BX23 parasitic battery drain

[Tollster]

When I got home, I checked the trickle charger light, it was green, which meant the battery was fully charged. I then bridged the tractor positive cable with a voltmeter to the positive post while the negitive post was hooked up to the tractor. I saw 12.3 volts when bridged. I then hooked up the positive cable to the battery post and saw the trickle charger light turn red, all with the key removed and 4 ways in off position.
I removed each fuse and saw no change, then the strangest thing occured. I removed each switch on the left side of the dash and used dielectric grease on all the post. Low and behold, the charger light turned back to green and no more discharge.
Not sure if I went about it the correct way as I have never been very good with a meter, more of a mechanical guy. Anyway thanks for your help.
Toll

 

[ccsial]

Hard to say if the dielectrric grease or removing the switch helped. Maybe water in the switch which moved around when you took it out. This is a strange one. I hope it does not recur. Keep an eye on it for a while.

 

[Ob1kubota]

Tollster you have some good advise but no one has yet to fully troubleshoot your problem. Let's say you do have a parasitic battery drain! The question is from what????? Get yourself a good multi-meter that will read milliamps (mA)
Do not operate anything on your BX , check that every possible electrical circuit is at rest or neutral position in respect to switches, functions, and safety interlocks common to Kubota. Get your hands on the electrical one line diagram for your specific serial number or as built electrical schematic and locate all circuits fused in the panel under the steering column. Now after you have located all the above, remove the negative battery terminal lug from the battery post, notice if it archs a soft yellow spark. This is the physical
phenomenon of electron flow from negative to positive when you have a small milliamp draw. ( I discovered this in a dark area many years ago and experimented to prove it with an BSEE who will provide several written documents to support this occurrence ) Next, after setting your meter and leads to read mA, place your common lead (-) black to the negative battery post. Place your red or (+) lead on the disconnected negative battery terminal. Record the initial reading, then, one by one remove one fuse at a time noting the circuit information on the fuse box terminal cover and verifing it on your schematic or electrical diagram. Record the drop with each fuse you remove until you see less than a 25 mA draw on the meter LED. This is a base line for normal electron activity with a 12 VDC system at rest. The fuse that you saw the largest mA drop on when pulled, is the feeder circuit to suspect a chaffed wire, faulty switch, or combination load causing this unwanted electron flow that drains your battery off during inactivity where a functional regulated alternator would replunish it under a running condition. Using the above method should render positive results and save you dollars at a Dealership you would otherwise have to spend.