2160 Battery Charging problem

[BobRip]

How do I tell which one it is?

If you jump start it and the starter works then it is very unlikely to be the starter. If you can charge the battery and then start it immediately then it is probably not the battery.

If it is the charging system there are many things it could be and I am not knowledgeable about your particular system. You will need a good electrical man for this.

I hope this helps.

Is the belt tight? This can hinder charging.

 

[Fordlords]

The other posters covered this well, if your tractor doesn't have a volt meter, buy or borrow a digital multimeter and check the voltage at the battery with the engine off and then running. Should be around 12-12.5 volts DC off, 13.5-14.8 with it running. You should see a definite increase in voltage as an indicator the alternator and regulator/rectifier (R/R) outputs are OK.

I don't have a sehematic for the Briggs Vanguard to see what type of alternator stator it has, but a typical three phase alternator will feed approximately 30 volts AC between the three legs in to the R/R module. If any one of the fields is dead, the stator is shot and needs to be replaced, which involves removing the engine flywheel. (Yes, a project on a shaft drive Cub) If the feed to the R/R is OK and there is little or no DC charge output from it (indicated by low or no charge voltage), you just need to replace the R/R module, a farily simple task. R/R modules typically fail more frequently than the stator does.

Also, check stupid things like loose cables and connectors. These inexpensive items sometimes cause more grief than they are worth dollar-wise.

-Fordlords-

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

I favor an ammeter over a voltmeter. I added one to my 3235. The voltmeter shows whether the alternator is charging but doesn't show the state of the battery. You could show 14.5 volts all day but still have a dead battery if the battery fails. When I first start the tractor the ammeter jumps up to 10 amps so I know the alternator is working. After a few minutes it gradually drops to almost zero, which indicates the battery is fully charged. It's a little harder to install since you must wire it into the circuit between the battery terminal on the starter and the wire, feeding the tractor circuitry other than the starter, which was attached to the terminal. I ran a couple 10 ga wires up to the meter.

Bob B.

 

[OhioGuy]

Hi Melissa,

Here's a schematic in PDF format. I'm used to seeing a four connection voltage regulator on Cubs but it looks like yours has an alternator, according to this PDF.


In the upper left corner you see the stator with two yellow wires feedind the alternator. Those are delivering the AC which should then be rectified by the alternator. I don't know the exact number, but if your getting 25 Volts or so AC to the alternator, the stator is good.

The red lead out should be around 13 to 14.5 volts DC with the tractor running.

Welcome to TBN, good luck with your 2160.

Curt

 

[BobRip]

I favor an ammeter over a voltmeter. I added one to my 3235. The voltmeter shows whether the alternator is charging but doesn't show the state of the battery. You could show 14.5 volts all day but still have a dead battery if the battery fails. When I first start the tractor the ammeter jumps up to 10 amps so I know the alternator is working. After a few minutes it gradually drops to almost zero, which indicates the battery is fully charged. It's a little harder to install since you must wire it into the circuit between the battery terminal on the starter and the wire, feeding the tractor circuitry other than the starter, which was attached to the terminal. I ran a couple 10 ga wires up to the meter.

Bob B.

Sorry to disagree. I prefer the voltmeter. When you turn the key on you can see the battery voltage and thus if all cells are working (should be 12 to 12.6). When you crank it should stay above 10.5 to indicate a battery in good condition. When running it should be 13.5 to 14.5 indicating charging system is working. When you turn on loads and the voltage drops below 12.6 you know the alternator is not keeping up with the load. You might want to raise engine speed or shutoff some loads.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

Sorry to disagree. I prefer the voltmeter. When you turn the key on you can see the battery voltage and thus if all cells are working (should be 12 to 12.6). When you crank it should stay above 10.5 to indicate a battery in good condition. When running it should be 13.5 to 14.5 indicating charging system is working. When you turn on loads and the voltage drops below 12.6 you know the alternator is not keeping up with the load. You might want to raise engine speed or shutoff some loads.

I guess we all have our own preferences. An ammeter is almost impossible to find on any late model cars. Because of this I have never had a clue when a battery was failing until it failed to start or turned over very slow. When I used to see the car charging 20 amps after being driven for a couple hours, I knew something was wrong. Install both and then we would both be happy<g>.

Bob B.

 

[BobRip]

I guess we all have our own preferences. An ammeter is almost impossible to find on any late model cars. Because of this I have never had a clue when a battery was failing until it failed to start or turned over very slow. When I used to see the car charging 20 amps after being driven for a couple hours, I knew something was wrong. Install both and then we would both be happy<g>.

Bob B.

Yeah, both sounds good. Batteries today seem to give no warning. I have certainly seen that. I think it's the way they make batteries though and not the charging system. The resolution on the voltmeters is really not good enough to do the diagnosis well so the ampmeter does have some advantage. It's a good thing alternators are so reliable. When I do diagnosis on a system I always use a digital voltmeter, not the built in volt meter. So you may be right.