Charging System Test & Diagnose

[bc.gold 3,403]

Video credits: THEMOWERMEDIC1

 

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by bcgold

[Mickwhitt 4,647]

Fantastic!   I'm going to check my kohler on the C-125 as im not sure its charging. 

This tells me what I need to know.

Thanks for sharing it.

[Mickwhitt 4,647]

I just tried the checks shown on the video.

30.1v AC from the stator, 14v DC from the charging wire.

So all looks OK.

By the way I fitted a volt meter into the dash and that shows the charging voltage too when running.

Im ashamed to admit it but I think the regulator plug was pushed on the wrong way round, so that there was no charging going on.

I thought it was a plug that could only go on one way, but turns out it can be put on wrong.

Lesson learned, pay attention. 

Mick 

[pfrederi 17,742]

The old 10 amp regulators had an L shaped plug do not think you could put it on wrong.  Newer 15 amp (Large finned ones ) or (small mount in the air shroud ones) had three straight.  The outer two were AC Center was DC out.  made no difference which way you put it on...

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Resuming the Charging by only measure Voltage is not the best Way to do,

but better than nothing.

 

Best and safest Way to check any Charge is Voltage measurement with an additionally Current measurement.

i use therefore a simple DC Clamp Ammeter. ( it‘s urgently required it have an DC ability, only AC are non senseful)

they be bit more expensive than pure AC Clamp Ammeters. Will be arround 40-60$ for a good one.

 

The reason i prefer this method is, that this is a Contactless measurement, means no Connections on the engine 

Chargingsystem must be opened. Simply clamp the Ammeter onto the Charging Wire and do your Measurement.

 

Firstly check the plain Batteryvoltage 

check in V Setting

- Result shall be somwhere between 12,2 - 12,8V depending on Battery Type.

If you see your Battery goes down to 11,8V Recharge immediately, you can be lucky and if you be fix with recharge,

maybe Battery can be recharged, but it will have a damage- how much depending on how long your battery is in that worse State.

Typically Battery Voltages

100% = 13,1V on  VRLA or 12,8V on Lead Acid

75% = 12,75V on  VRLA or 12,7V on Lead Acid

50% =  12,55V on  VRLA or 12,5V on Lead Acid

10% = 12,2V on  VRLA or 12,10V on Lead Acid

 

While Starting ( Max Load) a Voltage below 11,6V was a Weak or wrong dimensioned Battery ( CCA)

 

to measure the Charging

 

Switch to DC Amp Setting and clamp the Ammeter typically onto Battery Ground Wire, what shall be just one Wire.

if things be refitted, and you have more than one groundlines, put all into the Clamp.

 

 

 

Switch on ignition and maybe one light or E- Clutch to see if Amp drop is shown.

Take care on the pre sign, if it was shown with a minus like  -1,8A than the clamp is right set, the charging must go opposite direction 

If the consumption is positive the charging will turn the display in negative.

 

switch off light or E- Clutch and fire up the Engine.

Now the Amp Value must increasing in opposite the consumpted measurement presign ahead depending on Battery status and charging abilities.

From 3 to 15 Amps.

 

if Battery is in good condition, you will see something of 2-7A typically on a smallengine.

The max 15A you just will see very shortly directly after Start.

 

will do next time a small Vid on How to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

Locating Parasitic Battery Drain

On 12/18/2010 at 6:07 AM, Save Old Iron said:

Here you go Bud,

 

 

Essentially, you need to lift either the ground wire or the positive cable leading from the battery terminals and insert your meter set to read DC amps in series with the remainder of the tractor wiring.

 

READ YOUR METER INSTRUCTION MANUAL ON HOW TO SET THE METER FOR DC AMPERAGE AND WHICH METER SOCKETS YOU NEED TO INSERT YOUR MEASURING LEADS INTO TO MEASURE CURRENT.

 

The sockets for current are different than the sockets to measure voltage and ohms. This is true 99% of time on multimeters.

 

SET THE METER TO READ THE HIGHEST CURRENT POSSIBLE - USUALLY 10 AMPS ( some meters have a 20 amp scale). THIS IS DONE TO PROTECT THE METER FROM BLOWING AN INTERNAL FUSE IF THE CURRENT THRU THE METER EXCEEDS THE METER RANGE.

 

If the parasitic current is less than 1 amp, the meter may not register any reading on the 10 map scale. It is then safe to switch the meter to read on a lesser scale for DC amps - say 200 milliamp (.200 amps).

 

Hook up the meter leads in your tractor like in the diagram above. The parasitic current will actually be flowing thru the meter body.

 

 

Let's say for the sake of conversation, the parasitic drain is in the headlamp circuit.

 

We hook the meter up in the positive battery cable circuit, note the meter reading and it is .3 amps - so we have a 300 milliamp (.3amp) parasitic drain.

 

Now lets look at all the components current will flow thru in the above diagram.

 

Starter solenoid , ignition coil, and lighting circuit.

 

Start by removing the blue wire from the starter solenoid - no change in meter reading - no parasitic current flowing thru the solenoid. Replace the blue wire.

 

Lift the orange wire from the ignition coil - multimeter reading remains at .3 amps.

So no parasitic current is flowing thru the ignition coil. Replace the orange wire.

 

Now we come to the headlight / taillight circuit. Lift the Green wire from the headlight

Multimeter indication drops to zero amps - you found the circuit the parasitic current is flowing thru.

 

Now, if you have taillights parallel wired of headlights, disconnect the headlights. Still have .300 amps on the multimeter readout - well sir, you have unwanted current flow to the taillights. Time to take a visual look at the taillight wiring / taillight housing.

 

 

If you let me know what model tractor you have, maybe we can pull a wiring schematic and start to highlight the different current paths in that particular model.

 

Please say its not a 520H !!

 

Good question - thanks for starting a good thread.

Edited November 2, 2020 by bcgold