battery in my L 2550 isn't starting tractor . checked voltage at battery and it's 12.8 at battery with tractor running. what is the procedure for checking the alternator and regulator to see if it's working . what is the replacement battery type in case i have to replace it. I don't want to buy a kubota battery, an aftermarket will work for me... what cca battery does it require? thanks
battery problems onL2550
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turns over slow then starter clicks. just checked battery voltage after charging all night @ 2 amps and it's at 13.8 volts. don't know if it will hold at that or not . battery is 5 yrs old and a 1000 amp battery. do i need a 1000 amp battery in this tractor?
SPYDERLK
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No, but 1000CA car batteries arent that expensive - $80 at Costco for a 100 month and it gives plenty for worst case even with age.
Procedure: Use a digital Voltmeter to check the voltage on the battery terminals before and while you try to start. It should be ~12.5+ and about 11V respectively. If, when trying to start, the voltage on the terminals drops much lower than 11 its a battery you need. If it holds close to 11 check your battery cables -- you will find a bad connection somewhere.
larry
Procedure: Use a digital Voltmeter to check the voltage on the battery terminals before and while you try to start. It should be ~12.5+ and about 11V respectively. If, when trying to start, the voltage on the terminals drops much lower than 11 its a battery you need. If it holds close to 11 check your battery cables -- you will find a bad connection somewhere.
larry
repete
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Put a charger on the battery for a while then start the tractor if possible. When you have it running at approximately 1000 rpm, with the lights on, what is the battery voltage? If it is not over 13 volts I would look further than the battery.
Like SPYDERLK says as well. Check for weak connections.
Another valuable test is to disconnect the negative battery terminal and with the key OFF, put a light bulb between the cable and the terminal to see if you have a short in the system taking the battery down.
None of the above cost any $ and it is a good starting point.
Where are you located btw?
Like SPYDERLK says as well. Check for weak connections.
Another valuable test is to disconnect the negative battery terminal and with the key OFF, put a light bulb between the cable and the terminal to see if you have a short in the system taking the battery down.
None of the above cost any $ and it is a good starting point.
Where are you located btw?
the best voltage i have is 13 with nothing on. is there a way i can check my alternator and regulator , short of replacing both , when i may only need one ? also , are replacement brushes available for my tractor. I just turned over 738 hrs . could the brushes be shot ???? thanks for the help so far......
SPYDERLK
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You asked for a procedure. Do you want one or not? The 1st thing you must do is determine if the batt and cables are OK. Did the tractor start normally after you charged the batt overnite?
yes, tractor started fine after battery charged. Started fine several times while i was using it . Thats when i checked voltage while running and got the 13 volt reading. Did start test and voltage drops to 10.5-10.7volts but comes back to 12.8-13.0 running .Cleaned terminals and checked cables. Both are ok. Battery seems strong now but don't want a "surprise" one cold snowy morning. Even if battery is bad shouldn't alternator put out more than 13 volts max to battery.What is procedure to check alternator and regulator ??? Where are you located in Va. I'm in shenandoah valley.
SPYDERLK
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Yes. The voltage should go a little higher ... but no, it is possible for a bad battery to demand hi current, maxing the alt and prevent the voltage from rising. This is almost definitely NOT your case because the batt charged up fine with a 2 amp charger. Quick checks of other things to keep our direction accurate:
# Are your Temp and Fuel gauges working - a fuse controls these along with the VReg
# Is the alt belt reasonably tight.
# Is the alt getting hot ... or warm? It only takes a couple minutes to feel some heat on the exposed iron laminations if its putting out much juice.
# Is there a 3 wire connector plugged on the back of the alt ... also a large red wire on a bolt lug.
# Engine at~1500rpm - What happens to the batt voltage when you turn on the lights?
# Are your Temp and Fuel gauges working - a fuse controls these along with the VReg
# Is the alt belt reasonably tight.
# Is the alt getting hot ... or warm? It only takes a couple minutes to feel some heat on the exposed iron laminations if its putting out much juice.
# Is there a 3 wire connector plugged on the back of the alt ... also a large red wire on a bolt lug.
# Engine at~1500rpm - What happens to the batt voltage when you turn on the lights?
sorry for slow reply, been really busy last couple days...temp & fuel gauges working , belt is tight , all electrical connections are tight and clean and in place. haven't checked if alt. is getting hot or if voltage drops with lights on. Will check tomorrow and post.........thanks
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In my experience,
these L2550's are equipped with poor alternators and regulators,
not enough amperage and regulated voltage.
I installed an older type (gm) alternator, it bolts right up but you may need to shorten the belt.
These gm alts come with a built in regulator, so you can eliminate that crapy regulator
that came with your tractor.
Wiring the gm alt in is simple. Outcome, you'll have a happier, better charged battery.
these L2550's are equipped with poor alternators and regulators,
not enough amperage and regulated voltage.
