(ET) New failure mode...

["Elie, Larry (L.D.)" <lelie ford com>]

Well, it's new to me, and even Bill hadn't seen it...

My E12 was working fine until last fall, suddenly I couldn't go forward
sometimes.  Move the control a few 
times and it would take right off.  Hmm...  I checked the manual, then the
forward contactors.  They were 
fine.  I replaced the reverse micro-switch.  Slowly the problem got worse,
until it only went forward about 
10% of the time.  I finally called Bill Saturday.  He said I must either
have a bad contactor or a bad reverse 
switch as the speed control runs the same circuitry forward and reverse, 
and
reverse was fine.  I agreed that 
this is what it looked like, but I'd already tried everything.  I could see
the control closing all the 
micro-switches.  Foreword just wouldn't work....  Then, while engaged
'forward' I pushed the start (first) micro switch with a small blade
screwdriver, the motor started instantly.  What had happened is the 
circular

plastic speed control spirals that close each micro-switch had worn more
from forward than reverse, the start 
switch was not closing most of the time; the switch moved but not enough.  
A
simple bend of the bracket with 
pliers of perhaps .050" was PLENTY and the control works fine now.  I 
called
Bill back with the tip, and I'm 
letting everyone here know too as this was NOT an electrical problem; just
mechanical wear.  Since the 
E12/14/15 use the same sort of plastic controls, and all our tractors
probably have about the same amount of
wear, I'm expecting others to begin to see this behavior eventually.  

Larry Elie