Battery connected backwards

[puckgrinder85]

If you're not interested in getting the dealer involved I too would just replace it for piece of mind. For the under 100$ insurance policy.

 

[MacTractor]

I am with others, replace the battery........

I have never seen a "cool, it still works" scenario end well.

 

[strum456]

Sure, a lot of older tractors and older vehicles where reverse polarity. This tractor must be at least 30 years too new for that. Anyway, if you put a volt meter on the battery with the + on the + and the - on the - and you get a negative number, then you need a new battery regardless of the vehicle.

 

[6011Artist]

I realize this thread is getting old but I found it and read it, others might too.

To add to the reverse battery charging story my father had a reverse charged battery in his old 64 Dodge work car. It needed a battery and the mechanic at work gave it to him knowing it was charged backwards. He installed it backwards and ran it for about a yr. So it finally went dead one morning, he drove something else to work, my mom picked him up a new battery. It was winter, he was getting home well after dark so my mom asked me if I could change it. I was 13-14, knew just enough about mechanic work to be dangerous, but I said yes, I could do it. He wouldn't be out there in the cold with a flashlight changing it at night.

So I was extremely careful not to hook it up backwards and even marked my positive with a string to make sure I got it back on positive. Yep, you got it, I hooked it up right by the way it came out but backwards, not knowing the old one was backwards. I burned up lots of wiring. He had to get a mechanic to rewire it before he could drive it.

SO...if anyone ever uses a battery hooked up backwards, make sure you mark it so others will realize what they are dealing with.

I thought pop would be proud his boy could help him out but it didn't quite go as planned. Glad pop was an understanding guy..lol.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thanks for sharing that.

It drives home safety issues doing things in a non standard manner. Every power outage people post how they back fed their generators into the house breaker box for some reason. I had a friend that died then the next winter almost killed his wife and burned down his house because he had brought home gas before his death in a container that market from the factory as Kerosene when she used it to refuel the kerosene heater.

Our hacks can do damage and even cause death. We must be thinking beyond the moment.

 

[The kid]

I just bought my 3rd Kubota b7100. I seems like a great little tractor. I bought it from a dealer that took it in trade for a new Mahindra. Now here is my problem. I just got a chance to look it over at home today. I opened the hood and was looking it over when I noticed the battery cables were connected backwards. The cable to the starter solenoid was on the negative and the cable to the ground was on the positive. The tractor started and ran fine. I have only run it about 10 minutes since I got it. Here is what I am guessing happened.

1.Someone installed a totally dead battery backwards.
2. tried to start but battery dead.
3. boosted from a car or truck with the cables backwards on the tractor so it started.
4. The tractor charged the battery backwards so - is now +

I put a meter on the battery and the needle swings backwards. If I put the meter on - to + on the battery it reads 13.2 volts.

How do I fix this without buying a new battery? My idea is to put a load on the battery and drain it totally. Than try to charge it with the connections correct. What do you guys think? Has anyone ever been down this path? Seems I read about it but can't find anything.

Personally, If I had just traded or bought the tractor. I would first take a picture of it installed in the tractor the way it is now working. Then I'd contact the dealer where I bought/traded for another battery. They are the ones who probably accidentally did it. Think of what's going to happen jumping it off your new car/truck if your tractor battery is partially dead and you naturally hook it up the correct way by mistake.

 

[6011Artist]

kubotasam, I just realized that in your post you are guessing someone jump started the battery backwards while it was in the tractor. NO, it didn't happen that way. If it had of, hooking the cables backwards would have sent positive power to the ground side of the tractor, causing lots of sparks/short out, melting wires on the tractor, ruining everything.

That battery was charged backwards not connected to anything. It was later installed backwards knowing they had a backwards battery.

I had an old battery in my shop that I was going to charge and test before setting it outside in my battery pile. I hooked it backwards, it didn't spark, actually started charging. In just a few seconds I realized what I had done and switched the cables. It was going to take the charge had I continued but I saw my mistake almost instantly and got it corrected. I then realized just how easy it would be to charge a battery backwards and it actually work.