I installed an older type (gm) alternator, it bolts right up but you may need to shorten the belt.
These gm alts come with a built in regulator, so you can eliminate that crapy regulator
that came with your tractor.
Wiring the gm alt in is simple. Outcome, you'll have a happier, better charged battery.
skyhook
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You would remove your alt and "not use" the voltage regulator at all.
You could leave it in place if you wish.
Here's the set-up for the gm alt...
The #2 wire that goes to the 12 volt battery can be connected directly to the ( BATT) terminal on the alt.
#1 wire goes to any feed wire that gets juice when the key is "on", ( this excites the alt and makes it start charging). There must be no power to this wire when the key switch is "off'.
skyhook
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Ya, it doesn't seem to be charging the way it should,
it is charging, but not the way you would like it.
You should be up in the 13.5 volt area at that rpm.
I know some people who upgrade their trucks ( 7.3 diesel engines) with the 3g alt system.
This alt is much better and really puts out the amps, but wouldn't fit in your tractor.
I'm sure if you would rev up your tractor to about 2,500 rpm's, the voltage would or should rise
to the 13 volt mark. Still not adequate enough in my books, especially if your running lights etc.
it is charging, but not the way you would like it.
You should be up in the 13.5 volt area at that rpm.
I know some people who upgrade their trucks ( 7.3 diesel engines) with the 3g alt system.
This alt is much better and really puts out the amps, but wouldn't fit in your tractor.
I'm sure if you would rev up your tractor to about 2,500 rpm's, the voltage would or should rise
to the 13 volt mark. Still not adequate enough in my books, especially if your running lights etc.
SPYDERLK
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Sorry, I cant reply with Quote. ... You alternator is not working. We need to determine if it is being "asked" to work. To do this, measure the voltage from ground to the white/striped wires on the 3 terminal connector on the back of the alt. The lower one [wht/grn] should have 8V or more. The upper [wht/blk] about 5V. If no voltage the alt is not being asked for current. This V should be present when ignition is on ... running or not.
larry
larry
Did check on alt plug. With engine running, upper wire has 4.3 volts and bottom wire has 8.7. With engine off , key on , top wire 0 , bottom wire 11.3 . With tractor running @ 1500 rpms ,i'm showing 12.6 volts. The battery seems to be staying up and tractor is starting , but i'm wondering if its because i've been starting it so often to check voltages.
SPYDERLK
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Your batt is slowly going down with starts. Discharge while running is very minimal unless lights on.
With those voltage readings the alt should put out some power. ... Look down by your dipstick - near the starter. There should be 2 wires going into a connector and a single wire looping back on the other side. This loop is a fusible link and may be bad. It seems to me that if that link is bad and the engine OFF you would see no voltage at the red wire stud connection on the alt. I really dont want to unplug that functioning 30 yr old fusible link connection to check this on mine. If you have sharp probes you should be able to stab them in on the side of the connector having the 2 wires. If the fusible loop is intact the V between those 2 wires should be very small with the engine running or not. If its 12V, the link is blown or the connector fouled. Correcting that will be the answer I think.
larry
With those voltage readings the alt should put out some power. ... Look down by your dipstick - near the starter. There should be 2 wires going into a connector and a single wire looping back on the other side. This loop is a fusible link and may be bad. It seems to me that if that link is bad and the engine OFF you would see no voltage at the red wire stud connection on the alt. I really dont want to unplug that functioning 30 yr old fusible link connection to check this on mine. If you have sharp probes you should be able to stab them in on the side of the connector having the 2 wires. If the fusible loop is intact the V between those 2 wires should be very small with the engine running or not. If its 12V, the link is blown or the connector fouled. Correcting that will be the answer I think.
larry
found the wires but someone before me has replaced the fusible link with a in line fuse..20 amp...It's not blown . I have 12 volts at the red wire on the alt. I mowed for an hour today and the voltage at battery afterward was 12.6 volts without the engine running. Tractor started fine this morning when I started mowing...
SPYDERLK
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OK. The problem is that I think your alt is working at a very low level. The question is whether thats all it can do, or that the Vreg is governing it to that anemic level. By experience [and off the top of my head] I believe the numbers you gave for the alt connector plug correspond to around 12.8V out of the alt. Im concerned that this is so near the batt rest voltage that its difficult to tell if its charging at all. I would probably just run a wire from batt + to the lower plug connection. Thats me ... and unfortunately Im not sure whether that would be bad for the Vreg. What would surely be safe is to unplug that connector to take the Vreg out of circuit, and put 12V across the outer [blk] terminal and the lower [wht/grn] terminal on the alternator. This would ask for full charge from the alt. If the alt is working the batt voltage will start to rise and alt will warm. ... That will say theres something wrong in the Vreg part of the system. Probably the Vreg :confused3:
larry
larry
