# JD 3020 starter full of dirt!



## sixoklok (Oct 3, 2015)

Hi all, 1st post here.
We've had this 3020 for over 25 years and it's always been in use for loading, mowing, snowblowing etc. Lately turning over very slow and drawing lots of amps. Good fully charged battery, good cables, no V-drop, etc. Starter was tough to pull out because-no I'm not nuts-the cavity around the nose-cone was full of dirt/clay, packed in as if by hand and tools. Between the flywheel and block there are clumps of heavy clay. I then removed the inspection plate under the clutch and discovered the same.

The only time I can ever remember that belly being close to dirt or water is during spring '97. We had 3 feet of water for ~2 weeks which left behind silt in all kinds of places around the farm. But that's nearly 20 years ago!

Rear main does leak some oil, and there is most certainly some clutch friction mixed in, but clutch works great, and this would probably fill a 2 gallon bucket!

Incidentally, the starter brushes and bushings are in good condition. The splines on armature were caked with dirt and the whole assembly wouldn't slide over all the way(packed with dirt). I will be cleaning this out today, but am curious:

Has anyone ever seen this? Ideas?


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

Howdy sixoklok,

Good to have you here at the tractor forum.

Most of the debris that I've cleaned out of my Ford starter has been from the starter and clutch debris.


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## sixoklok (Oct 3, 2015)

*Fixed*

Hi all, I just thought I'd follow up on my question, even if it has been a few weeks. As it turns out, the armature was bad(several opens). This starter had been "rebuilt" many years back(still original Delco) and brushes/bushings all looked great. 

We've also cleaned out most of the junk behind the engine(mostly clutch mixed with oil) and this thing turns over as fast as my Subaru!

Electronic ignition will be the next upgrade.


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Howdy sixoklok,

Thanks for sharing this experience. Very interesting and may be helpful to someone down the line when they suffer flood damage.


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## jd110 (Nov 23, 2015)

I am betting the flood caused all the dirt. We had a 6620 combine years ago that was totally under water for 24 hours. There was so much silt in the machine everywhere, that the tires were nearly flat from all the excess weight. We rented a pump from local fire dept and pumped water through grain bins, augers and everywhere you can think of. There was mud inside cab, engine, hydraulic system, etc. Probably should of totaled it, but we fixed it up since it was nearly new. Overhauled the engine, hydraulic system, and hydro. REplaced every bearing in it and replaced complete cab.


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