MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2001
- Messages
- 60,219
- Location
- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Well, at least you got some positive response. Thank goodness!
New PT, New Problems
- Thread starter marrt
- Start date
Anonymous Poster
New member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2005
- Messages
- 0
I have a 422 and last year the cooling fan stopped working. The fuse was blown, I replaced it with another, and it too blew. I spun the fan and the bearings sounded worn. I called PT, Don, they sent a new fan.
No problems to date.
andrew
No problems to date.
andrew
Scott_F
Silver Member
marrt,
I finally had a chance to take a closer look at my fan this afternoon. I had already spun it by hand and it seemed ok, so I put in another fuse and jumped the relay. It ran (and sounded) fine - I ran it for about 15-20 seconds. So I guess I could try it again, except now there's one more problem...my battery is leaking too! Not as bad as yours, but there is definitely some fluid seeping from the forward cap. I can't decide whether to try it for a while and keep a close eye on it or just go ahead and pull it. I checked the Interstate web site and there are a few dealers locally so I might call some of them in the morning and see if any of them have one in stock. That muffler sure looks like a pain to get off.
It's kind of disappointing to have to do this much fixing on such a new machine - I'd rather be working with it, not on it.
Scott
I finally had a chance to take a closer look at my fan this afternoon. I had already spun it by hand and it seemed ok, so I put in another fuse and jumped the relay. It ran (and sounded) fine - I ran it for about 15-20 seconds. So I guess I could try it again, except now there's one more problem...my battery is leaking too! Not as bad as yours, but there is definitely some fluid seeping from the forward cap. I can't decide whether to try it for a while and keep a close eye on it or just go ahead and pull it. I checked the Interstate web site and there are a few dealers locally so I might call some of them in the morning and see if any of them have one in stock. That muffler sure looks like a pain to get off.
It's kind of disappointing to have to do this much fixing on such a new machine - I'd rather be working with it, not on it.
Scott
OP
marrt
Platinum Member
Well, this is certainly starting to sound suspicious. Maybe PT hired a new guy (or gal) and he hooked something up wrong. I guess I’ll dig out the manual this w/e and see if there’s a wiring diagram included. Since tomorrow’s Friday, I may also give PT a call to see if they have found any problems with other units recently. PT’s volume is so low that it may take a while for a problem to show up. Better go ahead and put them on notice so they are aware of the problem.
WRT the battery leak, I would be careful. If the battery leaks enough to get on the paint, it will definitely eat the paint away. This is a pain in the you know what as you then really need to repaint the affected area. You make want to make sure the caps are on tight.
The battery PT uses is much bigger than required by Kohler. I’m going to replace my “Flooded” battery with an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery I picked up at Sears. The AGM battery is sealed and should not leak unless I overcharge it with too much voltage.
I hope to know more when I have time to work on the tractor this weekend.
WRT the battery leak, I would be careful. If the battery leaks enough to get on the paint, it will definitely eat the paint away. This is a pain in the you know what as you then really need to repaint the affected area. You make want to make sure the caps are on tight.
The battery PT uses is much bigger than required by Kohler. I’m going to replace my “Flooded” battery with an AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) battery I picked up at Sears. The AGM battery is sealed and should not leak unless I overcharge it with too much voltage.
I hope to know more when I have time to work on the tractor this weekend.
Scott_F
Silver Member
<font color=red>muffler sure looks like a pain to get off</font color=red>
Well, not so bad after all. I thought the nuts looked like they would be harder to get at than they were. Anyway, I took the muffler off so I can get the battery out in the morning. I attached a pic of what my battery looks like now. Like I said earlier, not as bad as marrt's but it is leaking. I guess I should assume it will leak more if I run it a while? I think I'll get it out and take it to a dealer.
BTW, the nuts on the muffler didn't seem to be very tight. Anyone have any suggestion on an approximate torque value for when I put it back on?
Scott
Well, not so bad after all. I thought the nuts looked like they would be harder to get at than they were. Anyway, I took the muffler off so I can get the battery out in the morning. I attached a pic of what my battery looks like now. Like I said earlier, not as bad as marrt's but it is leaking. I guess I should assume it will leak more if I run it a while? I think I'll get it out and take it to a dealer.
BTW, the nuts on the muffler didn't seem to be very tight. Anyone have any suggestion on an approximate torque value for when I put it back on?
Scott
Attachments
Scott,
Have you taken battery voltage readings when the engine is running at full throttle. Take readings with the lights on, fan on and then off.
Trying to brain storm all the things that would cause the battery to leak out the cover plates.
1. Over charge
2. Battery too full with electrolyte and traveling over rough ground.
3. Overheating?
4. System short?
Any others. Keep us informed on what you find. I have found Power Trac to be very customer service orientated.
Duane
Have you taken battery voltage readings when the engine is running at full throttle. Take readings with the lights on, fan on and then off.
Trying to brain storm all the things that would cause the battery to leak out the cover plates.
1. Over charge
2. Battery too full with electrolyte and traveling over rough ground.
3. Overheating?
4. System short?
Any others. Keep us informed on what you find. I have found Power Trac to be very customer service orientated.
Duane
Scott_F
Silver Member
Just spoke with Terry at PT.
