# X320 PTO won't engage



## ChiknNutz (Jul 1, 2017)

Hello, first time poster here. I have an older JD X320 (10 years old, 860 hrs) that has so far been quite trouble free. Would not start, so assumed dead battery. Put charger on, wouldn't take a charge. Ended up replacing the battery only to find same issue. Come to find out initially unseen corrosion on battery cable. Cleaned and all was well until I tried to engage the PTO...nothing. No click or anything. Battery has 12VDC, 14VDC when running. It seems the PTO clutch is not receiving 12V when the switch is engaged. Yes, I have checked the switch, and it appears to be good (contacts work as expected). Seat switch is working properly. PTO clutch operates when 12V is applied (artificially, directly from the battery). Have pulled the harness connection apart that feeds the PTO clutch, gray and black wire. Odd thing is when pulled apart, I see 6VDC. When put back together, no voltage. Also when I put the connection back together, I hear a faint click at the underside of the dash where a wire bundle goes, appears to be something of an enclosed switch box or ECM of sorts. Engine won't start when this connection is pulled apart. Everything else seems to work properly. Any guidance is most appreciated!


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Howdy ChiknNutz, welcome to the tractor forum.

Have you checked the battery ground cable connection....both ends? 

Remember your safety switches come into play when engaging the PTO. A safety switch with high resistance (burned/corroded) contacts will drop voltage as you are seeing. I would normally check the seat switch first. 

On my mower, the electrical plug for the PTO melted and caused the clutch to quit working. Obviously a high resistance connection on this plug. I cut off the connector, and used wire nuts to cover the splices. Its been working fine for 2 years since. 

Good Luck.


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## ChiknNutz (Jul 1, 2017)

So I diagnosed this to be the Electronic Control Unit (per the technical manual). I wasn't totally convinced this was it but I ordered a new one anyway. Showed up today and got it installed. Sure enough, it was in fact the ECU!


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

Excellent! Thank you for the follow-up report. Could you write up a summary of steps you took to determine it was the ECU?? This will be helpful to others


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## ChiknNutz (Jul 1, 2017)

Here is an excerpt from the manual. Literally step 2. I figured it would end up being more than that, but no, that really was it.


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## Robert Taylor (Jun 3, 2020)

Can you find this manual on line?


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## dyando (Dec 21, 2021)

ChiknNutz said:


> Hello, first time poster here. I have an older JD X320 (10 years old, 860 hrs) that has so far been quite trouble free. Would not start, so assumed dead battery. Put charger on, wouldn't take a charge. Ended up replacing the battery only to find same issue. Come to find out initially unseen corrosion on battery cable. Cleaned and all was well until I tried to engage the PTO...nothing. No click or anything. Battery has 12VDC, 14VDC when running. It seems the PTO clutch is not receiving 12V when the switch is engaged. Yes, I have checked the switch, and it appears to be good (contacts work as expected). Seat switch is working properly. PTO clutch operates when 12V is applied (artificially, directly from the battery). Have pulled the harness connection apart that feeds the PTO clutch, gray and black wire. Odd thing is when pulled apart, I see 6VDC. When put back together, no voltage. Also when I put the connection back together, I hear a faint click at the underside of the dash where a wire bundle goes, appears to be something of an enclosed switch box or ECM of sorts. Engine won't start when this connection is pulled apart. Everything else seems to work properly. Any guidance is most appreciated!


i have a 2015 x320 with 700 hrs.. i also have the original john deere battery in it. my tractor would start with no problems but when i pulled the PTO nothing would happen. I would sit there for ten sometimes twenty minutes and all of a sudden the PTO would engage and work perfectly for the rest of my job. I replaced the PTO switch with no luck. I cleaned the battery terminals and all connections and still no luck. I traced all wires I could possibly trace and still no luck. I considered replacing the electronic control unit but all my research showed that if it was bad the engine wouldn't even spark. I couldn't figure out why after running for ten to thirty minutes it would start and run for the rest of the day. I thought maybe the engine heat was warming something up and after awhile it would work, but what was it or could it be, As a last resort I had my battery checked and it was only showing 158 cranking amps, I put in a new battery and now everything works instantly and perfectly. Turns out battery had enough amps to start machjne but not enough to engage PTO therefore it had to sit there with engine running until battery charged up enough to start PTO. Long story but i thought worth telling. Don


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## Ken p 411 (8 mo ago)

ChiknNutz said:


> Hello, first time poster here. I have an older JD X320 (10 years old, 860 hrs) that has so far been quite trouble free. Would not start, so assumed dead battery. Put charger on, wouldn't take a charge. Ended up replacing the battery only to find same issue. Come to find out initially unseen corrosion on battery cable. Cleaned and all was well until I tried to engage the PTO...nothing. No click or anything. Battery has 12VDC, 14VDC when running. It seems the PTO clutch is not receiving 12V when the switch is engaged. Yes, I have checked the switch, and it appears to be good (contacts work as expected). Seat switch is working properly. PTO clutch operates when 12V is applied (artificially, directly from the battery). Have pulled the harness connection apart that feeds the PTO clutch, gray and black wire. Odd thing is when pulled apart, I see 6VDC. When put back together, no voltage. Also when I put the connection back together, I hear a faint click at the underside of the dash where a wire bundle goes, appears to be something of an enclosed switch box or ECM of sorts. Engine won't start when this connection is pulled apart. Everything else seems to work properly. Any guidance is most appreciated!


I found the switch on the brake would not disengage when released. Sprayed the button with WD 40 and worked the switch with hand it started moving when released and woks fine now. Blades now engage.


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## dyando (Dec 21, 2021)

Ken p 411 said:


> I found the switch on the brake would not disengage when released. Sprayed the button with WD 40 and worked the switch with hand it started moving when released and woks fine now. Blades now engage.


 that was exactly my problem ken. I was disappointed that i had not noticed that plunger before but I thought my problem was electrical (electronic control unit, etc.) . even after wd-40 my plunger it would not release so i ended up replacing the whole unit ( eleven dollars at john deere). i had to cut the old switch off because it was riveted to frame and bolt the new one on. problem solved.


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