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John Deere 420 second ignition module to fail in a year.

5.6K views 9 replies 2 participants last post by  Chuckv  
#1 ·
Ok guys I’m at a loss. I was plowing my driveway last week and my 1987 420 died and has no spark. I got it inside my garage where it is warm and started to test things and am pretty certain my ignition module is bad. Again. I replaced it about a year and a half ago with a gray pickup wheel. The voltage when I spin the engine over goes from .998-10.7. There are a few things I’ve found along the way as well, I replaced the coil with a known working coil and saw that the condenser was hooked up to the negative instead of the positive. Also there is a starter button on the tractor I’m guessing to bypass the delay box. Is this normal to fry a module this fast? I’m thinking no but it is bringing me back to the late 90’s when I owned a 93 Z28 with the LT1 that ate the optispark module every 30k like it was it’s job. Lol Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
Update,
I checked all grounds, double checked connectors and double checked all readings on the module. Still .996-11.74. So I decided to yank the engine. I pulled the flywheel and the ring looks brand new still. I’m kind of at a loss because on paper this thing should run. I also replaced the breaker under the battery box even though I was certain it was ok.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Thank you for your reply Chuck,
I tested the coil and have two others sitting here that all test out ok. I’ve checked for spark as stated and there is nothing coming from either bank.