If you have and would like to know how to adjust your hour meter to display the correct value, please take a look at my solution. (Note: it seems that many x-Series owners have either purchased a tractor with a failing or dead instrument cluster, or experienced it during ownership.)
A few weeks ago I posted a question asking for help locating a specific wiring harness connector (http://www.mytractorforum.com/12-jo...ou-replaced-your-x-series-wiring-harness.html). A few MTF members helped identify the type of plug for me - thank you again!
Now the reason behind the request: when I purchased my '03 x595 in the Spring of 2012, the hour meter LCD display was failing. At the time of sale, the hour meter showed 311 hours, but the display was dim and portions of the digits were missing. I had the JD dealer produce a document attesting to the hours on the machine. At the time, JD wanted a pretty penny for a new instrument cluster (about half of what they're going for now). I resisted for a while but finally purchased a new one. I wrapped up the old cluster and then applied a decal under the hood stating "+316.7 hours".
Over the years I've performed my maintenance and simply added the old hours to the hours on the new cluster when recording maintenance. But it always bugged me, as I thoroughly enjoy this tractor and have no intention of selling it at any point in the next few decades. So I was determined to find a way to adjust the hours to display the correct, current amount.
I tried finding the answer in the shop manual schematics but kept coming up empty. It dawned on me that the display is passive, and does not factor in to the starting & running of the tractor - it merely reports information. Armed with that insight, I unplugged the instrument cluster harness, started the tractor and then metered each pin. I thought that whatever +/- values I found would be the same values received by the instrument cluster during normal engine-on operation.
Probing the harness revealed one pin with power and 8 ground pins. So I created a small harness using the correct 20-pin connector, female pins, some 18g wire and a 12v power supply. Once complete, I attached my adaptor to the dash, crossed my fingers, and plugged the power supply in. The glow plug light came on for a moment and the hour meter started blinking.
I've added approximate 158 hours to the tractor since installing the new instrument cluster, so now it was time to pile on 316.7 more to get the tractor to the correct reading. I've done just that over the last two weeks - only plugging in the tractor's harness in order to clear the maintenance reminder that illuminates every 100 hours.
The hour meter adjustment is now done, showing the correct hours that are in the machine. Some may find this rather silly, or frown upon the action of adjusting equipment hours. I see it differently - it's my tractor that I truly enjoy and have maintained & bettered in many ways. I'd like for the display to accurately reflect the hours on the machine. I view this as the polar opposite of odometer fraud/tampering.
My initial attempts at waking up the old display:
Wiring harness connector that plugs into the instrument cluster:
The harness adaptor that I created:
Adaptor plugged in and hour meter running:
I disconnected my adaptor once the hour meter showed the correct value:
Andreas
A few weeks ago I posted a question asking for help locating a specific wiring harness connector (http://www.mytractorforum.com/12-jo...ou-replaced-your-x-series-wiring-harness.html). A few MTF members helped identify the type of plug for me - thank you again!
Now the reason behind the request: when I purchased my '03 x595 in the Spring of 2012, the hour meter LCD display was failing. At the time of sale, the hour meter showed 311 hours, but the display was dim and portions of the digits were missing. I had the JD dealer produce a document attesting to the hours on the machine. At the time, JD wanted a pretty penny for a new instrument cluster (about half of what they're going for now). I resisted for a while but finally purchased a new one. I wrapped up the old cluster and then applied a decal under the hood stating "+316.7 hours".
Over the years I've performed my maintenance and simply added the old hours to the hours on the new cluster when recording maintenance. But it always bugged me, as I thoroughly enjoy this tractor and have no intention of selling it at any point in the next few decades. So I was determined to find a way to adjust the hours to display the correct, current amount.
I tried finding the answer in the shop manual schematics but kept coming up empty. It dawned on me that the display is passive, and does not factor in to the starting & running of the tractor - it merely reports information. Armed with that insight, I unplugged the instrument cluster harness, started the tractor and then metered each pin. I thought that whatever +/- values I found would be the same values received by the instrument cluster during normal engine-on operation.
Probing the harness revealed one pin with power and 8 ground pins. So I created a small harness using the correct 20-pin connector, female pins, some 18g wire and a 12v power supply. Once complete, I attached my adaptor to the dash, crossed my fingers, and plugged the power supply in. The glow plug light came on for a moment and the hour meter started blinking.
I've added approximate 158 hours to the tractor since installing the new instrument cluster, so now it was time to pile on 316.7 more to get the tractor to the correct reading. I've done just that over the last two weeks - only plugging in the tractor's harness in order to clear the maintenance reminder that illuminates every 100 hours.
The hour meter adjustment is now done, showing the correct hours that are in the machine. Some may find this rather silly, or frown upon the action of adjusting equipment hours. I see it differently - it's my tractor that I truly enjoy and have maintained & bettered in many ways. I'd like for the display to accurately reflect the hours on the machine. I view this as the polar opposite of odometer fraud/tampering.
My initial attempts at waking up the old display:
Wiring harness connector that plugs into the instrument cluster:
The harness adaptor that I created:
Adaptor plugged in and hour meter running:
I disconnected my adaptor once the hour meter showed the correct value:
Andreas