Electricial repair LB 1914
danjkelly
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 5 nashville, TN |
2003-10-02 65314
The battery light on the panel is dim when running and bright at 2400rpm. The battery checked good and stays charged. Is there a quick trouble shoot to see why the light is on. When the key is turned on the light is out.
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Electricial repair LB 1914
Billy
Join Date: Oct 1999 Posts: 975 Southeast Oklahoma Pics |
2003-10-02 65321
I don't know what your problem is but I had a car that done a screwy thing one time.
It was a 71 Ford LTD. One day I turned the engine 'off' and the alternator light came on. I could start it and it would go out. Come to find out, it was a bad alternator. Sure had me baffled.
Billy ....
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Electricial repair LB 1914
AC5ZO
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 928 Rio Rancho, NM 87144 Pics |
2003-10-02 65329
I would bet that it is a blown diode in the alternator. If you are handy, you can probably replace this yourself. You will need a volt-ohm meter and a good soldering iron.
Many times diodes will fail as a short circuit and this could cause the light to glow. ....
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Electricial repair LB 1914
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley |
2003-10-03 65371
AC is likely right and they can repaired by a dealer, most any auto-electric shop or by yourself. A dirty alternator can produce similar problems so it's a good idea to clean the armature and check the brushes, springs etc. if it's going to be torn apart.
If you want to test, I'd check the battery condition with a hydrometer first. Output tests aren't reliable unless the battery is good. Then I'd stick a voltmeter on the positive battery terminal when the tractor is running around 1500 rpm. In most systems it should be 14V - 15V. If the voltage is OK I'd increase the rpm and check that the voltage doesn't increase much. Then, drop the rpm and I'd put a load on the system and see if the voltage drops. Ideally the load should be near the alternator's rated output. A bunch of lights might do it but maybe add a small cigarette lighter gadget around 100w.
If I wanted to carry on with testing, I'd use an ammeter to check for battery drain when the tractor and switch are off. Around 50ma is fairly normal but my old Ford is much less. If there's significant drain, I'd remove all fuses from the block and see if the drain is still there. Significant drain can be caused by dirt and alternator wear but is often caused by bad diodes. While at it, I'd clean all terminals and the chassis end of the ground cable.
A manual would give specific tests for the regulator circuits if the output tests fail. I haven't mentioned current output tests, but a voltage output test will catch most problems. ....
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