# 1965 Ford 3000 gas tractor- wont turn over



## markpkelly (Oct 10, 2012)

I had an electrical problem- a wire in the safety switch shorted causing other wires to short out, 

Replaced all the shorted wires
New starter *(cleaned ground wire and mounting surface)
new solenoid (cleaned off mounting bracket with sand paper)
new cole
new key switch
new regulator 
Good battery

It starts very strong and then sluggish when starting. I have been able to start it, but when I go to start it again very sluggish, and then the solenoid makes a loud clicking noise. I thought that the generator might be frozen, but turn freely,Could there be something burned up in the generator causing it not start or any other suggestion on what to try.

Thanks much,
Mark


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## Clanga (Oct 8, 2012)

Gday Mark, Couple of things come to mind, they may not help but are worth checking out.
What are the leads like from battery to starter motor/ solenoid/ ignition? I have seen poor quality or undersize wiring cuase excess voltage drop in this area and give poor starting, seems to often be worse once the machine is warm.
Also it dosent hurt to try another battery just in case the one you have is on the way out. 
Worth a look.
cheers,
Clanga


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## herdsman (Jun 7, 2012)

I'll 2nd what Clanga says - when the solenoid clicks, it's due to low voltage at the solenoid. That in turn is almost always due to a weak battery. Although it could be a cable problem, i.e. something that is causing a severe voltage drop at the solenoid, it's most likely your battery.

A generator problem might be the cause of your battery not charging correctly, but a bad generator won't stop the starter from working correctly if you've got a good fully charged battery.


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