Hello all. I took the side panels of to paint and putting everything back together the 318 with a kohler repower wont turnover anymore. When the key is turned the dashboard lights come on but as soon as I turn the key to start the dash lights go off and nothing happens! Just dead. Is this a ground issue? Don’t remember where exactly the group of three ground wires from the switch/hour meter attached to. (Under the side panel on the frame or if they were attached to the side panel by a bolt?) tried to sand the fresh paint off of the area’s where I thought ground went but still nothing. Thanks in advance for any help with this.
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Is your battery fully charged and are both cables clean and making good connections to the battery terminals? If your dash lights come on, you likely have a ground and the issue may be something else.
Deere used 2 different ways to ground the 318. Some had ground wires connected to the right hand side panel under the battery tray and some were connected in the harness and were grounded where the negative battery cable grounds to the engine.
Retrace your steps. if you have ground wires under the battery tray, make sure they make a connection to bare metal on the side panel and the side panel needs to be grounded to the frame. If you painted the underneath side of the side panel, it's possible your bolts are touching paint and the panel is not grounded to the frame. The side panels also connect to the front panel so most likely even though you painted your panels they may be grounded through one of the side bolts where it connects to the front panel. You can check with a continuity meter if you are in doubt.
If you took wires off the ignition switch, did you reconnect them in the proper positions?
Did you remove any other wires from the tractor?
Deere used 2 different ways to ground the 318. Some had ground wires connected to the right hand side panel under the battery tray and some were connected in the harness and were grounded where the negative battery cable grounds to the engine.
Retrace your steps. if you have ground wires under the battery tray, make sure they make a connection to bare metal on the side panel and the side panel needs to be grounded to the frame. If you painted the underneath side of the side panel, it's possible your bolts are touching paint and the panel is not grounded to the frame. The side panels also connect to the front panel so most likely even though you painted your panels they may be grounded through one of the side bolts where it connects to the front panel. You can check with a continuity meter if you are in doubt.
If you took wires off the ignition switch, did you reconnect them in the proper positions?
Did you remove any other wires from the tractor?
Thanks for the advice Mike. When the onan was replaced with the kohler commander engine the solenoid was removed and the wires were connected to what I believe is a solenoid that sits on top of the starter on the kohler engine. I bought this 318 second hand so I don’t know if that was the correct way to route the wires or not. There is also a relay that is wired to the starter and looks like the front PTO unit connection. I notice that while the key was on the dash lights went out so I moved the inline fuse holders around ( flat blade) and the lights would blink a little bit. The fuse holder looks like corrosion has built up on the fuse so im going to try and replace the fuse holder wires with new ones and maybe that will help. I will have to make sure the switch is wired correctly because that was changed too. Would the brake pedal safely be an issue? I will have to find that underneath somewhere I’m guessing. I’m going to replace the battery cables with new ones tonight to see if that helps. It’s a new battery so im not sure what’s going on. Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated!Ted.
Ted, what is the serial number of your tractor? After a certain serial number, Deere added a switch on the brake pedal. If you have the brake switch, you need to press on the brake when cranking the tractor.
Recheck the wiring on the ignition switch and for sure fix any loose wiring that is causing lights to flicker.
There is a 25Amp circuit breaker located under the battery box on the right hand side panel. You likely removed it for painting. Those breakers fail with age but also, if the wires are just pressed onto the studs, sometimes they do not make good connections. It’s best to bolt the wires to the circuit breaker studs. Most auto parts stores sell the breakers if you need a new one.
Recheck the wiring on the ignition switch and for sure fix any loose wiring that is causing lights to flicker.
There is a 25Amp circuit breaker located under the battery box on the right hand side panel. You likely removed it for painting. Those breakers fail with age but also, if the wires are just pressed onto the studs, sometimes they do not make good connections. It’s best to bolt the wires to the circuit breaker studs. Most auto parts stores sell the breakers if you need a new one.
Thanks mike. I will work on your advice and let you know what happens. Thanks again.
Serial number is M00318X230016.
Hello Mike. Got the 318 to start. I believe that the relay was bad. I switched out the old fuse wiring with new ones and also added a new circuit breaker with washer and nut fasteners as well as new battery cables while I was at it. Now the only problem is when I go to shut it off it still runs for roughly 10 seconds before it finally stops the engine. Strange to me. It’s a new switch that I put in and the connector will only fit one way so I believe it’s wired correctly. Any ideas? Thanks for your time. TedThanks mike. I will work on your advice and let you know what happens. Thanks again.
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