1914 discharging
 

Hey guys, I have an electrical issue I need some guidance on. I went to run the tractor for the first time this year and found that the battery was dead. I put the charger on the battery and after an hour or so, got the tractor to fire up. After a little warm up time, I started mowing. When I engaged the pto, the ammeter showed a discharge of the battery. I continued to mow for about 15 minutes and then shut off the pto, to get off the mower without cutting my toes off. When i got back on, the PTO would not engage and the ammeter was still showing a slight discharge. I drove it back in the garage and shut it down. I tried starting a little later and couldn't even get a click. So i am pretty sure that the battery is shot, but would this cause the PTO to not start up as well? I haven't had time to do any other investigation, but since the engine was running and the ammeter still showed a discharge, i am thinking that there is something more going on. I am going to get a new battery this weekend, but past that...how do i debug if I am still showing a discharge?
Thanks!

Just a little more information, the seat switch and reverse cut off switch are disabled and have been for many years so we can eliminate those issues.

What makes you think the battery is bad? Did you check to see if it was charging when it was running? Dead battery does NOT = bad battery.

I just made an assumption...but the battery is 5 years old and when i put the charger on it, the gauge on the charger shows that it is 100% charged but it wont even turn on the headlights. After about 15 minutes of charging the battery will at least make the solenoid click. The ammeter only shows a discharge when running. Even worse when the PTO was running.

You either have a bad battery, or V/R, or BOTH.

Get the battery checked out.

Thanks Roland. If I have time today i will get a load test on the battery. They are on sale for 20 bucks at fleet farm so I wont be out much if i have to get a new one. Is there a test procedure for the VR?

YUP...the two Stators wires should have around ~30VAC and the output to the Battery should be ~13.7VDC. This is for a Kohler engine but the principle is the same......... http://www.onlycubcadets.net/forum/showthread.php?t=368

BTW...as a suggestion, if the battery is bad, I would buy the biggest CCA rated battery that will fit into your battery box.

Put a volt meter on the battery when it's running. At idle it should be at or around 13V. At WOT over 14V. If not, check output at the v-reg. This test is for a Kohler, but it is relatively the same for the Onan. Components vary somewhat.

Edit: Sorry Roland, go ahead. I'm waiting on parts and bored..... :beerchug:

Thanks for the info. I will try to get this tested over the holiday weekend. I will see what i can find for battery amperages. I think the one that is in there is a 250 amp battery.