MF 165 Starter Problems
 

Since I see we have some tractor knowledge out here let me throw my problem out there. I got a Massey Fergusson Model 165 Perkins diesel. Battery stays charged and I can hook the jumper cables up to the starter and it fires right up every time. Without the jumper cables from the truck you turn the key and it does nothin. Doesn't even try to turn over, just dead.

I won't hook the jumper cables to the battery anymore, scared the hell out a me last year when I exploded the battery doing this, so now it is right to the starter and a ground.

sounds like you have a bad cable of a bad connection........it really doesnt take much to foul up a connection, pull it all apart and clean em real good

Have you had the battery load tested? They can stay charged but still be no good if a cell is bad.

I have put new cables on it and nothing changed, but I haven't had the battery load tested. This is the third battery though so I don't suspect that to be the problem, but I will pull it this afternoon and run it into Auto Zone. It used to start just fine on it own and one day nothing, so the original battery was the first one. When this happened I replaced it thinking that was the obviuous problem. Then the new battery had the same results, so I returned it the next day and got a replacement, same thing.

If it's new chances are it's fine but never hurts to check. Does the starter engage and try to turn it over? Could be an issue with the solenoid or the relay.

I can put jumper cables on the battery or the starter and it fires right up first crank, every time. Without the cables it don't do nothin, completely dead. I even thought maybe the starter was goin bad, but seems strange that it would start so easy hooked up to the truck and so nothin without the truck if it was the starter. But I don't know. I just been runnin it like this for a years or so, just cause I refuse to throw parts at it, to the tune of a $300 starter.

Have you checked for a neutral switch, best i remember that tractor has that.

Look for wires coming out of tranny.

It does have the nuetral safety switch, but when it's engaged it won't do anything no matter what's hooked up to it.

bad cell in battery and or not a big enough battery for the diesel ?

my book shows it should have a group 30H battery in it

Think I got this thing narrowed down. How can I tell if it is a 6 volt or 12 volt. It has a normal 12volt alternator on it that replaced the stock generator before I got it years ago. BUT on this alternator there is two spade connectors coming off of it, on my tractor it has the right connector for two but only one wire going to it. So am I only running 6 volts here with one wire. I can't find any markings on the starter or the regulator saying 6 or 12. The only 6 volts I have ever dealt with ran the reverse polarity with the positive terminal being ground to the frame.