Batteries

[HalseyGreen]

Went out to move the JD790 from the garage so that I could put the pickup in to load it to take No. 1 daughter back to college tomorrow, all it does is click - no battery. Just parked it in there Monday morning after No. 2 daughter left for college, it had been parked outside since Friday evening when I began the timing belt/water replacement (100 K maintenance) project on the Dodge Caravan (don't wish that on anyone). Back to the tractor, checked the battery, positive cable end gone again, replace under warrenty last March (using the red and green felt washers to help prevent a re-occurance), connector is a cheap design, formed sheet metal with bolt. I have kept the battery clean using baking soda, last cleaning in mid-October when I was doing winter maintenance on the vehicles. Found large build-up of fuzzy crude under the positive cable cover, and a little on the negative side and some fuzzy crud on the hold down strap but it does not appear any corroson anywhere else tonight. Will check with dealer first of week, assume another warrenty replacement. Have others experienced this problem, and what was your fix? Any suggestions? I checked the radiator and dust screen, no apparent damage there, but will clean the entire area with baking soda when putting it back together. For those not knowing, battery is in the front of the tractor, with the post to the rear where the fan would pull any battery ventings over the connectors to some extent. Thanks for any input.

 

[s1120]

They make a spray that you spray on the terms after you clean them. You can get it at any auto parts store. That may help. Also there is a chance the battery is bad. Could have a small crack somewere. One last thing. Can you rig up some kind of sheild, or cover over the battery? I have never worked on one, so I don't know how much room you have. Good luck.

 

[Egon]

Thoughts:

Perhaps one could spray it with a Paint specifically for electrical conections. It's a spray can. Can't remember the name. Maybe also look at replacing the connector and use a larger cable.
Is there vibration where the battery sits and is it a battery for rough service?

Egon

 

[GlennT]

I'm not sure if this is relevant because I live further south, but here goes. I had the same thing happen with my JD670 a few months ago. When I pulled the battery out and took a good look at it, IT WAS LOW ON WATER. This really surprised me, because I only had about 175 hours on the tractor. When we lived up north (South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin) we rarely had to add water to the cells. In fact, I could go for years without doing anything to the battery. I checked with the JD service people here in Central Texas and was told that this is a common problem in a warm climate such as ours. Batteries need to be checked fairly often. When I looked at the batteries in our car and pickup, sure enough, they were a bit low too. By the way, I also had some corrosion, but I cleaned everything off with baking soda and water and then smeared on a bit of lithium grease and that took care of that problem.

 

[Buck]

<font color=blue>Have others experienced this problem, and what was your fix? </font color=blue>

My next door neighbor has a 790 and he told me (last spring) that this is a very common problem with the 790. He had the dealer come to his house to fix it and it happened again.

I have a 790 too with only 80 hrs. I'm gonna go down to the barn and check it out now. Thanks for reminding me.

Buck

 

[brad_oatley]

I've got a 790 and haven't had any terminal corrosion problems yet, but I have a question for the 790 owners. The 2 stage clutch seems to have a VERY narrow band, near the top, where the transmission shifts smoothly. If I fully depress the clutch, it shifts hard. Sound familiar?

 

[therrien]

I have always covered my battery terminals with white lithium grease using a small acid brush(paint brush) after the connection is clean and tight.I think I read somewhere in the manual to do this,which surprised me that they would mention it .

 

[zenmek]

I annually clean all connections and then put a liberal coating of vaseline on them (same principle as the lithium grease) it has worked well for me /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[John Weaver]

HalseyGreen: I had the same battery problem. I saw on CTB that JD is covering under warranty. I believe the problem is with the battery or charging system. Dealer checked it out and replaced the battery. Dealer also checked for damage to oil cooler (from battery acid) they will also replace the oil cooler if necessary, all under warranty. They knew about the problem and repair process, but did not contact me. I first heard it on CTB. John.

 

[HalseyGreen]

I pulled the battery out on Sunday, it was a little low on water, cleaned everything up with baking soda, including radiator (no sign of corrosion), used an universal battery connector for the time being, Dealer says he will get me another cable and agreed its a cheap design. Used the red and green battery post protectors as well as coating the post with lithium grease. Thanks for the support. I guess this will become a quarterly maintenance item verses an annual one.

 

[Buck]

Brad,

<font color=blue>"question for the 790 owners. The 2 stage clutch seems to have a VERY narrow band, near the top, where the transmission shifts smoothly" </font color=blue>

It does sound familar. Do you know what it is?

Buck

 

[HalseyGreen]

Haven't noticed the two stage clutch issue on my JD790, most of the time I end up pushing the clutch most of its travel anyway (don't have a bush hog where I would need the 2nd stage to keep it turning). Since I started this thread, I will close it out. Took the old positive battery cable to the dealer Saturday, he gave me a new one under warrenty and they haven't beefed up the terminal as of yet. He said that he's stocking them now because of their short life span. Since my warrenty expires in May, If it does it again, I will surely get a 3' cable thats has the traditional "american" heavy end on it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

it`s probably the battery, load tests ok, open circuit voltage seems ok, check charging voltage it may be slightly high.
Does water in battery look muddy? could be sulfation of plates this will eventually short battery out.some brands are worse than others DELCO seems to last for me with minimal leakage also the additive for forklift batteries helps some.
In 22 years experience working with batteries I find the first time you see leakage(corrosion) at the positive post that is an early warning,REPLACE ME B-4 IT GETS COLD AND BURNS UP THE ALTERNATOR AND STARTER AND SOLENOID/WIRES
And leaving the lights on just once really hurts a battery like running an engine hot,It`s never as good as it was when it was new or It`s not broke it`s just broke in, and last those (discount batteries) even those with 80 month or lifetime warranties are made from lesser materials. Jim

 

[Buck]

Ended up replacing my 790 battery. No big deal. But thought I'd update this thread.

Also, had to replace the fanbelt. It broke. These are the only issues I've had so far with the 790.

Buck