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Q:I'd like to know what group size battery to use to replace the one in my circa 1986 John Deere 318 garden tractor. A: Yes you are correct, your hydrostatic transmission is failing and it will only get worse. I think any John Deere 318 is worth repairing.
A: First of all take off the side covers and completely blow the engine out with an air compressor. That will probably take care of everything. I have wondered about the later Onan setup on the Deere tractors, with an electronic switch, but including a capacitor at the 12V supply terminal.Q: I have a 318 John Deere I dragged out of the edge of the neighbors woods. It had been there for at least two years. I have installed a new starter, repaired the charging system, and removed about a ten pound rats nest from under the engine covers and behind the flywheel. It fired today and I expect it will run when I reinstall the gas tank with fresh fuel. I am about to start to work on the rest of the tractor. It needs a lot of things freed up due to sitting out in the weather. The hydrostat lever and the hydraulic levers on the left side of the tractor will not move. I was hoping you might have a suggestion as to the cause of this and an idea what might be needed to remedy this. I do expect to have to do repairs to the hydrostat / hydraulic system as this tractor has been towed 250 -300 feet by me very gently and slow. I think this tractor is a 1987 model. We have several other John Deere's, a 430 and a nicely restored (by us) 1949 A, previously a 400, and several others among brothers and sisters. At the same time, current exits the coil's primary winding and begins to charge up the capacitor (condenser) that lies across the now-open breaker points. This capacitor and the coil’s primary winding form an oscillating LC circuit. This LC circuit produces a damped, oscillating current which bounces energy between the capacitor’s electric field and the ignition coil’s magnetic field. The oscillating current in the coil’s primary, which produces an oscillating magnetic field in the coil, extends the high voltage pulse at the output of the secondary winding. This high voltage thus continues beyond the time of the initial field collapse pulse. The oscillation continues until the circuit’s energy is consumed. Q: I am in the process of putting a front end loader on my John Deere 318. Is the pump on the tractor big enough to run the loader, from the existing valve and front outputs? Or would I be better off to get another pump and run it off of the front or rear PTO?
A: You could try putting a smaller pulley on the gear box, as that would speed up your snowblower. If you get the John Deere 2 stage you will need to buy a lot of suitcase weights and wheel weights. I have new Berco 2 stage snowblowers available for your tractor. If you enjoy tinkering with your John Deere – or you’re trying to troubleshoot a problem you’ve been having – I recommend getting a copy of a John Deere User’s Manual to reference. Try searching online if you don’t have one already. For instance, this comprehensive manual for the John Deere 318 also covers the 316 and 420 as well – it’s available here, at MANUALSDIR.com.
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Q: I have a John Deere 318 lawn tractor that has the 18 hp Onan engine. It does not idle well, the RPM goes up and down. Can you steer me in the right direction to fix this problem?
The condenser in a conventional points type ignition is there to suppress arcing at the points, which slows the collapse of the magnetic field in the coil (which is a transformer -- converting the low voltage 12 volts to many thousands of volts during the rapid change in magnetic field strength...) and to provide a 'tuned' LC circuit. The points and condenser are on the low voltage side of the system and would never see 12,000 volts. An open condenser in that style of ignition will severely shorten the life of the points themselves and cause the ignition to not be very 'hot' -- particularly at higher RPMs. A shorted condenser in that same style of ignition system will keep the engine from running... A properly operating condenser forms a tuned circuit with the inductance of the primary side of the coil. When the points open, this breaks the primary winding's circuit and abruptly stops the current through the breaker points. Without the steady current through the points, the magnetic field generated in the coil immediately and rapidly collapses. This change in the magnetic field induces a high voltage in the coil's secondary winding. Q: Jim I have a 1986 John Deere 318, great machine. In the past, a couple times over different years, the motor has cut out. Like it is starving for gas. I have put a new filter on the line, but don't know if that solved the issue. It is a sporadic issue. The inline filter I have put on it is clear and I can see the fuel in the filter. The filter never seems to fill, it is always semi full. I would think the pump would have the draw to keep the system full, air tight? How does one know if the pump is working to capacity? I'm wondering if the fuel line has a screen in the fuel tank that needs to be cleaned.A: That clear plastic tube should be connected from the lower part of the rear end to the top part of the rear end. Fill the transmission until the tube is full in that glass window. At first, it was a few sputters but now its a full blown barely start and not run long. In the past, letting it just sit for a few minutes would clear it up.
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