KAMA TS254C won't start & battery's "boiling"???

[lakespirit]

Probably unrelated, but I did the bypass from my alternator to put a charge into the battery (from the "need to rewire...KAMA TS254C" post) and now I can hear the sucker boiling inside the battery. There is battery fluid seeping out from the caps.

Probably unrelated, but just a few minutes ago the tractor started running kinda rough, and then just died. Thought maybe I'd run out of fuel, so I added five gallons, bled the injector pump and fuel filter just in case, and it cranks as long as I want to keep ignition switch on. It turned over and ran for about 15 seconds then died again. Not sure what this is about???

[Bob Rooks]

Is your battery gassing off with the engine running or off?

As for your other issue, I'd invest in one of these: Hammonds Technical Services - Offroad Products

[greg_g]

Well, you definitely opened Pandora's box when you pulled that wiring harness out. But your battery description is a bit unusual. Bubbles are a normal part of the charging process, but audible "boiling" isn't. I've only seen/heard batteries do that when jumper cables were hooked up backwards.

If there's fuel (not water) in the sediment bowl, take off the fuel filter canister. Make sure the paper cartridge hasn't collapsed or - worse yet - disintegrated.

//greg//

[lakespirit]

It seems the battery is doing this when engine is off, but I wouldn't hear or know it when it's running.

When you are talking about the canister filter, that's the spin-on next to the oil filter, right? How do you tell if the media is deteriorating?

[greg_g]

Next to the oil filter, right. I got my tractors mixed up though. Yours has the spin-on, not the canister. Sorry if that caused any confusion. But since it sounds like you've never changed it yet, I'd say it's probably overdue. Pretty sure you can use the NAPA 3195. FWIW, I change my TS354C spin-ons at least once a year. It's the KM454 that has canister filters. The paper cartridges inside them deteriorate more rapidly, and get changed twice a year.

About the battery, I'm guessing the charge state was pretty low when you installed the bypass wire. So it's probably been accepting full charge voltage from the alternator every time the tractor runs. If true, that's a temporary condition, and should go back to normal once the battery returns to full charge state. But until then, it means more hydrogen gas is being produced than previously. I'm guessing further that you still have the Chinese battery in there, which means there's a chance you don't have vented caps. If true, the sound you hear may be hydrogen - under pressure - venting itself around the threads in the caps. I'm not sure how safe it is to drill your own vent holes, but it may be safer than the explosive potential of hydrogen under pressure.

//greg//

[Bob Rooks]

It could be possible that your battery is exhibiting thermal runaway. This is a very dangerous condition that can occur if batteries are charged too fast. One of the byproducts of gassing are oxygen and hydrogen. As the battery heats up, the gassing rate increases as well and it becomes increasingly likely that the hydrogen around it will explode. Check your battery voltage with a multi-meter the next time you have the engine running, it should not exceed 16 volts immediately after startup and gradually taper down to ~13.6 volts.

[greg_g]

Good point Bob. But I'm not very alternator-smart. But I do know that they're for the most part 14v devices. Is it possible for a defective alternator to output more than 16 volts - despite no demand? Cuz even with low battery state demanding full charging voltage, I've never seen either of my (good) alternators put out more than 14.5 volts. Or are you saying that a defective battery can cause an otherwise good alternator to deliver more than it's rated output voltage?

Wasn't there a rash of tractors a few years back that were assembled with non-vented battery caps?

//greg//

[lakespirit]

OK. My battery is vented, about one year old NAPA heavy duty tractor battery. It seems to be calming down some.

I change my filters and the oil every 100 hours. I put some Sea Foam in the fuel tank, cranked it over with no fuel filter on until the battery was tired. Then bled fuel at injector pump for a bit...with a jump from my truck it fired right up. Seems to be running well.

Thanks again gentlemen.

[Mgrove]

If when you rewired the alternator, and you some how bypassed the regulator, it would put out more than 14 volts. I would assume that it would output the maximum output current, thus causing the battery to boil. A simple check with a DVM would quickly determine if the battery was indeed overcharging. Another possible problem could be if a cell was bad or starting to go bad, As you would be trying to bring the voltage up the the 14 Volt range, but would not be able to do so because the battery was at this point is only a 10 volt battery, It would pump maximum current into the battery trying to achieve the 14 volt range.
Max

[greg_g]

Originally Posted by Mgrove

If when you rewired the alternator, and you some how bypassed the regulator, it would put out more than 14 volts. I would assume that it would output the maximum output current, thus causing the battery to boil.

Nope. Even the OE wiring sends unregulated charging voltage to the battery. The OE path charging path on the tractor in question is

• alternator
• ammeter
• keyswitch
• clutch interlock
• starter
• battery

No fuse panel, no voltage regulator. Even so, Chinese wiring is prone to significant voltage loss between the alternator and the battery. A properly constructed and installed 10ga bypass wire simply delivers loss-free charging voltage to the battery.

//greg//