# TED20 Wont Engage Starter



## benbow

I have a TE20 Furgeson.

I have been using it without trouble for some time now. WHen i was out slashing grass the other day it simply died. 

I was forced to tow it back the shed to work on it.

When i turn the key to start the tractor, then shift gear lever up to Start, All i can hear is the starter motor engage with a short "shud" sound. as if the starter tries to spin but cannot. STARTER MOTOR WONT TURN OVER. not a fuel issue.

i dont know alot about tractors. is my starter motor dead or the gear on the inside that the starter runs siezed?. or oil weight to heavy. 

I can see and feel the shaft on the head of the starter towards the front trying to spin, but it seems like something inside has siezed or something..


help would be much appreciated


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## benbow

scratch that...

found starter to be working fine. but starter will not drive fly wheel.. is my engine siezed?


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## ErnieS

Could be... try pulling the spark plugs. Will it turn over now?
Try putting it in 4th gear and towing it forward. (still without plugs)
You say it "simply died" describe how it stopped. Did it loose power over a couple minutes, or simple stop as if you shut it off or it ran out of fuel?


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## benbow

ErnieS said:


> Could be... try pulling the spark plugs. Will it turn over now?
> Try putting it in 4th gear and towing it forward. (still without plugs)
> You say it "simply died" describe how it stopped. Did it loose power over a couple minutes, or simple stop as if you shut it off or it ran out of fuel?


Gday from Australia Ernie. 
The tractor did not die slowly... It simply stopped. It just lost its revs and came to a halt. I tried pulling the plugs and no change from the starter trying to spin the wheel inside tractor. Im thinking she's seized but not sure. What options do I have or is there another way to diagnose my problem. Many thanks -Jim-


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## rocket

What are the oil and water levels like? And did the engine make any cracking/creaking type noises after it stopped/seized?

From what you've said above, it doesn't look good. Fingers crossed it's something other than a seizure though.

Cheers


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## benbow

rocket said:


> What are the oil and water levels like? And did the engine make any cracking/creaking type noises after it stopped/seized?
> 
> From what you've said above, it doesn't look good. Fingers crossed it's something other than a seizure though.
> 
> Cheers


i dont think so rocket it just stopped no noise.

this is the run down.
1. I turn ignition key on 
2. I engage starter by shifting gear lever up up to 'S' 
3. Starter motor starts with a 'shud' sound (which is the gearing on the internal shaft of the starter motor grinding on the gears of the flywheel) 
4. nothing else.

no spark from plugs or anythin, distributor not going.. (im not sure but i figure that is because engine not cranking over..) 

or should the plugs be sparking???????


yeh so im lost.. oil levels are all good. Is there any tricks to diagnose the problem.

or last resort is she buggered and should i throw her away lol haha


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## rocket

benbow said:


> i dont think so rocket it just stopped no noise.
> 
> this is the run down.
> 1. I turn ignition key on
> 2. I engage starter by shifting gear lever up up to 'S'
> 3. Starter motor starts with a 'shud' sound (which is the gearing on the internal shaft of the starter motor grinding on the gears of the flywheel)
> 4. nothing else.
> 
> no spark from plugs or anythin, distributor not going.. (im not sure but i figure that is because engine not cranking over..)
> 
> or should the plugs be sparking???????
> 
> 
> yeh so im lost.. oil levels are all good. Is there any tricks to diagnose the problem.
> 
> or last resort is she buggered and should i throw her away lol haha


One possibility is that it ran out of water/coolant and overheated/siezed. If the water level is fine, then it didn't run out of water. Open/remove the radiator cap and check the water level. You should be able to see water in the top, if the water level is fine.

As for the noise, if it overheated due to lack of coolant, then *after* it came to a grinding halt, there may have been some metal expansion/creaking going on. It's also possible it overheated a few uses ago, and finally failed now.

I wouldn't worry about spark just yet. You need the motor turning over before you will get spark. As suggested above, put the tractor in 4th gear, and pull/tow it with your car or another tractor. See if the tyres turn or if one (or both) of them skids.

Cheers


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## Sanddawg

I'm no tractor expert, just have a good mechanical back ground in repairing machines! The following is what I would do.

First off go buy yourself the* BEST SERVICE / MAINTENANCE MANUAL * that you can find for the TED-20. The cost of the manual will pay itself back with in hours of starting your repair. Saving you time, money and frustration in not having to repeatedly tear the tractor down and put it back together to find the problem. Do it once and do it right!

You said you towed the tractor home, so transmission going in and out of gear freely, rear end differential, rear brakes shouldn't be the problem if no tire skidding occurred while towing it in neutral. Starter turns freely: *Is the Battery fully charged?* All wire connections tight and clean? All grounding cables tight and surfaces underneath shiney bare metal, scrape paint and rust off metal frame an tighten cable terminals (put some Dielectric grease on top to keep bare metal from rusting underneath terminals)? How's the Bendix on the end of the starter look? Gear teeth still good and not rounded off? Flush the starter Bendix out with WD-40 or brake cleaner and apply a dab or spray a little lithium grease onto the shaft. While you have the starter out check your flywheel ring gear...is it still mounted to the flywheel securely, does the gear teeth look good and not rounded off? Get a flash light and mechanic's mirror and see if you can get a good look at the clutch...anything look wrong or seized? If you can, is there any debris at the bottom of the engine bell housing below the clutch plates? Have someone press and release clutch pedal while you observe the clutch plates for movement.

I suggest draining the engine oil into a clean bucket, check the oil for metal fines / chips, pour oil through a loose knit T-shirt or cloth into another clean bucket and see what sticks to the cloth. Look at filter closely, tap it out on a news paper look for metal chips. Hopefully there are none, if there is then that's a sign of engine seizure. You can replace the filter and oil back into tractor as long as you used clean buckets and no dirt fell into the oil (may want to filter it again just before pouring oil back into the engine). After you get tractor running I suggest a full fluid change, antifreeze, engine oil, hydraulic/transmission oil and any an all filters if not done in a while.

If you will be removing the hood / fuel tank and possibly the radiator, now's the time to plan ahead. When you find the problem and the engine is still in good shape and not seized. Now's the time to check anything and everything possible that may need to be adjusted or replaced due to age / wear & tear...radiator hoses, fan belts, thermostat, check timing chain / gears for wear, check governor for wear and lube / adjust linkages. ETC. 

The following advice is hard for me to do myself cause I want to get the job done ASAP. If you get frustrated / mad about something not going right or aligning correctly, walk away for awhile, do something else and and get your head right. When you return to the repair job, it will go right together almost every time!

Plan ahead have all parts, fluids, seals, gaskets and tools required an it will go smoothly.

Just trying to suggest a starting point for you to begin your repair, hope my suggestions help!

:cheers:

Best of luck to you!!


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## benbow

Thankyou mate. Thankyou for helping me. I will try what you have suggested and keep you posted.. Many thanks once again


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## Sanddawg

Have a question for you. What kind of fuel blend were you running in your tractor? From trying to find out more on your TED-20, read that it uses a TVO (Tractor Vaporizing Oil) engine.

Standard Motor Co.
Engine model #20S TVO
Cylinder-4
Capacity-2,088cc
Bore-85mm
Stroke-92mm
Max Power-23.9, 25.4bhp
Fuel-TVO
TE-D20, TE-E20, TE-L20, 

Here's Manual link with some TED-20 info.:

http://hem.passagen.se/ince/alla.pdf

and another manual link:

http://www.1260engineer.com/media/Blog folder/TE20.pdf


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