Electrical problem again

[Toolmanbill 32]

The volt meter on my 1994 314-8 is buried in the negative direction.the bettery which is only 3  onths old is dowh to 11.7 volts.what charges the battery in these tractors?any help would be much appricated.

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,329]

 

[953 nut 55,393]

Below is a wiring diagram for the charging portion of your wiring. It sounds like you battery is not being recharged. The first thing to do is clean and tighten ALL electrical connections including grounds and charge the battery. Your voltage regulator is located in the flywheel cover of the engine. With the ignition key in the on position (not running) you should read full battery voltage (12.7+/- DC Volts) on the center terminal of the regulator. If you have a good reading there, start the engine and bring the RPMs up to near full throttle and you should read 36 Volts AC between the two outer terminals of the regulator.

Let us know what you find.

 

[lynnmor 7,321]

3 hours ago, Toolmanbill said:

The volt meter on my 1994 314-8 is buried in the negative direction.the bettery which is only 3  onths old is dowh to 11.7 volts.what charges the battery in these tractors?any help would be much appricated.

 

 

For the voltmeter to read backwards it sounds like the battery cables are reversed or a battery charger is connected wrong.  11.7 volts is a dead battery.

[8ntruck 7,034]

Do you have a volt meter or an ammeter?  Volt meters measure voltage, ammeters measure current flow.  I don't recall ever seeking a volt meter on a vehicle that has negative readings.

 

Generally, volt meters start at 0 and go to some positive number, somewhere around 20 on our tractors - I'm not sure, 'cause none of my machines have a volt meter.

 

Ammeters usually go from a negative number on the left side to a positive number on the right side, with 0 in the middle.  With a correctly wired ammeter, a reading on the negative side means that power is being drawn from the battery.  A positive reading means that the battery is being charged.  If the ammeter is connected backwards, the readings will be backwards.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,070]

 

[Rick3478 428]

These voltmeters are what's called suppressed-zero in the industry, meaning that the suspension is rotated such that only the upper portion of the range is displayed.  So if voltage is less than the bottom of the range, yeah it will be against the peg.

 

It is possible for meters to get "stuck" if there is internal dirt, damage, or corrosion.

 

- so -

 

Does the darn thing work?  Meaning does the tractor continue to start and run, or is the battery going dead?

 

If everything keeps working, the meter could be bad.

 

If the battery is not charging, I would be more worried about that and get that problem fixed, the meter may be fine.

 

Having said that, the Magnum engine rectifier/regulator module is on the front upper cooling shroud tin by the carburetor.  They are usually pretty reliable, but also easy to change, and they do rely on their mounting screws for ground to the engine.  And then there's the wiring - wiggle, jiggle, clean, replace as needed.

 

[Lane Ranger 10,974]

I had to change one of those magnum

Rectifiers o n one of our Toro Wheel Horses one time.  The tractor was not starting right and it turned out a mouse had gotten in the housing and chewed on one of the rectifiers wires.   It was shorting out. Ordered replacement on eBay and biggest issue was getting tines off the magnum.  
 

Runs and starts good like a clock five years years   Checking your voltage at various points is a good thing to do to I D or isolate the problem!

 

[Toolmanbill 32]

Trying to diagnose this problem with limited electrical knowledge.I’m hoping it’s the rectifier because it’s easier to replace than the stater.trying the suggestion from 953 this morning. Thanks to all.also how hard is it to replace the stator?from the looks of it with my knowledge it might have to go back to the dealer again (ouch)!

Edited August 17 by Toolmanbill

[Toolmanbill 32]

Tried 953nut suggestions.battery at main terminals read 11.7 volts.same reading at center terminal of rectifier with key on.with motor running outside terminals read 25 volts.what does this mean?

[pfrederi 17,743]

Stator should be putting out  at least 28 volts  Where you running the engine fairly fast or just idle?  If you get 28 volts or better with engine running faster stator is OK

 

 

[953 nut 55,393]

1 hour ago, Toolmanbill said:

Tried 953nut suggestions.battery at main terminals read 11.7 volts.same reading at center terminal of rectifier with key on.with motor running outside terminals read 25 volts.what does this mean?

Did you charge your battery and it is still reading 11.7 volts DC? Do you have access to another volt meter? If the battery in your multimeter is going bad it will not give correct readings.

The fact that you are getting readings of voltage from the correct terminals of the rectifier makes me think the meter you are using may not be accurate.

[Toolmanbill 32]

Took a shot because it was cheaper and easier and replaced the rectifier.no change.the voltmeter on the dashboard and the headlights flicker when the engine is running.does this possibly mean a loose wire?my next step is to replace the stator.can anyone tell me how difficult this could be?

[Ed Kennell 38,329]

5 minutes ago, Toolmanbill said:

my next step is to replace the stator.

Did you measure the AC voltage across the stator leads with the engine running?

[lynnmor 7,321]

2 hours ago, Toolmanbill said:

Took a shot because it was cheaper and easier and replaced the rectifier.no change.the voltmeter on the dashboard and the headlights flicker when the engine is running.does this possibly mean a loose wire?my next step is to replace the stator.can anyone tell me how difficult this could be?

If you checked the connections like you said in post #10, the stator should be OK, just be sure that you used the AC (alternating current) scale and the engine is running fast.  I just wanted to add myto what ED said.  The output terminal on the regulator should be over 13 volts DC between it and ground at speed well above idle.  Also be sure that the regulator is grounded well.

[953 nut 55,393]

2 hours ago, Toolmanbill said:

Took a shot because it was cheaper and easier and replaced the rectifier.no change.the voltmeter on the dashboard and the headlights flicker when the engine is running.does this possibly mean a loose wire?my next step is to replace the stator.can anyone tell me how difficult this could be?

Have you confirmed the previous voltage readings with a good multimeter? Hate to see anyone waste money replacing perfectly good parts. The fact that you were getting a reading from the two stator leads makes me think it could be good, just not reading right on a defective meter. Please don't throw new parts at it until you know what, if anything, isn't working properly.

Flickering lights could very well be a loose wire or a corroded fuse holder but has nothing to do with your charging system

To replace the stator you will need to remove the flywheel cover and the flywheel. If you have the correct puller to remove the flywheel it is not a bad job.

[Toolmanbill 32]

Going to retrace reading with voltmeter today.hope for the best.

[Ed Kennell 38,329]

47 minutes ago, Toolmanbill said:

Going to retrace reading with voltmeter today.hope for the best.

Remove the stator leads from the RR and measure the AC voltage across those leads.

The voltage should vary directly with the engine RPM peaking at 28-36 VAC at 3600 RPM.

[Toolmanbill 32]

With my limited knowledge I think I finally fixed this issue.THANKFULLY.seems the rectifier replacement was the right way to go.the flickering headlights and the fluttering voltmeter was due to a defective fuse.it was not blown but I think the internal was damaged.soon as I changed the fuse all the flickering stopped.battery is also fully charged.Thanks again for all your help!