Weird (?) battery or electrical system problem.

[Sysop]

When you had issues a couple years ago with this model, what did you find to be the issue? I went off searching for similar issues on this model and found a similar thread from a couple years ago, but the resolution wasn't posted.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/344721-ford-1220-wont-start-no.html

Perhaps double-checking any repairs made then.

 

[ultrarunner]

What about warranty on a two year old battery?

I had a battery blow up in my face and it something I never want anyone to go through.

Parts of the case went flying and dented the under side of the hood.

Turned out the battery was low on water which allowed hydrogen to build up under the lid and a spark was all it took when I disconnected the charger.

Shell shocked, no hearing and covered with splashed acid and bits of battery... I was 14... fortunately, I had the water hose at my feet and enough sense to wash my self down... shirt was in tatters from the acid.

The BOOM was so loud a neighbor came over to investigate.

 

[jimmysisson]

Bill, not talking about the connections to the battery terminal. You had said those were bright and tight. Talking about between the wire and the clamp. Some of these are hard to detect, and can be intermittent. Good luck. Jim

 

[Coyote machine]

What about warranty on a two year old battery?

I had a battery blow up in my face and it something I never want anyone to go through.

Parts of the case went flying and dented the under side of the hood.

Turned out the battery was low on water which allowed hydrogen to build up under the lid and a spark was all it took when I disconnected the charger.

Shell shocked, no hearing and covered with splashed acid and bits of battery... I was 14... fortunately, I had the water hose at my feet and enough sense to wash my self down... shirt was in tatters from the acid.

The BOOM was so loud a neighbor came over to investigate.

Man, you are one lucky dude! To be in front of an exploding battery as you described must have been a horrible experience. I can't imagine that situation, and walking away basically unscathed.
What you described is all it takes; gas buildup and then flashpoint from smallest spark. Had it happen to a truck a guy parked at my business. He had been messing with the electrical system, and the battery just went off. We were inside my auto shop where I was buying a load of wood from him when it blew up. WOW it was loud. He was lucky it blew when he was inside and not with his head under the hood. I won't ever forget the scene.

 

[PILOON]

I had a battery blow up in my face and it something I never want anyone to go through.

Parts of the case went flying and dented the under side of the hood.

Turned out the battery was low on water which allowed hydrogen to build up under the lid and a spark was all it took when I disconnected the charger.

Shell shocked, no hearing and covered with splashed acid and bits of battery... I was 14... fortunately, I had the water hose at my feet and enough sense to wash my self down... shirt was in tatters from the acid.

The BOOM was so loud a neighbor came over to investigate.

That happened to a buddy as well, only it was in his small aircraft!
He changed his pants and never flew again.

 

[FredH]

Still sounds like a bad cell to me :2cents: Been there , Done That :thumbdown: Chasing connections to only find out is was the battery

Although Battery did not explode , Was at work one night and before work was cleaning the battery posts and connections on the aux. deep cycle in My old ford I use to have . Co-worker pulled up next to Me and just before He opened the door , I accidently touched the ground cable to the positive post :shocked: The shower of sparks in the dark was very impressive and would of made a welder proud . The co-worker , without missing a beat , simply backed his rig up and pulled over about 3 or 4 spaces away before exiting his truck . As he walked over , We looked at the postive post and there was a app. 1/4" deep gouge through 1/2 of the positive post . Never effected the battery , as I had that truck and battery for another 6 years , and the battery clamp still had good contact other than that gouge area . Sure was a interesting fireworks display though :ashamed:

Fred H.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

All the connections are clean and tight.

Something isn't. A spark jumped a gap near your battery terminal. If there are no gaps, there are no sparks. Look for where that spark happened. If you can find the burn mark, you may learn something useful.

I can read the full battery voltage at the starter to ground, so both cables appear okay as well.

Doesn't mean anything. Can you read full voltage when there's a load on it? I'll bet you can't. A multimeter has a very high input resistance, so it doesn't load a circuit. If there is a high resistance (corrosion, loose connection) between the battery (or even IN the battery) and the place where you are measuring 12v, you can get a correct reading with a multimeter but a very low reading when there is a load on it.

am kind of surprised that when I did charge it, it read a full 12 volts and handled a tester load? Could it still do that with a bad cell?

12v is a FAILED battery. Should read about 13.8.

Yes, I know it's called a 12v battery. A fully charged 12v should read 13.8.

Dunno about your load tester, maybe it's no good.

Edit: Even at 10 volts and a bad cell, shouldn't I at least see (dim) lights on the instrument panel?

Not necessarily. See my comments above. Try reading straight across the battery with a test light, and see what you get. If it gives a good voltage reading on the multimeter, but won't light the test light, you have a bad cell and need to replace your battery.

 

[newbury]

Another vote for a bad battery. Had one that charged showed about 13+ volts. Took it into NAPA, it passed their load test twice, failed miserably the third time. It was about 10 years old.

 

[topstoy]

Make sure you get a battery designed for a tractor and not an automobile. Needs to be able to handle the vibrations of a tractor which can trash a normal battery.

 

[bill333]

When you had issues a couple years ago with this model, what did you find to be the issue? I went off searching for similar issues on this model and found a similar thread from a couple years ago, but the resolution wasn't posted.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/344721-ford-1220-wont-start-no.html

Perhaps double-checking any repairs made then.

Thanks for pointing this out to me, I should have updated it with the solution (I will now). It was the ignition switch in that prior situation.