flat battery on kubotaL4200

[Luath]

Any advice on a 18 month old battery that's not holding a charge? I recharged the battery, reconnected it, started the engine fine, set the throttle halfway and checked the amps across the battery terminals. Got a reading of over 14 amps so I think that means alternator ok. Glow plug orange light on instrument panel has started to come on and off intermittently and everything else looks/sounds ok. I have run the tractor for a few days (two to three hours at a time without stopping the engine) without trouble then the issue recurs.
Many thanks in advance,
Luath.

 

[Dave M7040]

Tell us how you took the measurement across the battery terminals and with what. Do you mean 14 volts? If so there will be more numbers which are significant such as 14.4.
When you shut the tractor down, remove the ground cable and leave it off until the next use. If it is OK then something is drawing down the battery while it sits.
The glow plug light may be telling you something important and perhaps the glow plugs are drawing power when the tractor is off resulting in a dead battery.
A regular battery which has been run down dead a few times may be finished. They cannot stand to be deeply discharged. Special batteries are made for such use.
Take the battery to a Canadian Tire store and ask them to check it for you to determine if it is still good.
Where in Canada are you?
Dave M7040

 

[Luath]

Hi DaveM7040,

Yep it was volts and today it read 14.4 The battery was fully charged and the tractor ran today for about three hours continuously with the glow plug light coming on and going off intermittently. The battery was disconnected as soon as the tractor was back in the shed and hooked up to the charger which indicated a 90% charge that rose to 100% within an hour. I intend to put it back onto the charger tomorrow to see if there has been any loss.
I'm located south of Owen Sound, Ontario.

Cheers,
Luath

 

[Dave M7040]

Hi DaveM7040,

Yep it was volts and today it read 14.4 The battery was fully charged and the tractor ran today for about three hours continuously with the glow plug light coming on and going off intermittently. The battery was disconnected as soon as the tractor was back in the shed and hooked up to the charger which indicated a 90% charge that rose to 100% within an hour. I intend to put it back onto the charger tomorrow to see if there has been any loss.
I'm located south of Owen Sound, Ontario.

Cheers,
Luath

Luath
If the battery remains charged when disconnected, then the next step would be to remove any fuse or fuses associated with the glow plugs and leave the battery cable on when the tractor is shut down.
Rather than using your charger to determine the condition of the battery after sitting, your volt meter would show you the same info. Dont measure the voltage immediately after the charger has been on the battery as you will receive an incorrectly high reading.
Dave M7040

 

[skyhook]

Luath, you didn't say the size of your battery, how many amps....
but from what you stated, it does appear to be charging, you also have another problem that could be depleting the charge, if i remember correctly, the alternators aren't very strong in their output, I had to upgrade mine.
Your glow plugs take allot of juice and it seems you have a problem with them coming on when not needed,...
check out this older thread for some good advice.
Like Dave stated, also have your battery checked with a load tester etc.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...0208-automatic-glow-plug-operation-l4200.html

 

[Luath]

Hi Dave M7040,
Is it ok to remove all the fuses when the tractor is turned off? and how long should I leave tractor disabled before rechecking the battery? I'm a bit worried that the glow plugs are incorrectly drawing power only when the tractor is running.
Cheers,
Luath.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think you may have found the culprit with the glow plug circuit. Likely it has a timed circuit that is malfunctioning. I would check out that circuit and replace any faulty components. I never liked an electronic gizmo to tell me how long to run the glowplugs anyway. I prefer to just have detent in the switch so I can run them as I see fit to crank then not have them energized when the motor is running. Which reminds me, you could have a short in your ignition switch that is causing you the problems with intermittent glow plug use. Might just need an new ignition switch. I seem to recall this happening to other folks who had stored their Kubotas or was it Kiotis out in the weather and the switches went bad really quickly.

 

[Dave M7040]

Hi Dave M7040,
Is it ok to remove all the fuses when the tractor is turned off? and how long should I leave tractor disabled before rechecking the battery? I'm a bit worried that the glow plugs are incorrectly drawing power only when the tractor is running.
Cheers,
Luath.

Luath
The best time to remove fuses is when there is no current flowing through them such as when the tractor is off.

Investing in a 12 volt test light like this one on Amazon.com would be a useful tool to sort out many electrical issues on tractors, trucks and cars.
Amazon.com: Professional 6-12V Circuit Tester - Indicator Light - Lifetime Warranty: Automotive

With it you could check the glow plugs for voltage, i.e. heating at any time. You just ground the aligator clip on the battery or tractor frame and touch the glow plug wire to see if power is present. Some may correct me and say the switching of the glow plug circuit is on the ground side of the circuit but I dont think so.
Alternatively, an infrared temp tester also from Amazon for less than $40 would let you see if the glow pugs are heating especially if the tractor is off.
Amazon.com: Non Contact Laser Infrared IR Digital LCD Thermometer Tester ｰC ｰF: Automotive

Having a few tools will make future work much more logical.

Dave M7040


.

 

[Luath]

Hi Dave,

I've changed the glow plug relay and the problem persists. I've acquired an infrared thermometer and a circuit tester. I'm guessing the next thing to do is test to see if the glow plugs are heating while the engine is running? The battery is not draining while the engine is off. Could you run me through the procedure?

Cheers Luath

 

[Dave M7040]

Luath
I re read all previous posts. Your last post which states"The battery is not draining while the engine is off," is puzzling me. Was the lack of charge in your battery not the problem you were experiencing?

Using the test light first check some simple things to get some experience with it. Connect the alligator clip to the battery negative terminal and touch the end of the probe to the positive post. The light inside the probe handle should light up. Leave the alligator clip on the negative post and touch the probe to the heavy battery cable on the starter. Again it should light up. Now touch the probe to the electrical terminal on the glow plugs. The light should stay off. Now engage the glow plugs and you should see the probe light come on indicating that power is being supplied to the glow plugs. Start the engine and check for power at the glow plugs. There should not be any and the probe light should be off.

Do this and report back please

Dave M7040