Voltage Regulator

[matthoffman33]

Good morning,

I finally determined that my regulator is the problem with my charging system but now I'm having trouble figuring out which regulator is the right one to use!! The regulator on the tractor is a JFT-149 (looks to be original but I've only had the tractor 2 years so might have been changed previously) but the manual says the regulator to use is a JFT-141. I called up Lakeview Equipment Sales in Alberta and they say their book shows FT-111 is the correct regulator to use. Do you know if all 3 of these interchangeable? The tractor is a 2003 TaskMaster 432e.

Matt

[greg_g]

To me, a 12v DC external voltage regulator is a 12v DC external voltage regulator. Pretty sure any of those 3 numbers would work. If the FT111 is the handiest to obtain, that's the one I'd go for.

//greg//

[Bob Rooks]

I agree with Greg.

[matthoffman33]

Alright, sounds good. I ordered the JFT-149 so we'll see if it makes the difference. Thanks for your input!!

[Little_Grizzly]

My only suggestion is watch out for the wattage rating. If the '111 regulator looks much smaller than the one you've got, ask more questions. I higher rating would never hurt.

[matthoffman33]

Ok, So I got my new regulator today (the same one that is on the tractor right now). Changed it out but there in no difference in the amount of charge according to the ampmeter. I had taken the alternator off previously and had new brushes put on but the place I took it to said that it was charging fine even before the new brushes. They had suggested the regulator but that's apparently not the problem either. Any suggestions as to what to check next? The battery that is on the tractor is old, probably original, but wouldn't the ampmeter still show that is it charging correctly even with an old battery or is the ampmeter showing what charge the battery is taking? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

[Smalljobs]

Is there any chance one or more of the regulator connectors are corroded?

[BobRip]

Ok, So I got my new regulator today (the same one that is on the tractor right now). Changed it out but there in no difference in the amount of charge according to the ampmeter. I had taken the alternator off previously and had new brushes put on but the place I took it to said that it was charging fine even before the new brushes. They had suggested the regulator but that's apparently not the problem either. Any suggestions as to what to check next? The battery that is on the tractor is old, probably original, but wouldn't the ampmeter still show that is it charging correctly even with an old battery or is the ampmeter showing what charge the battery is taking? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

An ampmeter is not a good choice to monitor the alternator. Put a voltmeter on the battery. It should read about 14.2 volts if the battery is fully charged. charge the battery first. What were your initial symptoms?

[Rich Waugh]

You really need to have a cheap multimeter to diagnose electrical problems. My Jinma had a crappy terminal block that the regulator plugged into and it was always causing problems - I finally just replaced the alternator with an internally-regulated Delco 12-Si and got shut of the issue, but I needed a bigger alternator due to work lights and such I added.

The alternator output at 1200+ rpm should be around 14-16 volts, with no load. The battery should show 12.6 - 13.2 volts when charged and not under load. If you meter the battery while the engine is running at 1200+ rpm and get less than 14.2 volts or so, then there is an issue in the charging system -either the alternator or regulator or wiring. From there, you simply use the meter to trace the wiring down and find the fault.

[matthoffman33]

So I took some readings this morning and this is what I came up with:

Battery with tractor off - 12.1
Battery @ 1200 rpm - 12.1
Battery @ 2000 rpm - 12.8

Alternator @ 1200 rpm - 13.5
Alternator @ 2000 rpm - 14.2

So everything seems to be lower than what you're saying it should be. Is the alternator for this tractor just underpowered or is there more to it than that? Initial symptoms were loss of power when I have more than one set of lights on. They are all factory lights except for one extra set. The rotation of the chute for my snowblower is also run off of a small electric motor. I can barely run one set of lights while operating the tractor after dark.