Battery hooked up backwards,OOP!

EE_Bota · Dec 16, 2009

kenstrac said:
I forgot to tell him to put a pan under the tractor to catch any watts the spilled out.

Not only that, but if there is microprocessor control, he may even need a "bit bucket."

jinman · Dec 16, 2009

Sola mesa, I read your first post and noticed you said you were installing a "new battery." Have your checked that battery with a voltmeter? If it is new, there's a good chance you could put it on a charger at the correct polarity and it will take a charge and be fine.

I think you need to examine your wiring harness in close proximity to the starter for a Main Fuse. It is common to put a fuse inline that is rated at the maximum current load of your alternator. I think that main fuse is likely blown on your tractor. You may also have more damage than the fuse, but things like your lights should work even after a reverse polarity connection because lights work with switches that don't care what polarity you apply.

Your alternator is normally installed on the battery side of the main fuse, so it may be damaged, but don't assume that is the case just because it can happen.

If you can't find the main fuse, then I'd call a John Deere dealer and ask the service mananger if there is a fuse and where it is located. I don't mean to be saying those who have posted that there is no current limiter are wrong, but rather that I think the opinion of a service manager might be helpful. They may have seen a similar situation and can list the exact problems normally seen with a reversed battery.

Conquistador · Dec 16, 2009

My wife decided to mow with my Kubota L2050 over the summer and couldn't get it to start. I knew the battery was dying and had planned to get another over the weekend. Well, she decided to hook the jumper up to the tractor and reversed the terminals. I got a call during the middle of the day saying that she tried to start it and the battery was smoking. When I got home and checked out what she did, I realized she reversed the positive and negative, cranked the juice up on the battery charger, and tried to start it. After about three hours of trying to figure out what she had done, I found one small, well hidden, nearly impossible to get to fusible link that had burnt out. The insulation was intact, just slightly warped. How did I find the wire?? Luck I guess, I started sniffing around to see if I could smell burnt wired. I smelled what I thought was something burnt and started looking. The link insulation was just a little warped, but when I felt for the wire, it was obviously burnt in half. I cut that little section out, put in a new fuse link, and we were good to go. The tractor runs fine and the battery charger is now well hidden.

Soundguy · Dec 16, 2009

you got lucky.. bat chargers are current limited devices, with respect to loads like starters.. etc... even heavy diodes in the alternator.

a battery is another beast.. can get some high surge current for a decent amount of time out of them in a reverse current situation.

soundguy

Scotty370 · Dec 17, 2009

Now, if someone could just develop 'schrader' valves, for the expensive components,..........and 'canned-smoke'........... HMMM! ~S

Soundguy · Dec 18, 2009

not a schrader valve with can of smoke.. but as it has bene mentioned.. it is feindishly easy to incorporate reverse current protection to all sensitive electronics that are low to medium current, and even to charge output devices like alternators... just requires a small handfull of common components.. thus more cost and complexity... think of that as a 'relief' valve'..

soundguy

sola mesa · Dec 18, 2009

Hey guys, thanks for all the help. So far I have replaced the alternator ( old one was checked and bad), voltage regulator and ignition. I still do not have anything happening when I turn the key. Still no lights either. The tractor will try to start when I hot wire the starter.
I will make that call to John Deere about the main fuse and I will keep looking for wires that may be fried.
Any other suggestions appreciated!

sola mesa · Dec 18, 2009

Thanks good thoughts.

Soundguy · Dec 19, 2009

check all fuses plus the wire feeding the panel itself.

some machines use a relay in there as well.

soundguy

kenstrac · Dec 19, 2009

sola mesa said:
Hey guys, thanks for all the help. So far I have replaced the alternator ( old one was checked and bad), voltage regulator and ignition. I still do not have anything happening when I turn the key. Still no lights either. The tractor will try to start when I hot wire the starter.
I will make that call to John Deere about the main fuse and I will keep looking for wires that may be fried.
Any other suggestions appreciated!

Since you have power to the starter we can assume that the 12V is getting there and you have a good ground,Get a analog meter or test light find white wire on Alt connected to A see if you have 12V go to white wire on voltage reg,and see if you have 12V go to white wire on key sw marked B see if you have 12V if not on any of these the wire is open-burnt .
The wire originates from the large term. on the starter that the bat.is connected to check that Stak-on.
all these white wires are spliced inside the wiring harness and you will have to cut open the harness to find the junction where I suspect your problem is .
Hope this helps.
BTW disconnect Bat before cutting into harness