Battery goes dead

[Bob5727]

Last fall I had a problem with the battery going dead. i thought it was the voltage regulator but it tested out ok. Winter came and i didn't use the tractor.
I had the battery tested and it was bad so I put in a new battery. The first time I used it the tractor started right up, it was also good the second time. Today it would not even turn over.

Something is draining the battery but I have no idea where to start troubleshoting, would REALLY appreciate some help with this.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[beenthere]

:welcome: to TBN

Is Parma the city in Italy?

 

[Bob5727]

There is one in Italy, I'm in Ohio with a dead tractor

 

[beenthere]

What I'd do is is disconnect the battery, and check for any wires that are leaking to ground.
If you have an ohm meter, should be able to do that.
Don't discount that the new battery may be bad.. it does happen (all too often).
In fact, my neighbor said a couple days ago that his battery of less than two years showed up with a bad cell. Out of warranty..

Thanks for the tip on Parma.

 

[crazyal]

Do you have a fuse block? If so you can remove all the fuses when not in use and see if the battery is still going dead. If the battery stays charged then keep putting in one fuse at a time. Another thing you can do is look at your ignition switch. it's possible that it's not disconnecting the power when shut off. It's also possible that a relay is stuck. If you have a ammeter it will help. It will also be very helpful if you can get a wiring diagram for it.

 

[Ford850]

Welcome! Parma Ohio is the only Parma I know.
I'd check all the connections, one by one, removing and cleaning, and retightening. It could be a weak, dirty, or loose connection on any of them which would not recharge the battery while running, so leaving it dead for the next time. I found this out the hard way, and learned "bright and tight" from some of the members on here and another site. Sure enough, that solved my problem, and it doesn't hurt to clean things up even if they look like they are in good shape.

 

[dickfoster]

Last fall I had a problem with the battery going dead. i thought it was the voltage regulator but it tested out ok. Winter came and i didn't use the tractor.
I had the battery tested and it was bad so I put in a new battery. The first time I used it the tractor started right up, it was also good the second time. Today it would not even turn over.

Something is draining the battery but I have no idea where to start troubleshoting, would REALLY appreciate some help with this.

Thanks,

Bob

First charge the battery on an external charger if you have too. Next reinstall the battery and connect an amp meter to one of the battery leads and see if there is any current being pulled when the tractor shut down. If there is some current trace it from there to see if you can find a short or something. Sometimes there are small loads on batteries even with the engine not running as with many cars with EFI today. Also know that batteries do not like to sit around neglected with infrequent use especially if you don't run the engine long enough to completely top up the charge to the battery between uses. This leads to a condition called sulphation and will ruin a battery in very short order. There is lots of info on the web about sulphation, how to remedy it and how to prevent it. For infrequently used equipment it's best to either remove and store the battery inside or use a tender charger to keep the battery from draining over long periods of disuse which they can do just sitting there connected to nothing.

 

[PILOON]

First charge the battery on an external charger if you have too. Next reinstall the battery and connect an amp meter to one of the battery leads and see if there is any current being pulled when the tractor shut down. If there is some current trace it from there to see if you can find a short or something. Sometimes there are small loads on batteries even with the engine not running as with many cars with EFI today. Also know that batteries do not like to sit around neglected with infrequent use especially if you don't run the engine long enough to completely top up the charge to the battery between uses. This leads to a condition called sulphation and will ruin a battery in very short order. There is lots of info on the web about sulphation, how to remedy it and how to prevent it. For infrequently used equipment it's best to either remove and store the battery inside or use a tender charger to keep the battery from draining over long periods of disuse which they can do just sitting there connected to nothing.

Do that with an ammeter in line and pull each breaker or fuse until you find which circuit is the culprit.

 

[Richard001]

First charge the battery on an external charger if you have too. Next reinstall the battery and connect an amp meter to one of the battery leads and see if there is any current being pulled when the tractor shut down. If there is some current trace it from there to see if you can find a short or something.

I think that Dick's idea is a good one. A few years ago, I had a similar problem. Battery was getting discharged with the tractor just sitting in the garage. Use my meter in the current mode, and traced the problem to the starter solenoid. Apparently water had gotten into it and was causing a 20 to 30 millamp drain.

Could have just bought a new one, but what the heck fun would that be, so I took it apart, cleaned it up, dried it out, then sealed it with silicon sealer. Hasn't been a problem since.

Richard

 

[BBO]

When you disconnect a lead from a battery you should see no spark.
If current is being drawn they will often be a tiny spark as the lead is removed/reconnected.
(The bigger the load, the bigger the spark.)

This can be dangerous if any acid is around the post, so be careful while you look for this problem.
A good cleaning with baking soda and water would be a good idea.