59 Power Major not starting

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Soukup
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59 Power Major not starting

Post by Soukup »

Hello everyone,

I have a 1959 Power major, which I had running maybe 6 times without any problem with starting. I have new battery which I have allways taken out and put on charger to stay in condition. Yesterday I came to it, put the battery in, filled the radiator with water and tried to start.

It turned very slowly like the battery is dead. So I recharged the battery during the night. I tried it today and it was the same. After few tries the started got hot.

Does anyone have a clue, what could happened? In every previous ocasion it was instantly running, like miracle. :(

Thank you in advance.

John b
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by John b »

Hi, check the battery first, voltage and amps. Check all the leads and connections, make sure they are clean and tight both ends with no corrosion. If that all checks out then it sounds like a problem with the starter motor, often taking it apart and giving it a good clean will sort it. It may be just stuck brushes in there, or they have worn right down and will need replacing
John
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by Billy26F5 »

You might also want to check the solenoid, but always start with the battery, see if a jump lead will get you started, if it does clean the connectors and poles and evaluate the battery. If with jump leads you don't start check all wires, connections, the solenoid and the starter as John says.
Sandy
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Soukup
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by Soukup »

Well I pulled apart the starter motor to inspect of I can see anything. A lot of aluminium balls rolled out of the housing when I dissassembled it. Then I noticed, that behing the brushes that are connected to the comutator end and not to the coils there is melted surface like there was some arcing. This would also explain the smoke coming from the comutator end when I tried to start.

Does anyone know what could cause this? And what could I do to fix it?

The brushes themselves seem OK, they still have a lot of material on them.

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by Billy26F5 »

That doesn't sound good. Inspect the commutator end plate and commutator for damage, it sounds like the commutator end plate has melted. Some pics will help to see what's happened.
Sandy
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Soukup
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by Soukup »

I disassembled the starter completelly and I found that one of the brushes was actually worn. It was this one, that had the surface melted underneath.
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I changed the brush and now Iam wondering about the backplate. What could I do to repair it. I thought about making a plate with threads to mount the brush housing and placing it from the outside of the backplate. This backplate should be then connected to the earth?

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John b
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by John b »

You could try filling the melted surface of the backplate with JB Weld or similar, file it back flat and very accurately re-drill the holes. Re-fit the brush holder with an added plate on the back as you describe for extra strength. If it is fitted in the correct place i can't see any reason that it wouldn't work
John
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major not starting

Post by Billy26F5 »

Looks like the brush being worn went unnoticed, a bit like someone held the starter lever down with a poor battery (poor enough for the starter not to turn), eventually causing overheating and melting stuff as a result. John's solution sounds good.
Sandy
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