how the starter and battery works when it gets all the way down to 30
I would have the starter checked by a decent electric shop. If it has been run loose chances are the Bendix has non-normal wear patterns and may still be binding or improper meshing causing premature ring gear wear.
DB Electric sells a brand new one for $136.45. Not worth fooling with and old one at that price. I have purchased other starters and alternators from them and all have worked exceptionally well. I will most likely run it a while as long as it starts okay. Just for grins I put the meter on my little John Deere and it read just under 200 amps. I have a feeling it is telling the truth.
Just a final follow up. Although it continued to crank okay I was sure it needed a starter due to the high starting amps I was reading. I did not think it would be wise to keep using it till it wouldn't start. Replacing the starter was going to be enough of a challenge with the loader up out of the way and it would have been dang near impossible with the loader down. DB Electric had a good price on a compatible starter so I ordered one of those. (more on that later) Before installing the new starter I did some follow up testing and re configuring. My tractor has a negative cable cut off switch that had been bypassed like a lot of other stuff I have found that was unnecessarily changed by previous owners. I decided to test the switch and put it back as close to factory as I could. It also had a second ground cable attached to the battery that i had previously moved from the frame to the engine which improved the starting condition. I moved that to the out lug on the cut out switch and put it on the lower starter bolt for now. Now I have a single cable from the negative terminal of the battery to the factory cut off switch. On the out side it has the braided cable going to the frame and the added on insulated cable going to the starter. My tractor also had a braided cable on the firewall that was supposed to go to the starter top bolt which I connected. I am going to shorten the insulated ground and attach it to the ground lug on the new starter (same result but more factory looking). I cleaned and wire brushed all the ends and connections. I cleaned the battery top and removed the caps to test the specific gravity since it had been run several hours after topping the cells up. Each and every cell read right at 1275 with the hydrometer so battery is in good shape as is the charging system. Unplugging the fuel cut off solenoid and operating the starter it was still dancing from 250 to 500 amps with the old starter. With the new starter installed and everything else as it was last tested it cranks at a steady 150 to 200 amps. This morning it is a damp and cool 59 degrees. Fuel system was still needing primed because I had to remove the lift pump and filter assembly to replace the starter. I held in preheat for about 30 seconds, engaged the starter, and it spun like a top. After some cranking it started and died then restarted and ran fine. This is the first time I ever got it to start without pressurizing the tank after opening the fuel system. I was really happy it primed and ran all by starter power. Now the more on the starter I purchased. New Holland lists the part number for a 3.1KW Bosch replacement as 82005342. DB electric crosses that to their number 16608 but their listing says that is a 2.8KW unit and they don't show my TLB in the application list for it. They had an identical looking starter with the 3.1KW spec that did show the 575E in the application list. Their part number for that one is 18024. SOOOOOOOOO if you have a 555E, 575E, 655E, 675E, and want to order a starter from them I suggest you use that instead of the one they say crosses to the New Holland number. I have NO connection with DB Electric! I have purchased a high torque starter for a 351W Ford engine, alternators for two different 4.6 Ford engines, the alternator for my backhoe, and now a starter for the backhoe from them. All units have fit and performed perfectly at unbelievably low prices so I feel I should pass my experience along for the benefit of others.
Glad you got it sorted.
I replaced the starter on my 1980s 555 ford backhoe( I made a thread on it somewhere here)..they are all made in china...the original was made in england...I hunted high and low for a real made in the USA starter and called several places that rebuilt starters and they all said components and new starters used chinese parts or made in china, I paid about $125.00 delivered to my door and it was an exact copy of the original and almost a year later it is still working just fine..I think I may have even called DB electric to see what they offered...I would gladly of paid more for a true made in USA , but that animal doesnt exist...the same starter supposedly fits a looong list of engines and applications..
I think this one was made in India. It had a Bosch on it.