I used to think that headlights on a snowblower was a waste of money. That is until I had to clear snow every 2 hours during the night to keep up with a blizzard. Without these headlights, I would have been fish out of water. This article will show you how to replace your faulty light bulbs
Purpose
How to troubleshoot, repair or replace a broken headlight on a snow blower.
Applicability
This John Deere Halogen Headlight Bulb (12 volt, 20 watt) adn Bulb Socket fit John Deere 1028E, 1330se, 1332pe, 1338pe, Simplicity L1730e, Murray 1330se and other similarly equipped models (more detail info here).
Required Tools
- Flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
- You only need a multi-meter if your new replacement bulb did not fix the problem. If you don’t own one, read my quick review of several decent ones here
Replacement Parts
There only two, user replaceable parts on a John Deere 1330SE (part numbers and links in the table below):
| Item # | Part # | Descriptions |
|---|---|---|
| 0010-00 | 1739686YP | Light bar assembly |
| 0010-10 | n/a | Lense, RH, not serviceable, included as part of item # 010 assembly |
| 0010-20 | n/a | Lense, LH, not serviceable, included as part of item # 010 assembly |
| 0010-30 | 1739689YP | Briggs and Stratton Halongen Lamp, OEM, Click here to buy |
| 0010-40 | 1736180YP | Briggs and Stratton Lamp Socket, OEM, 1 socket (1), Click here to buy |
| 0010-50 | n/a | Gasket, Single, Twin Light (Included in Part# 1736190YP) |
| 0010-60 | n/a | Bezel, light panel, not serviceable, included as part of item # 010 assembly |
(1) Older (original) parts manual stated that these sockets were only available as part of a large light assembly. However, you can now purchase these sockets individually.
Troubleshooting steps
STEP # 1 – WIRING HARNESS
Thankfully, wiring connections are fairly straightforward. Since John Deere never published a technician’s manual, I manually traced the wire connections from my functional JD 1330se.
- Link to Wiring Harness Diagram for the Auger Group
- Link to Wiring Harness Diagram for the Handle Group
Compare your wiring harness against my diagrams to make sure that all connections are correct and secure.
STEP # 2 – CHECK THE GROUND WIRE
Due to heavy vibration, it is not uncommon to see loose nuts and washers. Usually, if your voltage exceeds 12v, it probably means something is going on with your ground terminal.
If you find the ground terminal all crusty and rusted out, you will need to completely remove it and clean thoroughly wire brush/vinegar/baking soda, then apply some NOALOX before re-attaching it to the engine.
STEP # 3 – CHECK THE PLUGS:
There are 4 terminal connections to 2 lights. Check to make sure that they are not corroded and are firmly seated.
STEP # 4 – CHECK THE BULBS:
Obviously, if you see some melting going around at the base of the bulb (socket), it is a clear indication that your bulb/wiring connection is bad. I would replace BOTH light bulbs at the same time.
If everything looks okay, just remember that you can’t really tell a bad halogen bulb just by looking at it so you need to use a multi-meter to test it. A good bulb should have a resistance of (almost) zero ohm.
STEP # 5 – CHECK THE BASE SOCKET:
Check the socket for any signs of corrosion and/or melting. You also want to make sure that all metal tabs are in their correct positions so that when you insert a light bulb, they will make full contact with the bulb.
Hopefully, your lighting problem was solved following these steps. Since these halogen bulbs are not that bright, fairly expensive and prone to failure, I am going to take up on one of my readers comments and do a quick project to see if I can convert my Halogen bulbs to non-OEM LED bulbs (Click here for the Converting to Non-OEM Headlights on John Deere 1330SE Snow Blower post).
FINAL WORDS
Trying to fix the bulb issue on a snow blower is like trying to find that elusive one broken bulb on in Christmas string lights. It takes time and patience.
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Thanks and good luck with your snow thrower!
Hi,
I have similar problems with my JD 1330 SE. Some things that I’ve experienced: The voltage control went bad. Replaced it to the tune of $90 CDN. Headlight bulb went bad. Can’t find where to get a reasonable priced replacement bulb. Not paying $16. CDN for that little bulb. Noticed that the other headlight was going dim and flickering on and off yesterday. Checked the output of the new regulator and it is 12.3 volts DC. So examined the wiring harness and noticed sparks coming from under the control panel where all the wiring runs to the headlights.. There I found two shorted wires that had chaffed against the brackets that the wires were running thru.. Taped them up for now and now my electric motors for the chute and diverter are working again. The other headlight don’t work now so the JOHN DEERE 1330 SE is lightless.. The thumb switches are garbage on these machines. They regularly arc out inside rendering them useless. I’ve been taking the switches apart and cleaning the contacts inside the switches with a modified fingernail emery board & testing them with my multi meter before re-installing them on the machine. A pain in the butt to say the least. The chute on this 1330SE is somewhat restricted in the centre so when the snow is wet & heavy it becomes plugged. It is extremely slow in reverse and number (1) forward. Handles are angled down too much causing it to be very difficult to keep the front of the snow blower raised especially when backing up. All things taken into consideration The J/D 1330 SE is a pricy poorly designed monster.
Hi Dave-
Thanks for the detailed comment. As far as the clogging is concerned, try the silicone spray I mentioned. It works pretty well.
Thanks
Kevin
I enjoy my 1330SE!!!!!! My driveway is 600 feet long. Yes, I plow it, but have drop offs. I use the blower to get rid of the wind row(s). Also, my decks are very large and use the blower for them and the walkways.
The switches for the chutes lasted on mine for 5 years. I replaced them this year when they started to fail, I matched up switches from NAPA auto parts store and was able to replace both switches for the price of from the JD dealer.
Hi Jeff-
Thanks for your comment! Yes, I like my 1330se as well. I just have to do a better job of clearing out rocks around my property, lol.
Tried to replace burnt out 12V 20 watt halogen lightbulb with a 1156 LED backup (clear) bulb. Did not work at all.
It appears red (hot) wire socket electrode contacts the steel casing of the side of this bulb and the green (ground)socket wire electrode contacts the base of the bulb. Is this backwards or am I mistaken in thinking this socket should be wired the other way around. Would this cause the LED bulb not to work?
Kevin,
Thanks so much for the great web site and the forethought you have given to it! My JD dealer was of very little help so being able to find a wiring diagram for the 1330SE seemed an impossibility until I happened on your site.
I have always hated the wire rat’s nest under the cover panel and the less than efficient cable harness routing and attachment to the frame/handles; wiring is obviously not the assemblers forte.
I am in the process of converting to the LED bulbs (BA15s 1156 G18 parking light model from RCTTCO on ebay since they are no longer available at auto parts stores). That should remedy the faulty halogen bulb issue..
Take care and thanks again.
@ Bill-
Thank you so much for leaving me your thoughtful comment. I am going to follow suit and try your parts!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kevin