As marrt said earlier, he sounded pretty surprised by the leaking battery. He didn't think it could be over-voltage because he said the regulator on these machines is not much more than a trickle charger. He thought the battery might just have been overfilled. He suggested washing it with baking soda. I spoke with one of the local Interstate dealers and he said that if it's leaking "obviously it needs to be replaced." So I think since I already have the muffler off, I'll pull the battery and take it in to get checked out.
For the fan, Terry suggested trying a 20 amp fuse. He said the wiring will safely handle that amount of current. So I guess I'll give that a shot.
Will keep you posted.
-Scott
As marrt said earlier, he sounded pretty surprised by the leaking battery. He didn't think it could be over-voltage because he said the regulator on these machines is not much more than a trickle charger. He thought the battery might just have been overfilled. He suggested washing it with baking soda. I spoke with one of the local Interstate dealers and he said that if it's leaking "obviously it needs to be replaced." So I think since I already have the muffler off, I'll pull the battery and take it in to get checked out.
For the fan, Terry suggested trying a 20 amp fuse. He said the wiring will safely handle that amount of current. So I guess I'll give that a shot.
Will keep you posted.
-Scott
OP
marrt
Platinum Member
Scott, it’s hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the battery is starting to leak from both sides. True? How many hours do you have on the machine? Although I only have three hours, I have used the tractor in some very rough terrain for most of that time moving dirt. I originally loosened the dirt with a middle buster plow on my 8N so you can imagine it’s a pretty rough area. Therefore, the back was being tossed around A LOT. So much so that the leak could be from the movement alone I think (although PT doubts this theory). If you get a chance, also take a cap off and see how full the battery is filled.
One other question for the “engineers”. If we measure the voltage at the battery terminal, with the tractor running at full RPMs, how will we know we are measuring the regulator voltage, and not just the battery voltage. I guess, in this case, it may not be relevant as we are only trying to see if the regulator is providing too much voltage. But what if we were checking to see if it were providing too little voltage? How would we measure?
One other question for the “engineers”. If we measure the voltage at the battery terminal, with the tractor running at full RPMs, how will we know we are measuring the regulator voltage, and not just the battery voltage. I guess, in this case, it may not be relevant as we are only trying to see if the regulator is providing too much voltage. But what if we were checking to see if it were providing too little voltage? How would we measure?
Charlie_Iliff
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2001
- Messages
- 1,896
- Location
- Arnold, MD
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT1845, John Deere 2240, John Deere 950, John Deere 755, Jacobsen Turf Cat II
Marrt:
I certainly don't claim to be an engineer, but I have some experience handling and mishandling batteries. One source I recall said that charging a lead acid battery to 13.8 volts was overcharge, and below 10.1 was deep discharge, either of which could damage the battery. That is referring to testing the battery by itself after charging or discharging. When you put the meter on the battery with engine running, you measure the voltage that the regulator is allowing the system to apply to the battery. Typically, it is at least 13 volts, and often over 14 depending on the type of regulator. Anything below 13 probably means the charging system isn't working. If it is way above 13, say 17, then the regulator isn't working right. I think Terry's point is that the charging system can't deliver much amperage in any event, so it couldn't deliver enough to damage or boil the battery even if the voltage weren't regulated as low as it should be.
I'd bet you're looking at caps that aren't sealing properly in rough running, or perhaps heat, rather than any overcharge, but I've often guessed wrong about things electrical.
Keep us posted.
I certainly don't claim to be an engineer, but I have some experience handling and mishandling batteries. One source I recall said that charging a lead acid battery to 13.8 volts was overcharge, and below 10.1 was deep discharge, either of which could damage the battery. That is referring to testing the battery by itself after charging or discharging. When you put the meter on the battery with engine running, you measure the voltage that the regulator is allowing the system to apply to the battery. Typically, it is at least 13 volts, and often over 14 depending on the type of regulator. Anything below 13 probably means the charging system isn't working. If it is way above 13, say 17, then the regulator isn't working right. I think Terry's point is that the charging system can't deliver much amperage in any event, so it couldn't deliver enough to damage or boil the battery even if the voltage weren't regulated as low as it should be.
I'd bet you're looking at caps that aren't sealing properly in rough running, or perhaps heat, rather than any overcharge, but I've often guessed wrong about things electrical.
Keep us posted.
Scott_F
Silver Member
marrt,
Just got back from the Interstate dealer. He said the leakage was because the caps weren't quite tight. He cleaned it up, tested it and it was fine. I just put it back in before I logged on. After I finish lunch I'll see how it goes. Also bought some 20 amp fuses, but since I have a good 10 amp in it now I think I'll see if it lasts before I put a 20 in.
I have about 8 hours on mine, mostly mowing - but my "yard" is still pretty rough so it does get shaken around a bit. I'm going to add "check battery caps tight" to the preflight checklist.
Scott
Just got back from the Interstate dealer. He said the leakage was because the caps weren't quite tight. He cleaned it up, tested it and it was fine. I just put it back in before I logged on. After I finish lunch I'll see how it goes. Also bought some 20 amp fuses, but since I have a good 10 amp in it now I think I'll see if it lasts before I put a 20 in.
I have about 8 hours on mine, mostly mowing - but my "yard" is still pretty rough so it does get shaken around a bit. I'm going to add "check battery caps tight" to the preflight checklist.
Scott