Re: (ET) New 'almost failure' mode... Motor power, etc.

["Steven Naugler" <snaugler earthlink net>]

I too had problems when the wiring harness of my E15 rubbed aganst the
traction motor pulley and shorted to ground several wires.  Got exciting
that day when using the tractor.  Electric smell, intermittant operation.
When I saw the damage I disconnected the battery cables ASAP.

I had to remove the harness from the tractor, but I rebuilt it using even
heavier cables.

One important change I made was to fasten the harness to the tractor frame
more securely.  The harness as it passes under the tractor frame is held in
place with just a few wire ties.  This is OK so long as the harness remains
striaght.  Over the years min harness had twisted a little bit until it
rubbed against the motor pulley.  I simply drilled a few more holes in the
frame identical to the original holes where the wire ties held the harness
to the tractor frame.  I doubled the number of wire ties, and I defy the
harness to rub against the motor pulley.  (Oh great, now they'll all break.
I guess I shouldn't have said that.)

This is an easy modification and I recommend it pre-emptively to owners of
large frame tractors.  Just be sure to use the black UV resistant wire 
ties.
The common ones will become brittle in sunlight and eventually will crack
and break.

I really should have posted this sooner.  But I did the repair a few years
before I knew of this list and kind of forgot I even did it.  These recent
problems reminded me about the repair.  If I restore another tractor it 
gets
the fix regardless.

Steve Naugler
snaugler earthlink net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Jeremy Gagliardi com>
To: <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: (ET) New 'almost failure' mode... Motor power, etc.


> On Mon, 2 Jun 2003 10:01:53 -0400 , "Elie, Larry (L.D.)" wrote:
> > OK, a new 'almost' failure mode.
> >
> > I have been working on ET's for 7 or 8 years now.  I thought I had 
> > 'seen
it
> > all' (well, I knew better I guess...) but here's a new one:
> >
> > I go out to mow.  I go to lower the front lift and it doesn't go down.
I
> > check the fuse socket (they get rusty... very common) but that isn't 
> > it.
> > Hmm.  I start looking around.  I go to trace the wire to the lift
> > and... huh?  The wire isn't on the back battery!  When set up right, 
> > the
> > lift goes to a terminal on the back
> > set under the seat, front battery on the right.  The terminal has
MELTED.
> > The wire fell off.  The tractor is STILL RUNNING.  The cable stayed in
the
> > pile of lead that was the terminal.  I had been tilling, and I
> > suspect the connection was very loose.  I got hot, but kept working.  
> > It
> > melted but kept working.  I touch
> > the lift wire to the terminal and it still goes up and down.  The
battery
> > still tests good.  I'm going to
> > try and make a more rugged connection to what's left of the terminal.
>
> I've had a post melt.  When I discovered it, I decided to check all the
wires.
> I found a battery cable under the chassis that had come loose and rubbed
raw by
> the drive belt.  I suspect the cable touched metal and created a short
that
> melted the terminal.  I also noticed a small wire crunched by the 
> steering
gear.
>
> (---------------------------)
>  mailto:Jeremy Gagliardi com
>  http://Jeremy.Gagliardi.com
> (---------------------------)
>